Mumbai: It was a shooter of the D gang who introduced me to this little and rather rundown shop off congested Bhendi Bazar on the narrow Imamwada Road, and that's because he lived nearby when not in jail.
The Iranian Sweets Palace is a unique shop that is open only during Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. It was founded in 1909 by a Iranian migrant Ghulam Ali and his gourmet legacy was continued by his son Mohammed Ali. Today, the shop with a fancy-sounding name is being looked after by his extremely customer-friendly son Hassan Irani (65), a garrulous Shia who holds an Iranian passport and an OCI card. He shunts between his native Yazd in Iran and takes pride in the fact that he is called the ``Badshah of Baklava."
The shop sells Irani baklava, Sohan Halva, Shervin Gaz, Kermani Gaz, Shetuth (Mulberries) and Zereshk, which is used in Berry pulao. Every year Hassan imports baklava from Iran, but this year because of the war he could not do that. ``So I made the baklava locally and it is the best baklava in Mumbai," he told the FPJ with pride. ``Recently someone opened a baklava shop in town. I went there and I found that it was anything but baklava," he added.
Hassan uses the best of ingredients, most of which are imported. For example his Sohan Halva is made of best quality imported pistachios. Gaz is Iranian nougat which is believed to have originated from Isfahan and is made out of pistachios/almonds, egg whites, rosewater and psyllid honeydew. While Kermani Gaz has 18 to 28 % pistachios, Shervin has 40 %.
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This year Hassan has sold out Kermani Gaz and Shetuth. In the next couple of days he would have sold Irani Baklava (Rs 3,800 per kg), Sohan Halva (Rs 1,800 for 1/2 kg), Shervin Gaz (Rs 2,500 per 1/2 kg) and Zereshk (Rs 4,400 per kg). He also sells lesser priced items like Nokul (Rs 100 per packet) and Pashmak (Rs 400 for 1/2 kg).
During the year, he opens the shop only for bulk orders; otherwise, it is firmly shut. Gaz is also available at Cafe Colony near Dadar T.T. Its a 90-year-old small Irani restaurant also famous for its brun maska and paani-kam chai. Ex-M.P. Priya Dutt's Cafe Mommyjoon in Bandra (west), which specialises in Persian cuisine, offers a box of nine Baklavas for Rs 1,100/
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