Iftar Celebrations- Street food from Frazer Town Bangalore

The Holy month of Ramadan holds great significance in my life perhaps,even more than Christmas or Easter.Having grown up in Kuwait, this was the only festive season I saw in my childhood. Kuwait , post gulf war was quite dull and morose.The country was grappling with issues of safety and post traumatic experiences with war. My dad never let us out anywhere except during the month of Ramadan.Everything in our lives changed during those 40 days. Dad had evening shift so would be home more often, shops would be open after midnight and discount sales enthralled shoppers. But the most exciting part of Ramadan was the Iftar- the snack with which Muslims broke their fast. Street accidents were common during that time when noone bothered traffic signals.Mom often came home lamenting over the number of accident cases she had to deal in the children's ward ( kids falling into biriyani pots, burns and indigestion-the list was endless). There was a frenzy unexplainable in front of every shawarma, arayis, kabab stall and the streets looked gorgeous with the lighting and decorations.I can still smell the mutton fried with shallots in olive oil and herbs, and never have I tasted the same flavour ever since I left Kuwait. Back in India, I never even realised it was Eid until a holiday was declared.There is quite a solemnity and simplicity in the celebration of Eid and Ramadan here in India comapared to the Middle East. So when my hubby told me about the Iftar street stalls I was all excited.

My hubby was more excited than me to explore some street food in Bangalore during Ramadan.We kept stalling it due to some reason or the other every year.So this time when I was in Bangalore we decided to explore the street. A friend of my hubby's suggested Mosque road near Frazer town and I am glad we did go, because I learnt a lot of new recipes and their history. I recommend all my foodie friends to try this place. They have a variety of stuff and we had no issues digesting them so it is quite safe for people who don't experiment street food. Here's some of the delicacies we tried and some others I thought was interesting.

The highlights for us was pathar ka kabab. It's an escallop of beef or mutton marinated and cooked on stone- so the name. Meat often eaten at stalls and restaurants are never well cooked to my taste but this  time I was taken in for a surprise and so,I loved the experience.

Haleem was something we looked forward to as it was something hyped about. But it somehow did not suit our taste. Haleem is a mixture of broken wheat, pulses, meat, curd, and spices cooked for hours to form a porridge.It is supposedly the extravagant treat for those breaking their fast. I think we did not strike the chord.

I loved the chicken stick it was different and a combo of flavours exploded at the tip of my tongue leaving me too stunned to decipher the ingredients. But I think I can figure that out.

The kheema roll was quite filling , too bland to my hubby but fine to my taste. I guess we really were in our foodie trance ( as I would call it modestly when people hog non stop) so I guess we polished it off. Otherwise this dish alone could make a sumptuous meal.

I guess there's something fascinating when people gather randomly and eat together. It's exciting and motivating to foodies to eat with fellow foodies around. The ambience is so conducive for food lovers that you savour each bite even more. I find this experience distinct from the one you have at huge spreads and buffets. Maybe it's also because you burp and belch and fart and start all over again ;).

Some where there on the street you don't bother about your clothes and manners and you feel you belong there- your love for food connects you to those strangers eating their hearts out. And that's what I call a 'foodie orgasm' :)

Mutton Soup