A busy intersection with frequent traffic snarls in the evening, Mosque Road transforms itself overnight during the festive season of Ramzan into a foodie haven. Walking down as the sun sets in the distance we see the smoke rising from the multiple stalls that line the street.
Our gastronomical odyssey begins with the delicacy that makes its appearance exclusively during this season — bheja puff from Albert’s bakery.
As we bite into the puff our mouths are filled with its soft fluffy goodness. If you are not the sort to experiment with your food, you can always dig into the delightful cocktail samosas — tiny parcels with vegetable or mutton pieces. It tastes heavenly with tomato sauce and is a great way to start your walk along the bustling road.
The stalls are arranged in an orderly manner this year, with many restaurants selling specialities ranging from chicken tikkas and mutton sheeks to patthar ghosht and cold, milky phirnis. As the azan sounds, the crowd starts to swell in number. The smell of barbequed and fried meat fills the senses as we enter one of the many makeshift stalls set up for the festival.
Moving from stall to stall, we discover chicken samosas on platters, marinated meats hung on skewers, beef kebabs roasting in barbecues and the tasteful and filling mutton/egg kheema parathas being cooked with dollops of oil.
Seafood is the flavour this season and we witness multiple stalls cooking and selling a host of delicacies, including steamy pomfrets, smoked crab cakes, tangy fish tikkis and the popular fried tiger prawns, among others. We sample some excellent fish tikka, served piping hot and marinated to perfection, which tastes delightful with the mandatory chopped onions and chutney. The crab lollipops are a must-try tasting slightly tangy bringing a host of new flavours to the palate.
The traditional chicken sheekh kabab is soft and a high on flavours after been cooked in a coal fire, bringing a hint of smokiness to its taste. If you are a fan of chicken dishes, you could also try the meaty deep fried chicken pieces, served with pieces of onion and cut lemons. The pieces change colour from a lazy yellow to a gleaming red as it is deep fried and tastes soft with the lemon providing a hint of sourness to the mix.
However, one of the key highlights is the perfectly cooked spicy beef, served with a portion of rice string-hoppers. It can easily serve as a meal in itself.
The haleem, made with a rich blend of wheat, barley, lentils and chunks of meat, is the peak attraction of the season. The intense flavours of the soupy dish, is a favourite among food lovers, many of who were packing takeaways.
It would be a shame if you don’t visit the sweet stalls. We dabble in a mix of syrup-dripping rasmallai, and down the traditional phirni, served in a collectible small clay pot. The array of colourful juices, faloodas, yummy gulab jamuns, the sweet bread dish of shahi thukda, a version of trifle pudding and a sugar-high from matka-filled sweet curd is the perfect culmination to the food frenzy trip.
No festival is perfect and on the downside, most of the food stalls charge exorbitantly; only at a few outlets the prices are reasonable. The swelling crowds also make commuting or even walking through the street nearly impossible after 7 p.m. However, for those who brave these odds, a hearty food celebration awaits.
If you haven’t already, then head to Mosque Road in Frazer Town to indulge to your stomach’s content.
