No one can deny their indelible stamp on the culinary landscape of south Bombay in India, a city where they hold a place of pride all their own. Once ahead of their time, the ‘Irani cafes’ in Bombay (Mumbai) have sadly become a fast disappearing trend.
Perhaps not as popular in rest of the country, a unique set of cafe-style eateries appeared across western India, especially Bombay in the 19th century, catering mainly to the large Parsi-Zoroastrian population settled there.
A Favorite Irani-cafe Serving of Savory Puff-pastry style ‘Khari’ Biscuits
These gems on the food scene of Bombay were started by later Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran. In order to distinguish themselves from their Parsi-Zoroastrian brethren settled in India for almost a millennium, they came to be called ‘Irani Zoroastrians’. Read here for a deeper insight into the Irani-café culture.
Last week, an interesting article on these historic eateries brought back some wonderful memories of growing up in Bombay and the Irani cafes that colored my young days with their delicious servings.
Mouthwatering memories filled my soul as I pictured their crisp lamb mince puffs and savory puff-pastry style ‘khari’ biscuits (also the inspiration behind today’s recipe,) as well as their spicy hard-boiled egg curry served over steaming aromatic rice, making sure I ended my meal with a soft and deceptively rich ‘mawa cake’, made with an amazing batter of milk solids and flour.
These quintessential food establishments are known, as much for their tasty fare and their glass food-display cases filled with treats and pastries, as for their unique cafe-like ambiance with clustered tables topped with tartan tablecloths, ideal for conversation and their high ceilings with large fans, which always had me look up as I walk in.
‘Khari’ Biscuit Baked Golden Brown, a Personal Favorite
My personal favorite is ‘khari’ (means savory or salted) biscuit; it’s basically a savory puff pastry dough, baked fresh and crisp, often with a sprinkling of warm spices. After a busy day at college, mom and I’d meet up at our favorite Irani café, chatting away as we bite into warm flaky ‘khari’ biscuit dipped in a hot masala chai.
Recapturing some of that memory, while using the convenience of store-bought puff pastry with some simple flavoring ideas, this is our serving of a much-loved Parsi tea snack…and an ode to the delicious food at classic ‘Irani-cafes.’
Cumin and Almond ‘Khari’ Biscuit
Makes 14 ‘khari’ biscuits
1 sheet store bought puff pastry
8 almonds*
½ teaspoon cumin seeds*
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, well beaten for the egg wash
* It’s fine to use a teaspoon of almond meal and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin, if you prefer.
Cumin and Almond ‘Khari’ Biscuit, A Parsi Tea Snack Treat
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Using a spice grinder, make a fine powder of the almond and cumin seeds. Add salt to this mix.
Defrost and unfold the puff pastry sheet on a work surface dusted with flour. Using a rolling pin, smooth out the creases in the sheet. Sprinkle the puff pastry liberally with the ground almond-cumin-salt mix.
Fold the sheet into half and run the rolling pin over the folded sheet to press the powder in to the dough. Cut the puff pastry into 14 rectangular pieces and lay them spaced apart on an ungreased baking sheet. You can twist the ‘khari’ biscuit pieces like a bow-tie for a more authentic look or just leave the pieces rectangular.
Using a pastry brush, apply the egg wash to the tops of the puff pastry. Bake the ‘khari’ biscuit at 400F for 15 minutes till they are golden brown, some ovens may need another 1-2 minutes.
Consume the Cumin & Almond ‘khari’ biscuit warm, along with your favorite cuppa…or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Pingback: Appreciation-5 awards | soulofspice
ooohh these looked yummy, i may give the recipe a try.
Thanks for trying them…it’s a really nice and flaky treat:)
Absolutely lovely. I must try this soon.
Words cannot describe the pleasure of eating a flaky, buttery, oh-so-light khari with kadak chai or just by itself. I always warm the khari just a tad in the oven before eating, a trick taught to me by a venerable Sindhi aunty I knew…..
Your said it!! And that’s my trick with khari biscuit too:) Your wise aunty was on the right track…I warm up my other Parsi treats like bhakras, batasas and nankhatais! So good to connect:)
Me too, me too
Your stuff is excellent and mouth-watering. Even an old retired physician can follow your instructions and leave his old Parsi mouth feeling very pleased. Thank you.
Thank you! You’ve made my day! And I agree, nothing’s more pleasing than the thought of a warm crisp freshly baked khari with some chai:)
i am going to try these when my papa visits…he loves the kharis with his tea….Never knew they can be so easy to make…Thanks for sharing.
Wow, so happy to hear your papa likes kharis with tea, no better way to enjoy them! The convenience of store-bought puff pastry sheets can’t be beat, though I’d love to make them from scratch:) Thanks for trying them.
Looks very nice indeed!
And they are truly warm, crisp and delicious:) Thanks!
Looks delicious and decadent.
And it sure is both of those, with all the crispy crunchy goodness thrown in! Thanks…
Puff Pastry is such a blessing. Peri you combined it with cumin and almonds – neat idea!
I sometimes just bake it and sprinkle caraway seeds on top.
I love your blog.
Rita
Thanks Rita, you are so kind…especially flattering since you have such an amazing site yourself! Anyone who asks me for Parsi food recipes, I instantly send them to parsicuisine.com:) I’ve tried quite a few combinations with ‘khari’ biscuit including ajwain/carrom seeds and also a pista & cardamom mix! I like the idea of sprinkling caraway seeds over it! Will try it next time!
how do YOU know exactly what I’ve been longing to have.. loveee khara puffs…
Called a foodie connection, Charu! These kharis are the most amazing comfort snacks:)
YUM!!!! These sound amazing. I like pretty much anything that fits the bread category, I must try these!
Thank you! We’re bread soul sisters…any kind of baked goodies work for me! Try these right out of the oven, they’re pure goodness:)
These look amazing! I’ve never heard of them before. I love seeing how different cultures and communities take common ingredients and interpret them, making them their own. I will certainly have to give these a try.
So do I:) it’s such an interesting study to see the same concept of a puff pastry used so deliciously in various cuisines! You’ll love these, they have a savory crunch worth trying out…Thanks.