Prawn dhansak: A Parsi dish that’s prepared with chana and masoor dal

And it was a challenge that I accepted. Madras was very different in the late 70s. There weren’t many fancy restaurants or malls in the city. Women were conservative in their dressing and eating out meant the drive-in restaurant or the main Woodlands Hotel on Edward Elliot’s Road. My conservative family consisted only of doctors, lawyers, engineers, or professors. The hospitality industry was unacceptable for my family.

I started searching for jobs. One day, while strolling through the Nungambakkam High Road, I stopped in front of the Taj Coromandel Hotel. I was fascinated and entered the hotel. I entered the lobby and gazed around with wonder. I had never seen such opulence and gorgeous women and men in uniforms. I was in a plain cotton saree with a scruffy ponytail and no makeup. Suddenly, a gentleman, who was looking like a Santa Claus, asked me what I wanted. He was Mr Mudaliar, the general manager of the hotel. I told him that I wanted a job at the hotel. He asked me to follow him and we reached the plush office at the side. He gently said that I would not be suitable for the work, as I did not have the style and poise which is needed for employees there. He gave me a cup of coffee and asked me to go home and not waste time. I did not give up — I visited him every day for one week. Finally, he gave in on one condition — that I should get a complete makeover and must not wear drab clothes. I accepted and that’s how I started working at Taj Coromandel as a management trainee.

One day, while I was working as a trainee at the reception, I happened to meet the great legend JRD Tata. I saw a distinguished-looking gentleman standing near the elevator carrying a small bag. I looked around for a bellboy and seeing none, I ran forward, wished him and offered to carry his bag. He declined with a smile. But I insisted, so he gave in. During our conversation in the lift, I asked him which floor he stayed and if he would be staying for long. We went straight to the presidential suite and I started to get a little uneasy. I saw Mr Kailasam, the front office manager waiting near the door and one of our senior staff with flowers in her hand. Before I could turn and run, JRD Tata introduced himself to me. The bellboy took the bag from my hand and I stood there wondering what’s next. JRD Tata started asking me details about myself. He told Mr Kailasam that he saw good potential in me and must always encourage me.

Camellia Punjabi, the director of sales, was a passionate connoisseur of food. She was responsible for many south Indian heritage items on the menu. From appams, stew, meen pollichathu to chicken fry, all found its way into the hotel restaurants. The Goan prawn curry was especially introduced in all hotels as it was the personal favourite of Mr JRD. His other favourites were cheddar cheese and onion omelette, crêpe au champignon, meat medley, Waldorf salad, minestrone, herb roast chicken, and crème caramel.

As an ode to JRD and Ratan Tata, I am sharing the recipe of a Parsi dish that contains prawns and masoor dal with garlic. Parsi cuisine is a wonderful blend of Persian (Iranian) with Gujarati, Maharashtrian, and British influences.

— Ramaa Shanker is the author of ‘Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes

Chana dal: 2 cups soaked | Masoor dal:1 cup soaked | Pumpkin: 1 kg peeled and diced | Fresh turmeric powder: 1 tsp | Kashmiri red chillies, broken: 9 | Cumin seeds:1 tsp | Coriander seeds: 1 tsp | Cardamom: 6 | Black peppercorns: 1 tsp | Black pepper: 2 tsps | Cinnamon stick: 2 | Star anise: 1 | Garlic, chopped: 2 tbsp | Ginger, chopped: 2 tbsp | Oil: ¼ cup | Onions: 1 cup sliced thick and caramelised | Tomato: 2 cups chopped | Methi leaves: 3 cups rough chopped | Prawns deveined: medium size 1 kg | Salt: to taste | Brown sugar/jaggery: to taste | Tamarind paste: 1 tsp