Ramzan food trail for Puneites

As the sun sets, several stalls adjoining the Azam Campus light up. Tandoors are readied, onions deep fried and meat pieces spiced up for the Iftari spreads. Ramzan, the month of fasting and feasting, beckons the devout as well the foodie in you to experience an array of delicacies that are served in several areas of the city. We scouted Kondhwa, Azam Campus, Babajaan Chowk, Shivaji Market and Synagogue Street and here’s a guide of the feast trails that will ensure you eat to your heart’s content and soak in the festivities of this ongoing celebration.
Haleem and Falooda@ Babajaan Chowk
En route Kondhwa, make a stop at Baba Jaan Chowk for the haleem, that is a close match to its Hyderabadi counterpart. While many in the city prefer khichda and often term it ‘Puneri haleem’, there’s a small eatery that still serves Hyderabadi haleem. Light yellow in colour, it’s cooked for as long as 12 hours, to render the taste and texture. Ashfaque, from Four Season’s, which has erected a tiny kiosk to sell Hyderabadi haleem, shared, “Iftar isn’t complete without indulging in haleem. Since it is difficult to prepare at home, many buy it from us. It’s also more preferred than khichda since it is less spicy and easy to digest.” There’s falooda available in different flavours, a little ahead of Babajaan Chowk. Complete with rabdi and ice-cream, these colourful coolers from Sakhi Falooda cannot be missed either. Ask for Akbar Siddiqui, who makes a special kulfi falooda, laden with rabdi and ice-cream.

Halwa Paratha@ Shivaji Market
Iftar or not, Shivaji Market and its adjoining areas are always bustling with shoppers and foodies. Though the regular seekh kebabs and biryanis at Radio Hotel and
Bismillah can be tried, there’s halwa paratha, to end your meals. While eating at the spot isn’t recommended, enjoy a guilt-free indulgence of crispy paratha and saffron halwa, laden with dry fruits, ghee and sugar, at home.
Cornflakes chicken and palak toast@ Azam Campus
The road leading to Azam Campus, is a quaint and narrow one on normal days. However, in the month of Ramzan, it comes alive, with a string of makeshift eateries, serving delectable finger foods, to break your fast. Be it deep-fried sesame toasts (bread topped with sesame seeds, chicken and spinach), seekh kebabs or shami kebabs, the aroma of them are inviting. There isn’t much parking space available, and the stalls aren’t hygienic. However, if you are willing to devour some kebabs and raan masala at home, here’s where you can pack it from. Moosa Meethal, from Agra Hotel that serves an array of fried quails or tittar, chicken cornflakes and chicken hot fries, shared, “The sale of iftar picks up after evening everyday. While most of the customers prefer take-aways, there’s seating option as well. This year, we have introduced cornflake chicken and chicken hot fry. Both are Indianised versions of fried chicken and chicken pizza respectively, to adapt to the Indian taste.” The raan masala, that’s available a little ahead, is a whole mutton leg, marinaded and cooked in Mughlai spices. Made by Shalimar Hotel, it is also a must-have here.

Bhindi gosht@ Synagogue Street
A detour to Synagogue Street is recommended, before you head to Kondhwa, a haven for iftar comfort food. Imdadi, a huge eating joint, near railway reservation office, is put up during the holy month. While other iftari spreads have adapted to a mix of cuisines, with Russian kebabs, mayo chicken rolls and pizzas, Imdadi, sticks to what’s traditional. There aren’t many finger foods to try from; however, main course has many varieties — bhindi gosht, korma, kheema and dalcha. Laden with spices and flavours, the khichda, served in chicken, mutton and beef, is also worth a try, with a generous topping of fried onions and crushed lime juice. “We have stuck to the authentic iftari fare during Ramzan. Though many eateries have come up with variations of snacks, we serve only shami and seekh kebabs and samosas, as they are the traditional delights. Also, the huge oven in which the chicken tandoori is prepared is quite a sight. This encourages many foodies to try it,” shared Shakeel Shaikh, from Imdadi.
Russian Kebabs@ Kausarbaug
If you haven’t been to Kausarbaug, your iftar isn’t complete. As you enter the bustling road from Kondhwa, the huge eatery, Sharif is sure to grab your attention. Divided in two sections, there’s food everywhere and the sight is enticing. From the bland Russian kebabs to spicy chicken chakoris and kaadi gosht, you might be spoilt for choice. As you move on to the main course, select from chicken taka tak, a mix of chicken legs and minced mutton, nalli nihari, mutton cooked in nihari flavour and dalcha, meat in lentils, to name a few. This is not all. The shahi tukda, soaked in syrupy milk, jumbo sized malpuas with a generous helping of rabdi, gulab jamuns, caramel custard and phirni — a day isn’t enough to try it all.