Navroz 2023: 5 traditional Parsi dishes to enjoy on this festival

Navroz or Nowruz is also known as the Persian New Year. Parsis will be celebrating this occasion with zeal. During Navroz, people following the Parsi tradition decorate their dinner tables with candles or lamps. They use a plate with sprouted wheat, flowers, silver coin, rosewater, eggs, sweets, and a bowl with a goldfish as it symbolises happiness and prosperity. 

On Navroz, prayers are offered and guests are invited. Parsis prepare and dine on a lavish feast consisting of authentic dishes. The grand feast of Navroz includes dishes like patra ni machhi, salli chicken, and ravo among others. Take a look at some of the traditional dishes Parsis eat while celebrating New Year.

Patra Ni Machhi (Pomfret dish)

Patra ni machhi is an authentic dish eaten by Parsis. Pomfret fish is wrapped using a banana leaf and steamed with ingredients like coconut and green chilli chutney. As soon as the fish is cooked properly, the fish parcels are served. It is tangy and spicy.

Salli Chicken (curry-style chicken)

Salli chicken is a curry-style chicken dish that is topped with fried potato sticks, also known as salli. This Parsi cuisine is very popular during festivities and is served hot with plain rice or pulao with pickles and Parsi-style papad called saria.

Farchas (fried chicken)

Farchas is a fried chicken dish and is eaten by Parsis as a snack. In this recipe, the chicken is dipped in a batter of choice and fried until it turns golden. During Navroz, Farchas is either enjoyed as a starter or mixed with curries. This dish is quite popular during Parsi weddings and is also served at authentic Iranian cafes.

Ravo (Parsi dessert)

Ravo is considered a celebratory dessert by people of the Parsi community and is mostly served during occasions like Navroz. Ravo is basically a pudding dish and is made using milks, eggs, and semolina. For this authentic dish, all the main ingredients are whisked together and milk is added constantly to this dish to make it taste better. Some people even use condensed milk or added flavours to make it better and top it with dry fruits.

Sweet Vermicelli

During Navroz, Parsis love to eat sweet vermicelli or sweet seviyan. This dessert is cooked using ghee, water, sugar, and cardamom. Then it is garnished with dry fruits including cashews and almonds.