Preparing for Eid in the Streets of Zakir Nagar
In the holy month of Ramadan, Zakir Nagar in South Delhi brims with a palpabale Iftaar energy. Its narrow alleys overflow with the choicest foods, from kebabs and sheermal, to shahi tukda and falooda. Rahat Touhid and Anwesha Ganguly map the neighbourhood’s choicest eats.
The holy month of Ramadan is a season of prayer, community, fasting and feasts. For those observing Ramadan, or others who simply hope to partake in the culinary celebration of Iftaar, there is Zakir Nagar. A distant cousin to Old Delh’s Chandni Chowk, Zakir Nagar has a distinct charm of its own. Situated in the heart of Delhi’s New Friends’ Colony, Zakir Nagar reveals itself slowly. Smoke curls upward from hot tandoors, and the aroma of ghee fills the air. Home to delicacies that were once afforded only to the royals, Zakir Nagar offers a wide variety of kebabs, naans, naharis and sweets.
The street comes to life at noon, when shop owners and street vendors slowly begin to set up. An electric energy sets in after sunset, and you can hear the hum of Zakir Nagar from several streets away. A welcoming neighbourhood, the general mood here is forever jostling. Shops are run by local residents, and food on the street is affordable; a hearty, meat-heavy meal costs about Rs. 350 for two. Despite the steep price surges of essential goods and services after the Covid-19 pandemic, Zakir Nagar has more or less maintained its pre-Covid prices, managing to stay afloat comfortably.
To make the most of an evening at Zakir Nagar, one must begin with kebabs – from seekh to Lucknowi galouti, there is a staggering assortment of kebabs available, served both by street vendors and restaurants. Typically paired with rotis –roomali and khameeri, remain the most popular choices in the neighbourhood, but adventurous palates are richly rewarded – nutty flatbreads encrusted with cashews, almonds and pistachios, known as sheermal, are served with a generous swirl of ghee. Haji Imraan Sheermal serves sheermals starting at Rs. 30, with prices rising with as you choose more elaborate garnishes.
The most popular destination in Zakir Nagar is unarguably Javed Famous Nahari, serving naharis as its name suggests, to an unending queue of people every night. It premises are never empty during business hours. Sample the chicken changezi and roti-kebabs at Lucknow Galouti Kebab and Madina Hotel. For dessert, there is Pahalwanji, an open-air street stall, that serves shahi tukda (literally translating to ‘royal bite’, this is the desi equivalent of bread pudding, although this is a poor comparison, bearing all the rich decadence of a classic Mughal invention); kheer, moong dal halwa, gulab jamun, rabdi and lassi. A nameless sweet shop adjacent to the mosque, does not open regularly, but when it does, it serves an unparalleled rabdi-falooda, topped with roof afza. Integral to this scene are the perfume sellers wooing potential shoppers with free samples that scent the air, creating a heady mix of oudh migled with kebab and charcoal. Then there are the crisp towers of sewai, stacked at heights that defy all odds, a signal of fasts about to turn into feasts, during the month of Ramadan.
As the evening slowly turns to night, freshly kneaded dough is coaxed by skilled hands, into an assortment of delicious breads.
Spongy khameeri rotis are a staple, made of whole wheat flour, milk and yeast.
The art of making roomali is a hypnotic delight to watch. They are as thin as delicately embroidered handkerchiefs (for which they are named), roomalis are best enjoyed with kebabs.
Sheermal is a flatbread encrusted cashews, almonds and pistachios, served hot, dipped in a bowl of desi ghee.
The smell of seekh kebabs being charred signals the entry to Zakir Nagar during the month Ramadan.
A delicacy with roots in Lucknow, galouti kebabs are made of minced meat so tender and delicate, they melt in the mouth.
A beloved of the streets, with origins unknown, and thus creating room for many myths, is chicken changezi, cooked in a rich tomato-based gravy, finished with milk cream, flavoured with an assortment of spices.
Nahari is the star attraction of Zakir Nagar. A typical breakfast dish, curing a powerful start to the day, Nahari is no longer restricted to the daylight hours. Javed Famous Nahari is indeed incredibly popular, serving hundreds of diners every day.
The holy month of Ramadan culminates in the celebration of Eid. Zakir Nagar offers many desserts to feast one. The gulab jamun is one of the season’s most beloved.
The shahi tukda emerged from the royal kitchens of the Mughals, where buttery bread is toasted and soaked in sugar syrup, adorned here with moong dal halwa, another favourite in the city.
Earthen bowls of kheer covered with aluminium foil are stacked in preparation for the evening, alongside bottles of mango lassi.
Sweet kachori, jalebi and chai, a popular combination in Zakir Nagar, are served as snacks at iftar, and also as dessert after a rich dinner of curries, kebabs and rotis.
A veteran sweet-seller pours roof afza over a cup of rabdi-falooda.
Sewai adorns the streets of Zakir Nagar. It is a prelude to the day of Eid, when fast is broken with multiple preparations of sewai at home, marking the beginning of this auspicious day and its celebrations!
Anwesha Ganguly is a freelance writer based in New Delhi. Rahat Touhid is an independent journalist based in New Delhi.
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