Persian Pop Up by Anaida Parvaneh at SodaBottleOpenerWala, Lavelle Road, Bengaluru

Something really interesting is happening at SodaBottleOpenerWala these days. They are having a Persian Pop-up menu by Anaida Parvaneh who is Famed Singer, Artist, Healer and Chef for this special culinary experience at SodaBottleOpenerWala located at Lavelle Road, Bengaluru. People who have tried this Persian Pop-up menu are going back again. The menu is magical and the person who created this curated menu, Chef Anaida Parvaneh does wonders with her culinary skills. If you love Persian cuisine or finger-licking food, then this Persian Pop-up is a must-try – a guilt-free pleasure indulgence which will leave you to crave for more Persian flavors. This festival is on till 16^th Aug.

Recently I attended a spectacular ‘Food and Spirituality workshop’ at SBOW and that’s the first time I met Anaida Parvaneh. If you’re 90’s kid, you will surely know this famous Indi-pop Singer’s songs ‘Tan bole oova oova’ and animated song, ‘Hoo halla hoo’. Back then more than Hindi movie songs I used to love Hindi album songs. 90’s album songs are very nostalgic. When I met Anaida before the workshop, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She is very sweet, down-to-earth kinda person with abundant knowledge about food and spiritual matters. The workshop was so useful and interesting which anyone can practice on day-to-day life for bringing more positive vibes.

PC: Anuvechi

At the workshop, she created a ‘magic soup’ for the audience with basic ingredients like mushrooms, green chili, onion, garlic, pearl barley, turnip, corn, carrots and coriander etc. She explained the benefits of each ingredient while cooking. I tried the non-veg version of it with Chicken and trust me; I was dumbstruck by the flavors. Without adding any dry spices or masala this super healthy and light soup tasted awesome. We learned simple tricks to change our negative thoughts into positive one. The workshop was truly a learning experience.

Just two days after the workshop, I visited SBOW again for Anaida’s special Persian Pop-up lunch for my love for Persian food and culture. Another interesting thing happened that afternoon was, a famous and crazy person joined for lunch – RJ Tuhin from Red FM 93.5. I was very lucky to meet Anaida again for lunch and she suggested us what to try. In next few minutes, our table was filled with aromatic dishes.

Food

We started with Persian Jujeh Kabab – a mildly spiced, Saffron flavored kebab which was succulent. They served the kebabs with spicy mint chutney.

Haleem with Pav – One of my favorite dishes from that lunch was this slow cooked Haleem with no-oil. This is a very popular breakfast dish in Iran. The flavors from fried onions made it extraordinary. They served Haleem with in-house Pav.

Baghali Polo (Fava Bean Rice) – Dil leaves make any dish flavorful and tasty. This rice was no different. Dil leaves and fava beans topped with Saffron flavored butter tasted amazing wonderful that we really didn’t bother about accompaniments. All the dishes served were nonspicy to mildly spicy ones.

Laboo Burani –Such a beautiful, colorful and creamy raita made of beetroot, hung curd and garnished with rose petals and pomegranate. I can even have this as a dessert. She uses Iranian rose petals for this delicious raitha.

Lubiya Polo – Tomato and Cinnamon flavored minced Lamb with French beans and rice- another must-try dish from the Persian pop-up menu. For an extra kick of flavor, pair it with Mast-O-Khiyar (Cucumber Raita) or Laboo Burani (Sweet Beetroot Raita). I chose the latter one.

Esfahan Beryani – This was one interesting dish. My initial thought on Beryani - spelling was written incorrectly till Anaida threw some light on this topic. Esfahan/Isfahan Beryani is the actual biryani which doesn’t contain rice. This is one of the oldest Persian dishes which is made of incredibly soft and fire roasted lamb patty. This is served in Naan / taftoon bread. The term Beryani means, ‘roasted in fire’.

Desserts

For desserts we tried, Anaida’s special Shole Zard (Yellow flame rice pudding) and Wheat Halwa. Both the desserts were carefully created and served with so much love. Traditionally Shole Zard was served only for special occasions the reason being Saffron was considered to be so precious. Shole Zard was light and tasty.

My favorite was the Wheat Halwa made of Clarified butter with the richness of rose water, cinnamon, and dry fruits.

Drinks

How can I have a meal at SBOW without my favorite Raspberry Soda (this was not part of the Persian Pop-up menu)? They make this refreshing drink with fresh raspberry crush and soda. A break from the virgin drinks made of artificial fruit crush.

Some things are better left incomplete and I don’t want to spoil the fun by sharing all the details I’ve experienced at Anaida’s workshop and Persian Pop-up (see the happy faces in the above pic). If you like my dining experience at SBOW, you should surely visit before 16^th Aug to experience the same. A meal for two would be ₹1,200 ++

Address:

SodaBottleOpenerWala

#24/4, Lavelle Road, Opp Harley Davidson Showroom

Bengaluru - 560001

For table reservations, contact -  7022255299

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