PESHAWAR: Known as city of hospitality, Peshawar’s famous food street Namak Mandi has attracted food lovers where they enjoyed the mouthwatering BBQ, Mutton Karahi, Chappli Kabab, Polao, Paye and others traditional cuisines with an aromatic Peshawari qehwa during Eid days.
Namak Mandi, a street famous for Mattan Karhai, Chappli Kabab, BBQ, Paye and Peshawari rice Polao located in backside of the historic Qissa Khwani bazaar are flooded with tourists, visitors and food lovers on third day of Eid following improvement of weather condition after heavy rains and significant reduction in coronavirus cases.
Chappli Kabab and Mutton Karahi is my favourite dish and my Eid seems incomplete without tasting its delectable bites,” said Khayam Khan, a resident of Pabbi, Nowshera while talking to APP at Namak Mandi along with family and friends.
“After two years, I came to Namak Mandi to enjoy Chappli Kabab and Muttan Karhai along with aromatic green tea of the Qissa Khwani bazaar. In previous two Eids, I could not come my favourite food place due to coronavirus,” he said.
“I have also purchased two KG Chappli Kabab and three parcels of Peshawari rice Polao for Eid party of my family,’ he said.
Like Khayam, a large number of food lovers visited Namak Mandi and others food streets of Peshawar where they enjoyed traditional cuisines including mouth watering Chappli Kabab due to its excellent taste and deliciousness.
Arif Ahmad, a famous Chappli Kabab businessman told APP on Thursday that demands of Chappli Kabab have increased manifolds during Eid. Besides enjoying appetizing traditional cuisines at hotels and open restaurants at night, he said most of Chappli Kabab lovers asked for parcels from two Kg to five Kg for Eid parties at home to avoid hot weather at day time.
Inherited Chappli Kabab’s business from my father, he said, “my father Jalil Ahmad had took over it from his father, Jumma Khan in 1950. Following the death of my father, all his (Jalil Ahmed) six sons had carried forward the legacy of this hard-earned business and continued till date with a lot of hope to transfer it to the next generation,” he said.
“My grandfather had started chappli kabab business from a single ‘Karahi’ 72 years ago and today with grace of Allah Almighty, we have six more shops including one at melody food street, Islamabad, two each at Firdous and University Road, one each at Gul Bahar and Faqirabad Peshawar,” he added.
“The people of united India were mostly vegetarians but all kings and invaders from the west including Mughals, Turks, Ghazni and Afghans who conquered India were carnivores.
They introduced the habit of eating meat in new ways and customs in the United India where Mughals made meat-eating a cultural dish by making it a substitute for beef and buffalo’ meat by adding various spices and ingredients to it.”
Before marching towards India, he said the kings, warriors and invaders had stayed in Peshawar by introducing Chappli Kabab’s recipe during Mughal dynasty, which had later gained international fame owing to its appetizing aroma and delectable taste.
Arif said that its recipe was later shifted to Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and other cities of Pakistan besides Jalalabad and Kabul in Afghanistan and Amratsar, Lucknow and Dheli in India.
In Peshawar, he said more than 3,000 chappli kebabs’ small and big outlets were existed mostly in Firdus, Bakhshu bridge, Warsak Road, Ring Road, Nothia, Namak Mandai, Hastnagri, Ramadas, Faqirabad and Board bazaars, attracting foodies during Eid days in droves.
Besides Chappli Kabab, Arif said takeaway service of traditional cuisines including Peshawari rice polao, paye, dampokht, namak mandi karahi, lamb chops, BBQ and others traditional foods have also shined during Ramazan and Eid days.
He said people also dispatch it to UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries for their friends, relatives and loved ones besides used in walima, engagements and aqeeqa of the newborn.
Riaz Khan, a retired school teacher told APP that Namak Mandi was his favourite food place in Peshawar where he came for the last five years to enjoy its Mutton Karhai and BBQ due to its unique taste and energy perspective.
“It gave us an opportunity to spend time with my old friends on Eid as the orders generally take close to an hour to prepare, with customers quaffing tea ahead of the meal here.”
Riaz urged KP Government to covert Namak Mandi a full fledged food street on the patterns of Gawal Mandi Lahore and announced special financial package for coronavirus affected hotels and restaurants owners of KP.
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