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As members of the Indian Parsi community celebrate Navroz or the Parsi New Year today, it is time once again to delve deeper into their rich cultural and culinary heritage—and enjoy some special treats too. Guiding our way through Parsi cuisine, as she is famed for doing always, Chef Anahita Dhondy has shared a special mutton recipe straight from the kitchen of her mother, Nilufer Dhondy! In a recent video post on Instagram, Chef Anahita Dhondy explains how her mother whips up a delicious Kid Gosht for Navroz.
“Navroz Mubarak everyone!! Embracing the spirit of Navroz with a delicious touch of tradition,” Chef Anahita Dhondy wrote in her post. “This recipe holds a special place in our hearts and our kitchen, symbolizing the richness of our cultural heritage and the bonds of family. Kid Gosht, a succulent and aromatic meat dish, showcases the harmony of flavors that Navroz, the Parsi New Year, represents.” She also ends the caption to the resplendent looking dish with a cryptic reference to a fact about Parsi New Year many don’t know: “P. S. Did you know Parsis celebrate new year twice in a year?”
Video Credit: YouTube/Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana
Chef Anahita Dhondy’s comment highlights the fact that while the Zoroastrian New Year falls on the spring equinox and is generally celebrated around the world around March 21, the Indian Parsi community actually celebrates the festival twice. In India, Navroz is also known as Jamshed-I-Navroz after the popular Persian king who is credited to have created the Shahenshahi calendar. Because they follow the Shahenshahi calender, for Indian Parsis, Navroz arrives 200 days later in the month of August. So, Indian Parsis get to enjoy the beginning of the new year twice a year, as Chef Anahita Dhondy hints.
Coming to the recipe itself, Chef Anahita Dhondy explains how her mother cooks the dish with the full recipe in the captions. “A Parsi New Year special, Kid Gosht is a succulent lamb curry in a fragrant cashew nut gravy,” she explains. “This dish is special because it is only made on special occasions. And as for Navroz, we create this rich and flavourful dish.” She goes on to explain how the dish is made and of course shares the full recipe in the caption too.
“It has a mutton broth made with simple aromats like garlic, and then we make the base of this sauce with onions and green chillies. This recipe doesn’t take too long and you can also add fried potatoes that are deep-fried or air-fried. The gravy comes together pretty quickly and has very few spices. It is not too heavy on the spices,” she says, explaining in the caption that one simply needs black pepper powder and garam masala for this simple yet rich mutton curry which is enjoyed with hot rotis.
