Festive Foods: Ramzan Iftar 2015

It's that festive time of year again -- the month of Ramzan. And of course, the celebration of this festival is incomplete without the Iftar, the feast laid out every evening, to break the day's fast. Whether the meal is eaten at home, or at street-side stalls located close to mosques around the city, it is a time when everyone comes together to enjoy one beautiful thing – food.

I experienced the Ramzan Iftar for the first time two years ago at the famous Mosque road in Bangalore. This year was my second experience and I’m happy to say I explored a lot more this time around!

Before I hit Mosque Road this year, I went to the stalls in Koramangala. Much smaller than the Mosque road spread, it still gets pretty crowded each evening after 6 pm. Although I didn’t try much here, the mutton seekh kababs were simply amazing! They were crisp on the outside, from frying in their own fat, but once the surface gave way they just melted in my mouth! I went back twice the same week for more!

Moulding the seekh kabab mince onto the skewers

Colour coded: Chicken, mutton and beef seekh kababs

Seekh kababs served piping hot with raw onions, lime and green chili chutney

Another thing I had been keen on trying since the first time I ate Iftar food was camel meat. The camel meat is brought every year all the way from Rajasthan! But my mum, who I went with the first year, wasn't feeling quite adventurous enough. This year, however, I did it. At the Koramangala stalls there was camel patthar gosth, (ie. stone cooked camel meat). Friends had made disclaimers: “its very chewy, too salty…”, but I actually thought it was fabulous! Just a little tougher than beef, perfectly seasoned and spiced, and I could tell the meat had been cooked in ghee - its rich flavour was unmistakable. 

Camel Patthar Gosth

The following week I went to Mosque road. Because one simply must! The Iftar spread was pretty vast, especially compared to Koramangala. The variety was incredible – everything from fish and prawns, to birds (chicken, quail, partridge) to lamb and mutton, veal and beef, to camel, and various offals. And that was just the savories. Then there were the sweets!

Luckily I had gone with a group of friends from college, one of whom has been visiting Mosque Road every Ramzan, for over seven years now! Had I gone in less experienced company I would not even have known where to begin.

But as it was, we began at the iconic Albert bakery, with khoya naan and kheema samosa. Then on we went, to some kebabs and veal by the road. Next was camel curry with iddiyappams, and then haleem! As ashamed as I am to admit it, this was my first time trying haleem. And as soon as I tried it I knew what I had been missing. It's probably one of the most comforting foods I’ve eaten (along side khichdi and raab of my childhood)!

Albert Bakery

Kheema Naan

Camel Meat served on leaves, with raw onion and lime

Mutton Haleem, served with lime and golden fired onions

Finally we washed the heavy meal down with some refreshing sulemani chaai and then ended the meal with kulfi. It took us a good two and a half hours to work our way through that meal.

If you’re from Bangalore and perhaps frequent Koramangala, you probably heard the debate this year about Mosque road vs Kormangala. If I had to choose, quite honestly I wouldn’t be able to. But this I’ll say – while the quality of the food (flavour, tenderness of meat) was far greater at Kormangala, the sheer variety available at mosque road cannot be matched.

That said, every festival in India has a special connection with food, and no festive season is complete without the enjoyment of its special foods. So no matter where you choose to go, at least one meal at local Iftar stalls is a must!