itrus

July 20, 2014

 

What would you do if it has been raining incessantly for two days in Mumbai and most of the roads have turned into streams of water? 

Stay at home, did you say? 

Well, in Mumbai, we prefer to do things a little differently. 

The month of Ramadan almost always coincides with the Mumbai Monsoon in July. During Ramadan, Muslims, traditionally, fast every day from sunrise until sunset. Post sundown, they break their fast with food that provides them with enough nutrients and proteins to last till the next sunset.

If you are in Mumbai during the month of Ramadan, Mohammed Ali Road is the place to be. "Well you can walk in any Muslim area and you will be spoilt for choice for non-vegetarian delicacies. But Mohammed Ali Road is the favorite, one reason being that it’s huge. It is a vast area, and from one end to the other, you will be enveloped in the aroma of barbecued meat," Bushra Ansari (32), mother of three sons and an instructional writer, says.

People, from all walks of life and religion, gather on this stretch of road, along with those who are breaking their fast. Apart from food, clothes and artificial jewelry, perfumes and cosmetics are also sold at a reasonable price in areas in and around Nakhoda Mohalla and Crawford Market, where business goes on until 3 am.

Having heard so much about this place, I joined a group of 12 friends, who decided to head to Mohammed Ali Road from Powai after work. The distance from Powai to Mohammed Ali Road is a little more than 30 kilometers and it took us more than an hour to reach.

Though we wanted to hit the much heard-about makeshift roadside stalls first, the aroma from Noor Mohammadi Hotel, an old corner eatery, was hard to resist. Finding a place to sit was a challenge, but we weren’t ready to leave without trying the specialty here. 

Bowls of piping hot Nalli Nihari along with Tandoori Rotis were soon served. The mutton was tender and succulent, with a rich sauce, which wasn't spicy at all. Each plate cost us Rs 90 (nearly $2), which was unbelievably low-priced.

Next, we decided to explore the stretch of the brightly-lit stalls. 

Realizing that our umbrellas were now quite useless against the pounding rain, we dumped them inside our car and walked towards the stalls which were sparkling with twinkling lights. Nobody seemed to care about the rain or the crowd. We crossed a stretch of makeshift stalls that were selling clothes and shoes. The stall owners had set up plastic sheets to save their wares from getting drenched. Under these, stood groups of young women, trying to haggle with the shopkeepers, between peals of their laughter.

Someone spotted an empty table in one of the stalls, and we ran to occupy it. Orders were soon given and we were served one plate of delicacy after another. We wolfed down five plates of Tandoori Chicken, four plates of Chicken Boti Kebabs, five plates of Bheja Fry, two plates of Kaleiji Curry and 15 Rumali Rotis within an hour! Each of these dishes was extremely delicious, with each piece of meat cooked to perfection. (It cost us Rs 4,700! That’s almost $90!)

It wasn't time to return home yet because we still had to try the famous sweets. Standing on one corner of the busy lane was a Mawa Jalebi sweet shop. Black in color, they looked so different from the golden ones we have had before. And, they tasted different too!

"These are so light and soft. It just melts in my mouth. Please order three more plates," said an excited Soumya Thakurta, who works as an Experienced Associate with an MNC firm.

At the next shop we ordered Pineapple Halwa, Firni and Ras Malai. The giant Malpuas, however, soon melted in our mouths and melted our hearts. "We use two eggs to make one Malpua and then fry it in ghee," explained the sweet maker. By then we were too full to even think of ordering one Malpua for each person, and so we ordered two for the entire group.

"It is amazing! Sweet and syrupy, just the way I like my Malpuas," said Srijan Raychaudhuri, who's been calling Mumbai his second home for more than five years now.

It was midnight and by now we had spent nearly three hours at Mohammed Ali Road. Thoroughly drenched and with no more appetite left for food, we decided to head home. We jostled through the crowds to find our way back to the car, and then left for home. As I passed rows of stalls lit up in fairy lights, I decided I would be here again during next Ramadan.

 

Ramadan in Mumbai : A treat for all religions

Debarati Chakraborty | MUMBAI, INDIA

Ex-Hindustan Times journalist Debarati Chakraborty is a writer for Citrus.