History
Sali boti is a Parsi-Persian dish with apricots, vinegar and jaggery providing the signature sweet-sour balance against slow-cooked mutton. The crispy potato straws (sali) on top are unique to Parsi cooking and never appear pre-fried. Britannia, Jimmy Boy and Cafe Britannia all serve daily versions, and it remains the canonical Parsi wedding-table dish across Mumbai, often paired with dhansak rice.
Book a food experience
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Common allergens: Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 600g mutton or chicken, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 2 medium onions, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 8 dried apricots, soaked 30 minutes
- 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
- 1 tablespoon jaggery
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 30g ghee
- Salt to taste
- 300g potatoes, peeled and shredded fine into matchsticks for sali
- Oil for deep-frying
Method
- Heat ghee in a heavy pot. Add sliced onion, cook 8 minutes until deep brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste, cook 1 minute. Add chopped tomato, cook 6 minutes until soft.
- Add chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and salt. Stir 1 minute.
- Add mutton pieces and brown 5 minutes.
- Add soaked apricots, vinegar, jaggery and 400ml hot water. Cover and cook 50 minutes until mutton is tender.
- Meanwhile soak shredded potato in cold salted water 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry.
- Heat frying oil to 170C. Fry potato matchsticks in batches until golden and crisp, drain on paper.
- Plate the mutton curry, top generously with crispy sali. Serve with pav or roti.
Tip from the editors. The sali must be paper-thin and crisp; a mandoline makes the cut even. The crispness contrasts the rich curry.
Where to eat sali boti
Sali boti in Mumbai
Britannia and Co ★ 4.7
Britannia in Ballard Estate has poured Iranian zereshk berries over mutton pulao since 1923. Lunchtime only weekdays; Saturday opens until 22:00.
OrderMutton berry pulao with a side of sali boti.
TipCash only; arrive by 13:00 weekdays or the berry pulao runs out. Closed Sunday.
Jimmy Boy ★ 4.2
Fort Parsi institution at Vikas Building off Horniman Circle since 1925; only place in Mumbai serving Lagan nu Bhonu wedding meal, Patra ni Macchi, Salliboti.
Why locals goOff Horniman Circle in a heritage building, Parsi wedding-thali room with no signage past the entrance; locals book the Sunday thali a week ahead.
TipSunday Parsi wedding thali is the order; book ahead. Cash and card both accepted.
The Bombay Canteen ★ 4.7
Floyd Cardoz, Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage opened The Bombay Canteen in Kamala Mills in 2015 and reframed regional Indian cooking as a tasting-format menu.
OrderEggs kejriwal at brunch, ghee roast chicken seekh at dinner.
TipSunday brunch books out a week ahead; the Canteen Experience tasting runs 3754 rupees.
More cities are in research. Want sali boti covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.