ISLAMABAD: Desi food has always struggled to make space in the ‘fast food’ category. Most signature dishes require hours and painstaking attention to detail and masalajaat to prepare. But in the midst of the aromatic handis, spicy karahis and tangy BBQ, the paratha roll has established itself as an effective and fulfilling equivalent to the burgers and fries of the decadent West.

Often considered a specialty of Karachi, the most legendary purveyors of rolled parathas with filling hail from the city by the sea. In Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, signs outside roll vendors proclaim their credentials with reference to their experience with the southern metropolis. Many eateries preface their hoardings with ‘Karachi ke al-mashoor…’ (Karachi’s most famous) and other such claims to authenticity.

But in Islamabad, the paratha roll is a sought after and often misunderstood commodity. Many upscale restaurants, such as The Lime Tree, have now incorporated kebab rolls into their menus. But the best paratha rolls are – much like all good street food in the subcontinent – made on the roadside and under less-than-perfect sanitary conditions.

The Gulshan Roll Inn, located on the dingier side of the markaz in Sector F-10, is a perfect example. Pulling up outside the establishment, customers are bombarded with a chorus of expectant waiters, in the same way that one may be accosted outside Karachi’s famous Eaton or Hot n Spicy.

The menu is varied and the folks at Gulshan will stuff anything from barbequed chicken tikka, malai botis and behari kebabs inside a greasy paratha.

But their tour de force is the massive ‘Boom Boom’ roll, which bears no relation to a Pakistani cricketer with the same nickname.

At a healthy 16 inches long, the jumbo-sized treat is proof that burgers and fries are not the only thing that can be upsized. Filled with freshly barbequed chicken botis, onions and a special chutney, these rolls are guaranteed to whet even the most gluttonous of appetites.

Jalal Bachlani, the owner of Gulshan Roll Inn, proudly boasts of his shop’s loyalty to the Karachi way of roll-making.

“We still get our marinade from Karachi, that’s how we maintain the authentic taste,” he says.

But where Gulshan Roll Inn harks back to the old school, a new paratha place is making waves in nearby Sector E-11. Operating out of a homely little kiosk outside a popular 24-hour supermarket, Vasièm Siddiq’s brainchild, Paratha Party, is gradually building name for itself as an establishment with the good standards of quality.

A lover of street food, Mr Siddiq describes his startup business as an effort to “make the paratha cool”. All the food served here is homemade and the parathas are made from whole wheat. “It reminds me of home and my mother’s cooking,” says Salman Lateef, a regular customer.

Mr Siddiq’s little shop is already making waves and has been nominated for several startup awards. Deals with food delivery services such as Foodpanda have made their products available to most of Islamabad and business, it seems, is quite good.

Apart from the run-of-the-mill paratha rolls, Paratha Party also offers specialty products, such as the decadent Nutella paratha and the cheerfully original Barfi paratha, which tastes faintly of cardamom and is served with a delectable cream dip.

“Our prices are affordable and target students, but the response has been overwhelming,” says Mr Siddiq as he explains his recipe for success.

“We’ve made the paratha simple. We give customers the choice of frying their food in butter, desi ghee, regular cooking oil or olive oil for the diet conscious. It’s a whole new way of doing parathas.”

One of the capital’s oldest street food haunts is the Gol Market at the heart of Jinnah Super Market in Sector F-7. Here, the aptly named Crunchies has been in business for more than 15 years. But between serving out platefuls of chaat and other assorted fast food, cooks Imtiaz Ali and Shah Ji spend their days rolling up big chunks of KFC-style fried chicken into paratha rolls. These ‘Zinger Rolls’ are a meal unto themselves and light on the pocket.

“When we first launched the Zinger Roll about six years ago, it was for Rs99. Today, we sell one for Rs170, but that doesn’t mean that there is any less value for money,” says Imtiaz. The secret sauce they use is what gives these rolls their signature taste. “Garlic sauce, chilli sauce and a host of other ingredients,” is his coy reply when asked about its contents.

Shah Ji, the man who specialises in the Zinger Roll, can serve up a roll within seven to eight minutes of receiving an order.

“When we started serving these, everyone was crazy about crispy fried chicken. We just took the old idea of a paratha roll and updated it,” says Imtiaz, with a gleam in his eye.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2015

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