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Our gang begins to form at Haji Tikka while people make their way from different parts of the city |
As I headed out to conduct the Finely Chopped Bohri Mohalla Ramzan Walk 2015 on Saturday I asked myself what I wanted the walk to be about.
I was clear that I wanted the folks who
were coming to the walk all the way from Thane, Kandivli, Borivli, Andheri and so on to
have a really happy evening. For them to make new friends. To get to learn
about new cultures. We were a group of Hindus, Parsis and a Buddhist setting out to
discover the joys of Muslim and Bohri food. I wanted them to try out some great
food.
I had to plan the route out well as I wanted them to try out everything I had in mind and yet not waste anything. I was reading Arva Ahmed of Dubai’s Adventures of A Frying Pan tweet about five star hotel Iftar buffets in Dubai and how wastage of food is against the spirit of Iftar. I was very conscious that we shouldn’t waste food.
I had to plan the route out well as I wanted them to try out everything I had in mind and yet not waste anything. I was reading Arva Ahmed of Dubai’s Adventures of A Frying Pan tweet about five star hotel Iftar buffets in Dubai and how wastage of food is against the spirit of Iftar. I was very conscious that we shouldn’t waste food.
I also wanted business to come to the food
merchants of Bohri Mohalla. Through the money we would spend to a small extent.
To a larger extent by our spreading the word about what we were eating and,
through that, inspire others to go to Bohri Mohalla to eat.
I had asked Arva on twitter about what she
felt was the spirit of Iftaar and she replied to me about the same.
@FryingPanTours what to you is the spirit of eating in Iftaar
0
@Finelychopped Moderation. Family. Generosity. And
Gratitude.
This is what I hoped out walk would centre
around.
Dr Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Soka Gakkai
International, once quoted its earlier president Josei Toda who said: "Everyone's ideal is to get a job they like
(beauty), that is financially secure (benefit), and where they can contribute
to society (good)."
Beauty, benefit and good are what I wanted
my walk to be about at a personal level.
Bohri Mohalla, which K points out has been
lucky for me, provided just the right canvas for that. The people are so warm
and welcoming. The vibes so positive. The food so brilliant.
As always I had a great group of people to walk with. Folks who were curious, open minded, wanting to learn about others, hungry for good food, not constrained by any preconceived notions, out to have a good time.
As always I had a great group of people to walk with. Folks who were curious, open minded, wanting to learn about others, hungry for good food, not constrained by any preconceived notions, out to have a good time.
And that’s what we did.
I use my iPhone nowadays, after having lost
one DSLR too many. So let me tell you the story of the walk through the
pictures I took while on the move.
Please scroll down and walk with us through the pictures below.
The Finely Chopped Bohri Mohalla Ramzan Walk
The first stop was Taj Ice Cream, the 125 year old hand churned ice cream place. A refreshing stop after the long journey folks had made to reach here. Strawberry, mango and the recent hit peru (guava) were on the table.
Next on were kebabs at Haji Tikka. The owner and founder passed away last September. His son proudly carries on the legacy of his father's hard work. They serve my favourite kebabs in town. After trying the smoky, scrunchy, creamy khiri (buff udders) and buff kofta with parathas, the folks on the walk agreed with me.
Please scroll down and walk with us through the pictures below.
The Finely Chopped Bohri Mohalla Ramzan Walk
The first stop was Taj Ice Cream, the 125 year old hand churned ice cream place. A refreshing stop after the long journey folks had made to reach here. Strawberry, mango and the recent hit peru (guava) were on the table.
strawberry and mango |
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Kofta on top, khiri at the bottom |
After kebabs we headed to the 50 year old tava cooking place, India Hotel. Asif, the owner's son tells me that their style of cooking has come from Burma. His father had come to Mumbai from UP. We had the bheja (goat's brain) and gurda (kidney) tava stir fries which were heavily spiced. The Karachi mutton (buff) rolls were next. They make a chicken and cheese version too. And the fried potatoes which I once ordered for a vegetarian in a walk and which were mopped up by the non-vegetarians around.
Burma roti, rolss, naan sandwich |
bheja |
finally everyone in one shot |
The Parsi got forks from home |
I Attempted a Yash Chopra shot |
Jalebi making master class at Noor |
That's Hozefa in red |
It's about community eating as Arva says |
bara handi with roti |
The 90 year old Imam Sharbatwalla was the perfect stop after the 80 year old Surti bara handi. The sherbat (a sweetened masala milk infused with chunks of watermelon and shaved ice) was just the palate refresher that folks needed and some went in for seconds.
Photo bombed |
Sherbat step 1 |
Which brought us to the last stop, the 50 year old Tawakkal Sweets. It had started of as a small shop selling sugar syrup soaked dahi vadas (balushais with a dahi based filling very different from South Indian dahi vadas). We stopped for malpuas, made specially during Ramzan. I have had them at Suleman at Minara and feel this is better.
And for breakfast the next day, goody bags of firni from Tawakkal.
A night of near spiritual eating had come to an end and I was thankful for the love I had been showered with.
No wonder Bohri Mohalla is one of my favourite places to eat in at Mumbai.
malpua with rabdi |
firni |
Comments
Fascinating food walk.... curious to know if the quantities ordered at each restaurant are sufficient for so many participants. For eg: only one plate of each dish at Surti handi and only one malpua to be shared between so many?
I had imagined that foodie participants would be able to polish off entire dishes single-handedly LOL.
I follow your blog and the food at each of these food stops is absolutely delicious. I, for one, would find it difficult to share a malpua/rabri with anyone albeit a small sized one :)