E-Paper
Sehri: A blessed, blissful affair!
Youngsters in Lucknow visit Old City for sehri, the pre-dawn fasting ritual during Ramadan. The trend for eating out before Fajr has grown, with many restaurants open until 2am. Healthy options are increasingly popular, with many households choosing foods high in fiber and easy on the metabolism to prepare for the day-long fast. While iftar gatherings are commonplace, sehri events are still relatively rare.
It’s 3 am and these bunch of youngsters are at Clock Tower for a photo op. They are heading to Old City for their sehri (pre-dawn fasting ritual). Menu is set and so is the food joint. Back at their home the family members are gearing up for the sehri in a traditional way.
“Eating out and getting to meet my friends just before Fajr (early morning prayers) has become more like a ritual for our group. It is not always about heavy meal, at times it’s just Kashmiri chai and sheermal that sums up our sehri,” says Mohd Shad, student at IHM-Lucknow.
He along with his friends and cousins often visit Old City, Aminabad-Nazirabad, Daliganj, City Station or other localities for sehri.
“Those who have to work whole day and have more physical work to do need heavy diet, so they come and have a stomach full of kulcha-nehari for sehri. Nehari is made with 54 spices and cooked in simmered medium so it has lot of richness, protein and gives strength throughout the days,” tells Abu Hamza of Idress Biryani food joint.
Restaurateur Sheeraz Manzar, who runs Wamesh Café in Gola Ganj, says, “We have the café opened till 2-2.15 in the morning and we also offer home delivery in that span. Rozedaars who visit during that time have an option to pick from our menu ranging from snacks to light combo meals. Tea, coffee, soups, chicken samosa with simple breakfast items remains the favourite for all.”
Businessman Hamza Hasan just recently took his family out for Sehri. “Usually, my sehri is simple fruits and milk at home but as my sister was visiting so we planned for a sehri outing at a city restaurant and it was a memorable affair,” he tells.
Businessman Sufiyan Siddiqui, who lives in the middle of Nazirabad-Aminabad hub, tells besides the eating-out at his local food joints Sehri parties are in.
“In Mumbai as well as other places it is common thing now, finally here too it’s catching-up. I keep getting invites and have also invited a few relatives and friends over for Suhoor. It’s ‘sawaab’ (good deed) to invite people home for the sehri before they make niyat (start) the roza,” he tells.
Small or big iftaar gatherings have become a common affair but since this an early morning ritual so it’s still not very common. Though slowly it’s catching up among friends and relatives, adds Sufiyan.
All for health
With focus towards healthy food, the sehri too includes now has ingredients that are good for health, high on fiber and easy on metabolism. “In every household you will find members with either diabetes or other ailments so very heavy diet just before fast does is not advisable. Like for my husband Zulfiqar (Hussain) and myself we go only healthy meal. I gave him cold coffee with almonds/nuts, roasted seeds, dates and banana. Some days, we take mixed berry shake or smoothie or tea/coffee, marmalade or cream cheese with tea cake, papaya or any fruit mix and roasted/soaked seeds,” tells Doa Naqvi, assistant professor, KMC Language University.
