RAWALPINDI: Throughout the month of Ramazan, demand for traditional fried food increases. The more popular items are vegetable, meat or chicken-filled kachori, onion, spinach and eggplant pakoras and somasas and rolls filled with chicken and potatoes. Piping hot jalebis are a favoured side with after iftar tea.

The small shops of Raja Bazaar, Purana Qila, Bhabara Bazaar, Saidpuri Gate and Kartarpura, which specialise in making desi fried food are especially busy during Ramazan. For most people, iftari is not complete without pakoras, samosas and kachoris. These fried foods are then chased down with lemon soda.

“In this hot weather, it is a blessing for women that pakoras, samosas and kachoris are being sold outside. They can concentrate on making other foods,” said Abdullah Chaudhry, a resident of Murree Road.

He said variants of the traditional fried foods were also available with most shops in Committee Chowk and Bhabara Bazaar also offering chicken and paneer pakoras as well.

A shop on College Road is famous for its samosas, and that the shop is busy from afternoon onwards during Ramazan, he said.

For Zainab Asad, shopping for iftar items in downtown Rawalpindi is fun.

“On Sunday, my friends and I go to Moti Bazaar and Saddar and when we are coming back home, we cannot stop ourselves from buying pakoras, samosas and kachoris,” she said, adding that “the sizzle of frying jalebis makes me want to let go of my diet during Ramazan”.

Zainab said she waited for Ramazan so she could have traditional foods during iftar and sehri.

“I like that people sit together to have food at a specific time and that everyone hurries to be able to make it on time,” she said.

Moin Ahmed, a resident of Westridge, said Muslims get to enjoy more food during Ramazan.

“You never eat so much fried and traditional food otherwise, but in Ramazan, every one brings fried food home, especially for the children,” he said.

Even with the arrival of fast foods like pizza and sandwiches, he said, the popularity of traditional snacks has not decreased, especially not in Ramazan.

The owner of a shop in Saddar, Mohammad Imran said pakoras, samosas and kachori were more popular in Ramazan.

“We increase the production of these items during Ramazan and with Eidul Fitr, the demand for them decreases. Though we make samosas all year around, pakoras and kachori are Ramazan items,” he said.

He said beef was not used in kachoris and samosas and that most people wanted chicken filled kachoris and samosas. He said that potato fillings were also preferred but not as much as chicken.

Mohammad Anis, a shopkeeper in Bhabara Bazaar said the increase in demand for these items also increase as people want to serve them to their guests as well. He added that road side stalls were installed to cater to increased demand.

“Making samosas and kachoris at home is very difficult, especially in the hot weather. Most people prefer to spend their time praying and get takeout from restaurants during Ramazan. Samosas, pakoras and kachoris are also bought for giving to people at iftar in mosques, imambargahs and shrines,” he said,

These foods taste better if prepared in a clean environment and if good quality flour, spices and oil are used.

Muhammad Anis, a shopkeeper at Bhabara Bazaar, said that mostly people installed the stalls of the traditional food as the people preferred to buy these things to serve before their guest at iftar time.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2016