Samreen Samad and Henna Achhpal list the places you can visit for your Ramadan binge fest this year...
Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting by day and feasting by night. But even if you’re not observing the
fast by day, there’s no reason why you should not join in the celebrations post sunset with the others as they break their fast. We list a few places from all over the city where you can go for your Ramadan food fix.
WHAT TO EAT
For those of you who are indulging in the Ramadan feast for the first time, there are certain delicacies you must eat in order to allow your taste buds to get a real feel of the Ramadan experience. Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai is the best place to be during the festival as it invites all foodies. The street turns into an all-night, kilometer long buffet serving a variety of delicacies. Here’s a pick of must haves...
Hyderabadi Haleem: This delicacy is made of wheat and mutton which are crushed to make a thick paste and served fresh and hot with crispy fried onions and lemon juice.
Where: YMCA basketball court, Mastan Talao
Price: Rs 30
Seekh Kebab: This kebab is made of minced meat with spices and grilled on skewers. It is cooked in a tandoor and is often served with chutney or mint sauce.
Where: M. S. Ali (Grant) and Duncan Roads, behind Do Tanki police station
Price: Rs 40
Paya: Paya are trotters of goat or cow cooked in spices and eaten with naan. It is considered a delicacy and cooked in spicy and salted water till the trotters become tender.
Where: 184/196 Dimtimkar Road, Nagpada Junction
Price: Rs 38
Nalli Nihari: Nalli Nihari has got its origins from the Mughals and is a very famous delicacy in the northern parts of India. It is a soup-like dish made in aromatic spices and makes for a great early morning breakfast.
Where: Noor Mohammadi, 179, Wazir Building, Abdul Hakim Chowk
Price: Rs 70
Kheeri-Kaleji: Kheeri-kaleji (udder and liver) of goat or lamb is marinated and grilled on skewers. It is usually eaten with onions, chutney and parathas.
Where: Bar-B-Que Corner, Khara Tank Road
Price: Rs 20
Falooda: Falooda is a cold and sweet beverage made with vermicelli, basil seeds, psyllium, jelly pieces mixed in milk, water or ice cream.
Where: Shalimar Cold Drinks Falooda, S.V.P. Road, around corner from Shalimar
Price: Rs 22
Malpua: Malapua is a type of Indian pancake which is served as a dessert or a snack and made of rich ingredients such as milk, ghee and dry fruits.
Where: Tawakkal Sweet, 26, Khara Tank
Price: Rs 600/kg
Phirni: Again a sweet dish, phirni is a creamy and soft rice based dessert.
Where: Suleiman Usman Mithaiwala, 175, I. M. Merchant Road, Minara Masjid
Price: Rs 25-34
SPECIAL OFFERS
Tandoor Specials at Elbo Room: This Ramadan, Elbo Room invites you to feast on a delicious range of special tandoori dishes. Pick from Chicken Biryani, Butter Chicken, Kadai Chicken, Lamb Biryani, Chicken Kheema and many more treats.
When: On going up to September 5 between noon and 1am
Where: Elbo Room, Khar
Contact: 26483316
Iftar festivities at Hilton: Hilton Mumbai International Airport brings to you exclusively packed ‘Iftar boxes’ to share your joys with loved ones in the holy month of Ramadan. Break the day-long pious fast with traditional delicacies such as Murgh Tikka, Seekh Kebab and dates. Each exclusive box is priced at `350 (plus taxes) and contains two pieces of Murgh Tikka Spring Rolls with Mint Chutney, a piece of Seekh Kebab Kathi, four pieces of Onion Bhajias and four pieces of dates stuffed with almonds.
When: Ongoing up to August 31
Where:
Contact: 29262731
Special Iftar meals from Delivery Chef: If you have to break your fast but unable to get out or want to gift a loved one a special Iftar meal, you simply have to log on to DeliveryChef.in. Some of their offers include Chicken Seven Jewel Rice, Teriyaki Chicken and Cantonese Chicken at `345 from Icy Spicy, 10% off on orders between 6 and 8 pm from Malgudi, 10% off on orders from Ice N Spice throughout the month of Ramadan, special Iftar combo of one date, one chicken samosa, 2 pieces of chicken nuggets, 2 pieces of paneer pakoras, one chicken roll and one 200 ml of Tropicana juice — all at `160 from Its Lucknowi.
Where: www.deliverychef.in
OTHER PLACES IN MUMBAI that YOU CAN VISIT
Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar
This eatery definitely stands up to its label, ‘The Biryani King of Mumbai’. However, besides the biryanis there is much more you can feast on. Try their Chicken Patiala and of course the Butter Chicken and Naan. Your meal will be incomplete without a sweet treat. Try their Gajar Ka Halwa and Shahi Tukda.
Meal for two: Rs 600
Where: 195/197, Opposite New Roshan Cinema, Grant Road (East)
Chinese ‘N’ Grill
Chinese ‘N’ Grill offers regular Indian-Chinese food such as Chowmien, Chicken Fried Rice, Manchurian but they also serve tandoor items, a variety of satay and more. It is usually very crowded and has a long waiting, so go prepared!
Meal for two: Rs 500
Where: 132/122, Barkat Manzil, Ibrahim Merchant Road, Mohammed Ali Road, Masjid Bunder
Indian Hotel
Indian Hotel is your all purpose tava joint. You’ll find everything from Bheja Fry to Naan Chap here!
Meal for two: Rs 200 onwards
Where: 92/96, Shop No. 1/2, Khara Tank Road
Shalimar
Shalimar is a popular joint and serves great Mughlai food. They have a wide variety of Kebabs, Kormas and Bheja Fry. Besides mughlai, they also serve Chinese, Indian and Punjabi cuisine.
Meal for two: Rs 500
Where: Vazir Building, Shalimar Corner, Bhendi Bazaar
Persian Darbar
Persian Darbar’s Chicken Biryani is to die for! It’s well cooked with the perfect masalas. The Falooda and Afghani Chicken is great too.
Where: Moray Mahal, Linking Road, Khar (West)
Meal for two: Rs 600
Rajasthan
This place is the rave for good food during Ramadan and is always packed with people. The Sheekh/Shami Kebabs and Mutton Biryani here is a must try and it is open till 5am.
Where: Ward No. 752, Opposite Traffic Police Chowky, S.V. Road, Khar (West)
Meal for two: Rs 500
MALPUA RECIPE
If you can’t find the time to step out or are not a fan of outside food, bring out your chef hat and make your very own rich and delectable Malpua at home with this easy recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup of coarsely ground whole wheat flour
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 tbsp of saunf
- 10 peppercorns, crushed
- ¼ cup of curd, beaten
- ½ cup of milk
- Ghee for deep frying
- 2 tsp of chopped pistachios
Method
- Combine the wheat, sugar, saunf, peppercorns, curd and milk in alarge bowl.
- Add about 1½ cups of warm water to the mixture.
- Mix these ingredients briskly until they form a smooth batter.
- Leave the mixture aside for about 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat ghee in a shallow pan.
- Pour a spoonful of the batter in the hot ghee.
- Deep fry over a medium flame.
- Cook on both sides till the malpua is golden brown in colour.
- After bringing it out of the ghee, drain the malpua on an absorbent paper.
- Serve hot, garnished with pistachios.
- Add a dollop of whipped cream on the side for some extra indulgence.