Time for some Iftar specialties

As the day is preparing to sleep, some parts of the Capital are waking up. That’s Ramadan, or Ramzan. We walk you through the famous market at Jama Masjid, which, during Iftar, has a dish to suit almost every palate.

Trnnnnnnnnn. The siren is booming from Matia Mahal. As the day is preparing to sleep, some parts of the Capital are waking up. That’s Ramadan, or Ramzan. We walk you through the famous market at Jama Masjid, which, during Iftar, has a dish to suit almost every palate.

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Once at Matia Mahal Market, forget the waistline and gorge on mithais and snacks. Kalan Sweets, opposite Jama Masjid’s Gate No. 1, is a

mithai-vore’s

delight. Everything is cooked in

desi ghee

.

Paneer ki jalebi

is out of this world. Besides, there are different kinds of

samosas: aloo-samosas

(for

samosa

conservatives), and

qeema

and

khoya samoas

for others. The guy at the counter promises that the mithai shop would be open 24/7 during Ramzan.

For size zero aspirants, there are stalls selling pineapple chaat. Try the special Iftari that has leaf bowls of papaya, apple and banana slices along with pieces of

khajoor

. Chicken lovers needn’t go beyond Al Sahi Chicken Corner, a short walk from the Kalan. Juicy

murgas

, poked through iron rods, are roasted right in front of you. “Around 100 chickens go off daily during Ramzan nights,” says the guy behind the counter. For veggies, there are

pyaaz/aloo/gobhi pakoris

on offer.

Want to pack

sewai

to cook at home? There’s a stall next to Al-Jawahar. The roasted variety, called

sewai

, is for Rs 30 but the fried, called

pheni

, is Rs 70 per kg. Fans of

burra meat

(buffalo meat), can head to Lalu Kababi’s

bhais ka tikka

, in Urdu Bazaar. Lalu claims to sell 2,000

kebabs

each night during Ramzan. He is open till 4 am. If street-fare is not your style, there’s always Karim’s – at your service from 5pm to 5am!