A page from the Arabian Nights...Iftar at Mosque Road, Bangalore...
It sometimes so happens that one visits far flung places, admiring the culture and cuisine of the place and in doing so, sort of misses out the local round the corner nukkad where for as long as one knows a riot of color and aromas are overwhelming one and all, seducing the unsuspecting as well as the veteran with its sheer exotic nature - I am talking of the month long night market on Mosque Road during the month of Ramzan which is as much a part of Bangalore's DNA as much as the avarekai parishe, the kadlekai fest, the mango festival or the karga....yes, it is a world unto itself. And shamefaced as I am to say this..it was our first visit, yes, we had sampled some wares a few times, but a full-on visit, it was on June 28th 2015 !!
Off we went on our bike, and were fortunate enough to get a decent parking slot, after a point in time, around the stalls it is strictly standing place only...no movements are possible (I really understand how sardines must feel in a box)..but due to the width of the road, the crowd dissipates and builds in waves and the aromas of spices and meats grilling over hot stone / charcoal is such that the heady feeling sort of swamps you and overtakes all your other senses and even if you wanted to crib..somehow it lulls you into a somnolence that leaves your limbs leaden and your mouth watering. Only one sense works - your gastronomical animal like want for food.
Of course since we are selective carnivores but mostly herbivores, the exotic meats like camel, beef, veal etc were only optical...however I could not stop admiring the deft flick of the wrist which turned the meat on the skewers over hot coals, or the blast of spicy aroma that wafted from the meat being grilled over a 3" granite stone placed over hot coals..admiring the patient slow cooking technique which brought out the flavors after cooking in its own juices for soooo long..and made the dish succulent and well worth the wait.
The Arabian flavor in terms of hummus, pita bread and slow cooked meats made you wonder whether you were in Bangalore?. The stalls were plentiful, so was the fare. The kebabs were succulent, hot and appetizing...all priced between Rs.60 and Rs.150 per plate, a meal for two can be about Rs.750 or so...my suggestion, only buy a plate of each dish and share between 2 persons ..this way you will try more, but even with that you can maximum consume 3 to 4 items ...that is all.
Patthar Gosht..Cooking Over Stone - a centuries old technique
After a couple of varieties of kebabs, and the marvelous extravagant Hyderabi declicacy - the haleem, slow cooked chicken with aata, dry fruits and some spices... it was a tussle between the biryani and the anda kheema roti, the latter won out, after biryani has become quite passe now, isn't it??..and the decision was the right one..it was super delicious.
That's it, we were done..and decided to round it off with a shared shahi tukda and a dry fruit kulfi...heavenly !! Shared heaven it was....!
As we made our way back to our vahana..it suddenly struck me watching people asking for more details on the variety of dishes available..it was like the Amazon ad - aur dikhao, aur dikhao (smile).
One thing is certain, food can break down all barriers of religion, caste and creed..and good food can make you go a la Oliver Twist - "Give me some More" !!
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