With the holy month of Ramzan commencing in a couple of days, for the first time, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department too is entering the fray to offer yummy Haleem in the capital. Priced at Rs. 80 a plate, the tourism authorities are also planning to offer a soft drink free with every plate load.
Initially, the delicacy will be offered at Hotel Haritha, Tank Bund, and at Night Bazar, Shilparamam, from 5 p.m to 11 p.m. The Department has hired five specialist cooks from Old City to prepare the dish, and the team will be paid Rs. 3,000 a day.
Earthen oven and other paraphernalia are ready, and after a trial run on Tuesday, the service will be formally launched on Wednesday. “We have plans to sell about 500 plates per day, and depending on the demand, retail counters will be set up at Taramati Baradari and other tourist spots in the coming days,” a senior official said.
“Haleem is part of Hyderabadi culture. The objective behind launching the service is to offer the delicacy to visitors. It is more of a social and culture promotion than a co-mmercial venture. In fact, it should have been launc-hed long ago,” he felt.
Meanwhile, efforts are on to offer Haleem even during boat rides in Hussainsagar and night city package tours. During the entire month, cooks hired by the Tourism Department will be working along with specialist cooks, the official added.
