From Iran with hope – The Hindu

Nasrin Karimi is no stranger to conflict. The affable lady from Iran, left home in Shiraz at 19 and moved to Chennai in 1980, during the Iran-Iraq war. And even though she is nearly 3,828 kilometres from Iran, the impact of the crisis in her homeland follows her like a shadow. 

Nasrin gave Chennai one of its first Iranian restaurants — Shiraz Art Cafe that came up at the Cholamandal Artists Village in 2011 and brought with it flavours from Iran, like tahdig and gheymeh. This week she launched her new takeaway outlet on Khader Nawaz Khan Road. But unlike the unbridled joy that followed the launch of her first cafe 15 years ago, this one felt muted. “We (Nasrin and her brother Dariush Karimi) rented out this spot on this prime location four months ago. But in December we lost our youngest brother to the turmoil in Iran. He was 46. So, we were not in a fit state to setup operations,” says Nasrin.

The takeaway has a limited menu. It does not feature the usual ghormeh sabzi but it does have chello kebab, and koobideh kebabs made of ground meat. “With KNK Road set to remain open 24/7, a lot of youngsters come here. And most of them want protein. So that’s what we will give them in the form of sandwiches, pizzas with a generous topping of minced chicken, chicken steak, mutton shank with jewel rice and desserts like tarhalva halva…” There is also gilli biryani which is Nasrin’s version of the berry pulao she tried at Britannia & Co in Mumbai.

The kebabs and the steak are our favourites from her new menu. It will also feature a special every day. We also enjoy her popular guava slushee which soothes like a cool breeze on a summer day. And if you are feeling adventurous try the new orange jigarthanda, tart but refreshing.

The new Shiraz takeout is a small space so Nasrin does not want to get into elaborate cooking. Despite that the dishes are flavourful. She also sources some of her ingredients like saffron, sumac, lemon, and rose water from Iran. “But with the current situation even if I run out of stock, I can use Indian saffron and ingredients,” she says.

Nasrin has also started a new bed and breakfast facility in Uthandi that they rent out to groups of 10-15 guests. It is a large four bedroom villa that overlooks a crystal blue pool and is surrounded by greenery, clusters of bougainvillea and bright flowers, with lillies and a variety of floral arrangement on almost every table and corner of the house. In some way, this is inspired from Shiraz, a city known for poetry and flowers. “All houses have a water body in the yard and there are rose plants; during spring the mountains have lillies…its very beautiful,” she says.

Naturally, she misses home. But her brother Dariush keeps her company although they still argue like kids. Dariush jokes that Nasrin has hidden his passport so he doesn’t leave. It is cooking that primarily keeps Nasrin connected to her roots. When she misses her people too much she makes ghormeh subzi, a dish her mother used to make well, and a vegetarian, fenugreek and onion rich soup called eshkeneh. It brings back memories of her family dining together, three meals a day. “We wouldn’t start till our mother sat down to eat,” she smiles, and adds, “Now I keep a Persian news channel on when im cooking. I, infact, have a separate phone just to listen to Persian news and programmes.”

Iran’s “peculiar situation” has affected Nasrin. Though she tries to keep her emotions in check when she is working, she says, “I’m also human.” “Today, while dispatching orders, I forgot to send one dish. If not for the war I could have done more even in this new space.” But despite all odds Nasrin’s warmth is intact and so are her comforting hugs. 

Shiraz will be open from 3pm to 1am and is located at Gems Court, Khader Nawaz Khan Road. For details, call: 9840572126