I enter the Ahmed household and am greeted by smiling hosts and a whiff of the delectable pakodas, chicken samosas and haleem being whipped up for the much-awaited Iftar. There’s a relaxed pace at which things are being done — Jamil Ahmed, the head of the family, is yet to arrive, while Mahjebeen, his wife, is getting an array of dishes ready for her family to break their day-long fast. Their children Zaid and Asma play gracious hosts and regale me with stories of their earliest memories of Ramzan and the deep bond they feel with the family during this holy month.
“The food that ammi makes is undoubtedly what we look forward to each Ramzan. We love to feast on all the pakodas and haleem that she makes,” says Zaid, a banker, who makes it a point to be home by 4 p.m. during this period. “Fortunately, my team at work and my manager are very understanding and I arrange to leave early during Ramzan. Also, since we don’t eat during the day in this period, we get more work done during lunch hour. The idea is to be with the family for Iftar every evening. Even my father, who would normally return at 9 p.m., is usually home by 6 now,” he says.
As we speak, Zaid’s cousins Hammad Akhtar and Aseer Ahmed, walk in with boxes of food. “Iftars are usually about getting together with family and friends,” explains Asma, adding, “at my in-laws’ place in Karachi, we usually have very large gatherings. Everyone comes together to cook and bring delicacies from their kitchen and we spread the entire fare on the floor. Here, though, it’s a smaller gathering, since we don’t have too much family here.”
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As the clock strikes 6.40 p.m., everyone gathers around the Iftar table, eager to break their fast. Silence prevails as Jamil says a few verses in prayer. Within a few minutes, the family is ready to eat, but there are still a couple of minutes to go and a countdown of sorts begins. As soon as it’s time to eat, a plate of luscious dates are passed around. “We break our fast with roohafza and dates. The dates are very nutritious and are perfect for these long fasting days. Ramzan is a month for introspection and redemption — a time to connect with Allah. We normally head to our neighbourhood mosque for Asar prayers at 4.30 p.m., then come home to break our fast with the family and then have our Maghrib prayers,” says Jamil. He adds, that they try and finish reading the Quran during the 30-day Ramzan period during Maghrib.
Prayers done, it’s now down to business. The Iftar spread is impressive; there are aloo bondas, flaky chicken samosas, bread pakodas, dahi bhalle, haleem, nombu kanji, fruit salad, channa, sweet coconut samosa and even pasta made by Hammad. “When we get together with relatives, we do a potluck. It adds variety to the spread and eases the burden on the host family. The kanji normally comes from the mosque that we go to,” he says, before insisting that everyone try some of the pasta he made for the occasion.
“The variety we make each day is quite exhaustive. After having fasted the entire day, everyone wants to eat something they particularly enjoy, so I indulge their tastes, hence the pakodas, samosas and haleem. There are days I make some biryani too, since we all enjoy it. I try and squeeze in a fruit salad once in a while, but there are usually very few takers for it,” laughs Mahjebeen.
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There’s an easy, friendly banter as dishes are passed around and jokes traded. A hearty meal later, the family prepares for Maghrib and I prepare to leave. But not before a selfie and suggestions for where to get the best haleem in the city.