Every culture appears to have its own rice pudding, and the Parsis have two! One includes crushed rice (doodh pak), while the other uses flattened rice (puhva, which is available in supermarkets in white, pink, and green). Parsi sweets, cakes, and puddings typically are based on milk and milk products and flavoured with rose water, cardamom, and nutmeg. Saffron is used on special occasions and considered a luxury. Vanilla, as well as custards and sauces, was introduced centuries later by European colonists.
Growing up in Karachi, a large urban metropolis on the Arabian Sea with a long coastline, I had a magical childhood. With less material wealth than affluent families, and more family and friends to entertain us on a daily basis, my friends and I grew up in a surreal world. We didn’t have access to cell phones or computers, and we didn’t have a television in our home until I graduated from school. What we did have was a chance to play sports at the local club and ride bicycles and drive to the beach.
My Parsi community thrived upon rituals, one of which was to ride a short distance through the city to the waterfront on open camel carts to celebrate the October harvest moon we call the Maneck Thari Punam. With a food for every occasion, we prepared Puhva, a milky pudding made of flattened rice and almonds, lightly laced with rose water, vanilla and a sprinkling of cardamom and nutmeg. We ate it chilled from an icebox, served in mugs and bowls. There were also coconut chutney sandwiches. We sang and danced, and I have a vivid memory of an uncle playing the harmonica while we all sang songs in our terribly out-of-tune voices, each one trying to be louder than the next, enjoying the cool sea breeze after a long hot summer! Being young, the thrill of being out at a late-night family picnic made us look forward to the same each year. While one can enjoy Puhva, all year round, it is a ritual to prepare this particular dish in October on the night of the Harvest Moon, which professes to be the largest and brightest, being closest to the Earth on this night. This night is believed to bring a wealth of good luck!
Puhva (Parsi Flattened Rice Pudding)
