By the time the evening sky turns to warm hues of red, Zakaria Street turns into a food paradise. Above the tangle of wires and signboards, the domes of Nakhoda Masjid glow softly. The crowd gathers, and a whiff of aromatic spices, ghee, slow-cooked meat and haleem fills the alleys. As Ramadan begins, My Kolkata takes a walk through of this food paradise during Iftar.
A man stirs a vat of haleem as people wait to get their meal after breaking their fast.
Further down the lane, copper woks simmer with nihari. Skewers of boti and malai kebab hang like garlands outside a shopfront, aroma escaping into the evening air, luring foodies of all faiths.
The smoky and grilled kebabs are a crowd-puller. Foodies wait in serpentine queues to indulge in front of both big and small shops.
Zakaria Street is more than just non-vegetarian food. The iftar is first about fresh fruits, fritters and also sherbets. The fritters — from alur chop to peyaji — are fried in batches. Boiled black gram is tossed in spices to make chana chaat.
Fresh watermelons and pineapples are chopped to make fruit chaat.
At smaller makeshift stalls, Mohabbat-ka-Sherbet is stirred with delicate hands.
At another stall, a vendor arranges ajwa, kimia and medjool dates while customers weigh, taste and bargain. Dates are usually the first thing that one breaks roja with, before all other food items make it to the table.
Heaps of golden and white lachha and sevaiyan also find takers amidst all the food. These are taken home to make delish desserts like sheerkhurma, sevai ka zarda and more.
