The holy month of Ramzan has been ushering in the aroma of haleem to the city with several eateries setting up bhattis every year.
Though haleem has become the season’s popular dish, Ramzan-special gruel ( Ganji or java as called locally) has been helping rozedars, fasting persons, maintain health during the month. The dish is consumed by Muslims along with fruits to break fasts during the month. It is also popular among people of other faiths, particularly those living around mosques.
However, unlike haleem , ganji , available in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian varieties, is not sold over the counter but distributed free at mosques where it is prepared every afternoon.
The dish, first introduced several decades ago at a few mosques around Krishna district, is now consumed by people all over the State.
“As our staple food is rice our elders introduced this gruel which is made of rice. Like haleem is prominent in Hyderabad where the weather is moderate, ganji is for the people here. It gives rozedars instant energy when consumed to break a fast and get prepared for the Isha namaz,” says Islamic scholar Mohammad Altaf Raza of the Hazrat Syed Shabukhari Masjid in Kondapalli.
Mr. Raza himself prepares the gruel at the mosque from where it is distributed to 20 neighbouring mosques every day during the season. Moreover, it is consumed at about 90% of the mosques in the State, he says.
“It is a Ramzan-special dish consumed not only by Muslims but those living around mosques. That’s why most mosques prefer preparing vegetarian gruels,” he adds.
“ Haleem is heavier for people here and cannot be consumed every day owing to the hot weather. But gruel is lighter and can be consumed with other lighter dishes during Iftar every day,” he said.
The Masjid-e-Bilal mosque in Arundelpet of the city is one of the oldest in city to introduce the gruel about 40 years ago. It is said the owner of a hotel in Gandhi Nagar had introduced the dish there with the help of a Chennai-based Moulana. Later, the mosque began preparing the dish on its own.
Home delivery
While men consume the gruel at mosques during Iftar, cans of the gruel are delivered to fasting women in their homes. People of different faiths and ages particularly children queue up with vessels outside mosques at 4 p.m. daily, say members of the mosque, which prepares five cauldrons of the gruel every day.
Though it is called ganji (starch), it is made of crushed rice, vegetables, masala, lentils and coconut and takes around four hours to prepare. For the non-vegetarian variant, minced meat is added.
