THAKURBHAI Nu Farsan in Surat�s crowded Navsari Bazar, is the city�s most famous shop for Farsans, Jelebis, Khaman, Pattice and Patra. Thakurbhai�s fame has travelled far and wide. And he is popular wherever Surtis travel to in India and abroad. In fact, if you take the Shatabdi Express from Surat to Bombay, more passengers will be carrying packaged boxes of goodies bearing the Thakurbhai Nu Farsan stamp than anything else from that city.

The shop is at least 90 years old. And it located at a busy junction at Navsari Bazar. Autorickshaws come and halt at the signal there and their occupants reach out and quickly buy something to eat from Thakurbhai Nu Farsan. It happens every hour of the day! The shop was started by an entrepreneur called Nagindas Kalidas. That was the first generation. Since then, it is being run by his son, Thakurbhai Nagindas, and grandsons Rasikbhai and Vimalbhai. All work together in the tiny shop.

The shop is open from 6 a.m. till 10 p.m. And any time of the day, you can buy Thakurbhai Nu Farsan�s four popular items. These are the Pattice, the Khaman, Jelebi and Patra. Of them, Thakurbhai�s Pattice is what draws more customers. It is extremely popular with Surtis. The Pattice is a potato batter. But, it is made also with coconut, jeera, sev, sugar, dhania, chilli, salt and cooked in pure groundnut oil. Thakurbhai smiles innocently when asked the recipe of his delicious Pattice. �There is also little lasan in it,� he admits.

The Pattice is taken outside of the country by NRI Surtis, says Thakurbhai. And on Chandipadva day, which falls ten days before Diwali, Thakurbhai Nu Farsan sells only Pattice and the rich ghee sweet called Ghari. The shop is said to do business in lakhs of rupees on just that one day. Surtis, who are familiar with Ghugras made of green peas and Kachoris made of mag ni dal, find the Pattice fascinating. It sells for Rs. 80 a kilo.

Another popular item at Thakurbhai Nu Farsan is the Patra, a famous Surti farsan, known to the Parsis of the city as Patrel. It becomes a favourite of all those who taste it. Patra or Patrel is made from the long, black-stemmed colocasia leaves and Bengal gram flour. The leaves are spread with a batter of the flour into which is mixed a pulp of tamarind and jaggery. Green chillies, ginger, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and salt are added. The leaves are placed one on top of the other and then folded from both sides. They are rolled tightly, tied with a thread throughout the length of the roll, and then steamed for an hour. The rolls are then cut into half-inch thick slices. These are sauteed in oil with mustard seeds and served hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. The Patra too sells for Rs. 80 a kilo.