Bengaluru city streets turn Iftar wonderland
BENGALURU:City streets turn Iftar wonderlandKheema samosas, Pathar ka ghost, bheja fry puffs, seekh kebabs and biryani of different kinds can be found in abundance across the city during the month-long Ramadan celebrations. While it's an auspicious time for the Muslim community across the world, the same can be said for lovers of food, who get to dig into these meaty delicacies.
12. Keema pav
MM Road in Frazer Town, Tilak Nagar, Shivajinagar or Mosque Road - whichever area you decide to hit up, the smells of meat being cooked or the allure of the creamy haleem will definitely have one drooling. Fast, crowded and noisy, the atmosphere is exciting here and is sure to work up an appetite. The best part about visiting these spots is the very tiny hole an entire meal will burn in your pocket.
Food photographer Soham Shoney says that he loves going to Chichabas Taj in Frazer Town, where they have a fantastic spread each year. "The sheekh kebabs, pathar ka chicken, haleem and phirni are dishes not to be missed. As a group, we head to Mosque Road and MM Road around 7 pm, finish our dinner, and then head back home full and happy," he says. He recommends Albert Bakery in Frazer Town for the brain samosas one gets there.
However, over the years, from just a dozen stalls, Frazer Town now has over 50, and the crowds keep growing. For some, this area has become too commercial. Ruth D'souza Prabhu, a city-based food writer, says that over the years, she's stepped away from the crowded roads of Frazer Town, and heads to the bylanes around Bilal Mosque on Bannerghatta Road.
"The wood-fired haleem at a stall near Bilal Mosque is a must for us. We first head there before exploring the rest of the stalls. The Baida rotis that are filled with meat, the slightly-ridiculous tasting chocolate chicken and the rich Kashmiri shakes to wash down all the meat are delicacies we don't miss. Since there isn't much beef available that side, we head to Tilak Nagar for veal kebabs, idiyappam and beef curry and the beef biryani found in the restaurants there. We also go to Johnson Market's Khazana for beef biryani," she says, adding that picking up samosas is also a must for her, favourites being the mutton kind or the onion ones that have become popular in recent years among the vegetarians. She also mentions the custard one gets around this time, which though similar to the famous caramel custard, is much denser with an almost cake-like consistency.