Iftar In Dhaka, Bangladesh

It's a new job, yet the same corporate life! 

I have been travelling a lot all these months, and therefore haven't been able to devote too much time here. I have been missing blogging so much. 😐 Any transition is not easy and this is one amongst them. While I adapt to the new things in life, I hope I am regular here because it is one of my favourite places, my place of expression 😊😊

As a part of my work routine, I recently visited Dhaka, Bangladesh - one of the distant cousins of Kolkata! If you have ever stayed in Kolkata, you would have definitely heard the great "Ghoti - Bangal" debate.😝 To make things simpler, Ghoti are people from West BengaI and Bangal are people with a Bangladeshi origin.

I was curious to explore the other part of the border, a place I had heard a lot about from almost everyone around me in Kolkata - relatives, friends, colleagues, random strangers! From the famous ilish of Dhaka to the Dhakai Jamdani sarees to feasting on traditional Dhakai cuisine, I had everything on my "things to do" list.(Yes, that is how you tend of talk when you have been a corporate slave for more than 6 years now !) 😁.Even before I had landed, I had a list of things I had to get for people - Dhakai Jamdaani sarees were something I was really eager to buy, hilsa fish for family, biriyani for a mentor and friend from the blogging world, Poorna Di of Presentedbyp.com. Little did I know then, I would not be able to do any of them, thanks to the almost packed schedule of my trip. 

While I was busy brooding over what I could not do in Dhaka, I stumbled upon something which was unique in its own little way. It was the holy month of Ramzan time and all the little street corners were buzzing with excitement every evening during Iftar time. 

The city had a distinct excitement during this time of the year.Offices were shut by 4, roads which are choked with cars almost every hour of the day, became desolate by 6, a city which is as excited about its food as Calcutta, none of the lunch joints were open as people were fasting. Lunch for me was mostly KFC or Dominos! It was only in the evenings that you could smell delicious haleem, see hot pakoras being fried, chana, fruits, dates being sold and delectable kebabs in almost in every area. 

Mutton Haleem

I tried out mutton haleem from a small streetside joint in Gulshan area of Dhaka. It was a handi full of deliciousness 😊. Small pieces of mutton which almost melted in the mouth in a delicious gravy of pulses garnished with fried onions, lots of green chillies and a dash of lemon. A huge earthen pot was priced at only 200 BDT. 

Even our guesthouse treated us to some lovely iftar food in the evening one day, including kachchi biriyani for dinner.

Iftar meal at our guesthouse

The luxury hotels were also decked up for the occasion. With elaborate decor to a lavish spread of over 400 exquisite dishes, we were spoilt for choice when we sat down for iftar at Le Meridien Dhaka. Unfortunately, we did not have the time to relish all of them. We were already running late for our flight. I enjoyed the haleem, sheekh kebabs and the savouries.

Decor at Le Meridien, Dhaka

The spread at Le Meridien, Dhaka

Pickles

Mutton Biriyani

Mutton Haleem again :)

Kebabs 

Though even Kolkata has some amazing iftar food, Dhaka's iftar food experience was also something to be cherished forever. I returned as a satisfied person :)

P.S: This post doesn't list the best places to try Iftar food as I didn't get to explore them myself. It just speaks about my rendezvous with their street food and the spread at Le Meridien Dhaka.

Please do read about my experience of the Iftar food walk in Kolkata :)

Ramazan Food Walk through Zakaria Street in Kolkata

Today's post is more of my experience of exploring the nooks and corners of Kolkata! This food walk through Zakaria Street is my first experience of any such food walk in the city. So hope you enjoy reading through this. As always, feedback and suggestions are welcome :)

If you have known me personally, you would know that I am born and brought up in the beautiful steel city of Jamshedpur. Therefore, having spent some time in Kolkata, I still have loads to discover in the city of joy. Though I have always known Kolkata as a foodie's heaven, this food walk was still a surprise for me.

 When my colleague, Anushka, suggested that we should go for this food walk, I was very skeptical as I am allergic(if you may use this word to describe my mindset in this case) to crowded places :P . But I was almost adamant to explore the city! Located in a tiny pocket of north Kolkata near Chitpur, you almost have to push your way into the narrow alley. 

Kebabs at Zakaria Street

Once you enter the place, you know you have just stumbled upon a non-vegetarian's paradise. Kebabs, haleem, biryani, desserts, sewai, biscuits - you name it and you get it in Zakaria Street. You will find countless shops selling delicious kebabs, cooked right in front of your eyes. 

Kebabs at Zakaria Street

Be it malai/ noorani/ tikka/ hariyali kebabs or chicken 65, you get all of them at extremely affordable rates. :)  After sampling almost all, I loved chicken noorani kebabs the most. It had minced chicken with spices  and almost melted in the mouth. My parents loved them too :) Chicken 65, a south Indian delicacy with loads of spices and deep fried came a close second ! Hariyali also is a winner in itself. The shopkeepers were also very generous and encouraged us to try almost all kebabs with a generous helping of green chutney and salad while patiently explaining the cooking process

Chicken Noorani kebabs in the making

A close friend suggested that one should definitely taste chicken changezi when at Zakaria street. This is chicken marinated with spices and then deep fried. They are mostly sold in kilograms. Honestly, I had so much that there was no space for chicken changezi. 

The helpful shopkeeper at Zakaria Street

The haleem too was good. The meat was soft and was served in earthern pots which gave it a nice flavour. There are several shops and makeshift stalls selling haleem and biriyani. But as everyone knows, the biriyani at Aminia and Zeeshan is legendary. 

We also tried the firni at Zeeshan. Served in an earthen pot again, you can not really miss this when on this food walk. Roohafza or red sherbet is an integral part of this walk, though we gave it a miss as we could not risk having the water they were using :P .In case you are the adventurous soul with a strong immunity, you might want to give this is a try. But I would certainly not recommend this on my blog ! Contaminated water is a strict no -no !

Firni At Zeeshan, Zakaria Street - Kolkata

Not only did we gorge on all of these delicacies, we also packed a lot of things for home :)

Overall, this was a discovery in itself. I hope they were available all around the year so that I could easily satisfy my kebab cravings at unbelievable prices. 

I would like to share some tips for first timers like me:

1. Ramazan month is usually hot and humid in Kolkata. Remember to carry a bottle of water

2. Try and sample a little bit of each variety. 

3. Remember it is a narrow lane; hence keep yourself mentally prepared

4. Talk to the shopkeepers as much as possible, they give you the best nuggets of information about the custom and the dish

5. Its a long walk so remember to dress comfortably 

I would love to hear about your experiences of Zakaria street. If you are a Kolkatan, you might have a lot of suggestions and stories to tell me. I am very excited to hear/read about all of them :)