In Parsi homes on Nowruz (also called Navroze), The air is thick with the scent of saffron, cardamom, and ghee, and tables groan under the weight of golden-fried Chicken Farcha, spicy Patra ni Macchi, and fragrant Mutton Pulao. Then, of course, there are the sweets. Lagan nu Custard, baked to silken perfection, its caramelized top yielding to the gentlest spoonful.

Ravo, warm and buttery, thick with semolina, nuts and sugar. Sev with Mithu Dahi, a tangle of toasted vermicelli softened with sweetened yoghurt. Even tea-time treats get an upgrade: Mawa Cakes, buttery Nankhatai, and Batasa biscuits, crisp and just salty enough to make you reach for another. It is food made with intention and eaten with love.

There is something utterly beguiling about Nowruz, the New Year celebrated by the ever-hospitable Parsis. The Parsis are a small but influential community in India. They are descendants of Persian Zoroastrians who fled to Gujarat over a thousand years ago and ended up settling in India, mostly in the city of Mumbai.

Honour tradition with a feast this Parsi New Year by cooking up these lavish recipes below.

 Chicken Farcha:

Think of Chicken Farcha as the most decadent, spiced-up cousin of classic fried chicken. The coating is airy yet crisp, the meat is tender and spiced just enough to make you sit up.

Ingredients:

500g chicken drumsticks or thighs

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 eggs

2 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method:

Marinate the chicken in chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and salt. Let it rest for at least an hour (or overnight). In a bowl, whisk eggs with cornflour and all-purpose flour. This creates the lightest, crispest coating. Heat oil in a deep pan until shimmering. Dip the marinated chicken into the egg mixture and fry until golden brown and impossibly crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, and eat hot, with a squeeze of lime and a flourish of smug satisfaction.

 Lagan nu Custard:

It is dense yet silken, sweet yet spiced, and so wonderfully rich you almost need a moment to recover after eating it. Think of it as a Parsi version of crème brûlée without the pretension.

Ingredients:

500ml full-fat milk

200ml condensed milk

100ml fresh cream

3 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ tsp cardamom powder

½ tsp nutmeg powder

1 tsp rose water

A handful of slivered almonds and pistachios

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a saucepan, heat the milk, condensed milk, and cream until warm but not boiling. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cardamom, and nutmeg. Slowly add the warm milk mixture, whisking continuously. Pour into a buttered baking dish, scatter the nuts on top, and place in a water bath (a larger tray filled with hot water). Bake for 45–50 minutes, until firm but still trembling in the middle. Let it cool completely.

Sagan Ni Sev:

Soft, lightly caramelized sev tangled in thick, sweetened yoghurt, the sort of dessert that tastes like the quiet part of the celebration, when the chatter slows and only the sound of spoons scraping bowls remains.

Ingredients:

1 cup sev (thin vermicelli)

1 tbsp ghee

5 tbsp sugar

1 ½ cups thick yoghurt

½ tsp cardamom powder

A few slivered almonds and pistachios

Method:

In a pan, lightly toast the sev in ghee until golden and fragrant. Sprinkle in half the sugar and stir for a minute until it melts into a light caramel. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Whisk the yoghurt with the remaining sugar until smooth, then stir in cardamom and half the nuts. To serve, layer the sev in bowls, top with the sweetened yoghurt, and scatter more nuts over. Take a bite and let the sweet, tangy, nutty magic do its work.

This Parsi New Year, fill your table with recipes that taste like home and plates that promise prosperity and happiness in every bite. If a second helping of Lagan Nu Custard is required, take it—for what is a New Year if not an excuse to indulge?

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