Have you tried the vegetarian iftar spread yet?

Ramzan calls for a chance to unite over food. As alleys light up to the resounding azaan, abundant delicacies right from luscious Russian kebabs and the pasty goodness of Hyderabadi haleem, to succulent quail spiced and grilled to perfection, are laid out.
An overwhelming part of the spread caters to the carnivores out there and the vegetarians are left being mere spectators.Pune Times embarked on a quest to find vegetarian iftar fare in the city and fortunately, didn’t come back disappointed. From recipes you can try at home for an iftar party, to delicacies you can indulge in while walking the iftar trails in the city, here’s your guide to a vegetarian Ramzan celebration.
The veggie side of iftar
Vegetarian fish, we read somewhere. Now, isn’t that a contrasting name? City-based food and lifestyle blogger Sania Siddiqui feels otherwise. She recently posted a picture of interesting ‘vegetarian fish’ preparation and obviously, foodies were intrigued by the simplicity of the preparation. Sania shares that it was her mother’s recipe. “My mother used to experiment a lot with various dishes. The vegetarian fish is an outcome of one of those. It’s a variation of samosa, where the cover is shaped like a fish, while the filling can be vegetables or paneer. Non-vegetarians can simply make it with minced meat. The photo I posted was that of a paneer-filled preparation,” she says.Sania quips that contrary to the customary belief, staple iftar dishes are vegetarian as it is followed by a hearty dinner, which is mostly non-vegetarian. “Dishes like dahi phulki, made with besan instead of urad dal, vegetable cutlets, chana, matar or chhole chaat and a platter full of various pakoras are typically present on every iftar dastarkhan,” informs Sania.
Fruits for the soul
If you are on a food trail through the city and want to start off with something healthy, head to the bustling Shivaji Market. Isakh Bagwan here serves fresh fruit platters comprising the usual watermelon, pineapple and pear, and the more unusual plum and dragon fruit. “We begin serving at 4 pm. Fruit plates cost Rs 30, Rs 50 and Rs 100, depending on the quantity,” says Bagwan, who sells over 100-150 plates a day. These also come with a serving of dates that you can break your fast with.

Fried delicacies
Kafil Anwar Shaikh’s famed vegetable samosas are a must-have during Ramzan. His stall is stationed at the Bootee and Sachapir street junction. “We get customers from all faiths. It is difficult finding vegetarian snacks during Ramzan which is why we’ve always focused on vegetarian options,” says Anwar, who records a sale of 500-600 samosas daily during Ramzan. One can also find iftari items like Bombay wadas (Rs 12), kaanda and palak bhajjis (Rs 20) and dal wadas (Rs 8) at his stall.
Spicy, tangy, hot and sweet
At Azam Campus, New Modikhana, one can only find stalls stocked with non-vegetarian fare, but there’s one that caters solely to vegetarians. Shafique Sayyed’s stall offers a spicy dum aloo, a tangy chana preparation and piping hot ragda, dressed with spices and chopped onions and coriander, all Rs 20 per portion.
To end your vegetarian iftar experience on a sweet note, you can either opt for the halwa paratha, shahi tukda, phirni and falooda, or head to Kausar Baug in Kondhwa. Here, the Middle-Eastern sweet baklava (Rs 30) is available at Abdullah Siddiqui’s stall. Abdul also serves varbad (Rs 30), a sweet triangular pastry with a rich and creamy kishta filling, the rawa-based basbousa (Rs 20), baked and topped with desiccated coconut and the fried vermicelli-coated kunafa (Rs 30). “I might add one more sweet to the table before Ramzan ends,” says Abdullah, who advises foodies to enjoy while the stocks last.
How to make vegetarian fish
Ingredients:
For the Dough
Maida (refined flour) – 1 cup
Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste
Ajwain – 1 teaspoon
Oil – 2 tablespoon
Water as required
For the Filing
Paneer – 150 gm
Boiled potato – 1 small
Cheese, grated – ½ cup
Onion, capsicum, green chilli (finely chopped) – 2 tablespoons
Mayonnaise – 1 tablespoon (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
Knead a tight dough and keep it aside, covered for 2-3 hours.
In another big bowl, mix together paneer, grated cheese and all other ingredients.
Take a ball of dough (of table tennis ball size) and flatten it like a puri. Apply little water on the sides.
Cut thin strips from each side of the poori, leaving space in the middle. Make 6-7 such incisions.
Place little mixture in the middle and spread it lengthwise.
Close the strips over each other in a criss-cross manner. Leave some for the tail. Fry golden brown in medium hot oil.