My big fat Parsi Navroze…The Katy’s Kitchen Bhonu

Dear Kurush and Rhea,

Food brings happiness they say and the Navroze bhonu that you sent for us today did just that.

Couple of days back I came upon an old Navroze post of mine while doing research for an article that I was writing on Navroze. We had gone to Elphinstone Club the year I had posted it. I opened the post and my eyes fell on my late father in law’s picture. I realised that this would be our second Navroze since he has left us. A sobering thought.

This year we decided to get together as a family for Navroze. K’s mom came over as she does now on weekends. K’s Mama and masi joined us too and we met them after quite a while. 

I was given the job of organising the food and without thinking twice reached out to you guys.

Navroze finally arrived and we woke up smiling at the thought of the good food coming our way. K told me that daddy would have been really happy had he been around. He had a lot of food restrictions towards the end of his life and looked forward to days like this when he could eat good food. And he was fond of your food, Kurush and Rhea, specially the lagan nu custard.

To add to this, uncle J and P aunty had decided to spend their Navroze with us. This was really special as Uncle J had not visited anyone since he had returned home from the hospital after battling his illness. This was the first time P aunty was visiting any of the houses we have lived in since K and I got married. 

Indeed a day to be treasured.

Do you know why they decided to come over?

Well you guys had played a big part in this Kurush and Rhea.

Apparently uncle J was very excited when he saw the pictures of the bheja (goat’s brain) cutlets that we had put up on Facebook when we recently had a party at home and ordered from you guys. 

When uncle J heard that you have included bheja cutlets in the Navroze menu this year he requested K, to organise for a bhonu from you and said that he would come over for it. He didn’t want to leave his sister home on this day and hence got P aunty over too.

So everyone had got together at our place to enjoy the special meal from your Katy’s Kitchen!

That’s the power of your bhonu. 

With the family but missing mamma and daddy

As we started to eat, a silence fell over the room. That’s how good the food was. 

The creamy and yet nicely spiced bheja cutlet seemed to have made J’s trip worth it and K and I took seconds of these along with him. 

P aunty said that the food was refreshingly different from the usual Parsi caterer fare at weddings. Mama loved his veg food and kept especially praising the veg cutlets. K’s mom who praised the veg pulao daal the most.  

 I was taken in by the succulence of the chicken in the sali margi and loved the flavours of the palao daal and loved the tender mutton.  I thought that the Patrani machhi had a nice sharpness to it and wasn’t too sweet. 

K dug into the laganu custard her dad so loved. 

I could feel him and K’s granny smile at us from their photo frames.

I felt happy and blessed.

Enjoying our lagan nu custard and thinking of dad

So, thank you Kurush and Rhea for making our day special. I know the last couple of years has not been easy for you guys either. We have all had bereavements in our families. But life goes on and today was all about celebrating and treasuring the present. 

Kurush, I am sure your parents would be proud with what you have done with Katy mai’s legacy and how you have taken it ahead by delivering great food again and again, by keeping her standards up and by spreading her name and work to a larger audience by going beyond the Parsi community. 

Here’s wishing you all the best for the future

Navroze mubarak and to new beginnings

Kalyan

Disclaimer: Since I praised the food here I must also mention that while I had placed an order with all intentions to pay, it was meant to be my treat to the family, Kurush and Rhea refused to take the money for the order when they sent the food and said it was their way of celebrating uncle J’s recovery