In the area that lent its name to one of the oldest, local, classical music gharanas, Mohammad Rafi cooks Khichda, while further up, Ustad Mahmood guards a secret recipe for Nalli Nihari. They may not be musical maestros like their namesakes, but, as we discovered, they certainly can make music in the kitchen
In the area that lent its name to one of the oldest, local, classical music gharanas, Mohammad Rafi cooks Khichda, while further up, Ustad Mahmood guards a secret recipe for Nalli Nihari. They may not be musical maestros like their namesakes, but, as we discovered, they certainly can make music in the kitchen
Video: Food recipe (Part 1)
Video: Food recipe (Part 2)
Anjana Vaswani at Mohammed Ali Road
Confused about where to begin our Ramzan food trail, we did two things -- the first, predictably, was to call up friends for their recommendations. The second was to draw up a list (a really massive one, as it turned out) of places of historical significance in the vicinity. One of the two exercises, we felt sure, would define a clear path we could trace along the bylanes of Bhendi Bazar and Mohammed Ali Road, on what was sure to be the most crowded Iftar evening -- the very first night of Ramzan. 
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Highlighted on the map we prepared at last were, therefore, a host of eateries right from the Raudat Tahera Mausoleum -- the only place of worship in the world that has an entire religious text engraved in gilded letters on its inner walls -- to the lanes around the 203 year-old Zakaria Masjid and its contemporaneous Minara Masjid.
Beef, Khiri and Chicken Kebabs
AT: Haji Tikka, Khara Tank Road, Bhendi Bazar
For: Rs 20 (beef), Rs 60 (chicken)
We made a good start at the 75 year-old Haji Tikka, that stands across from the Evan-E-Husaini Hall, on Khara Tank Road (a narrow street really), which, according to Samuel Townsend Sheppard's 1917 publication, got its name from a tank that once stood there, that only held brackish water, "unfit for drinking."
Recommended by almost everyone we had spoken to, as the "best place for Kebabs," the eatery has a burger, shawarma and pizza-serving sister-branch dubbed Hamza Fast Food, a couple of shops away. Its 60 year-old proprietor Hajji Abdul Hamid smiled at us before heading out for Namaz. Thirty years younger, his brother, Siraj Abdul Karim now takes over, sharing that they stay open between 5 pm and 11 pm, during the month of Ramzan.
A large white light at the entrance pops and hisses as Karim jumps forward instinctively. Mumbling something about being careful, he introduces the man who almost electrocuted himself trying to string up festive lights under the signboard, as another of their brothers directs us to a tiny, smoky space at the rear of the room.
Here, engulfed by the bouquet of the barbeque, Nisar (in photo), who has worked here for over a decade, rotates the skewers one last time, before he lifts them off the coals to slide the meat chunks onto a metal plate.
Eager to sample the aromatic Khiri (udder), Boti and Sheekh Kebabs, we ask for a fork, a request which raises a few eyebrows. The Khiri is finger-lickingly good. It's a whole new texture for the novice, and extremely tender.
Call: 23462799
Khichda
AT: HM Jalil Cold Drink and Juice Centre, at Raudat Tahera Street's corner
For: Rs 55
A hop away, Mohammad Rafi (who firmly yet tiredly, assured us, he does not sing) stood beside a large metal cauldron. What's in there, we asked. "Khichda," he said, sliding off the metal lid to offer us a peep of the stew inside. "Dal?" we asked, judging by the scent of the thick ochre soup. Yes.
"Mixed with rice?" "Only dal and mutton," shouted his 70 year-old father, peeping out from behind the till of HM Jalil Cold Drink and Juice Centre.
Probably realising that this may take a while, Mr Khot, an elderly gentleman, stepped past us and ordered his four servings to go. "Wow!" we exclaimed, "You must really love this."
Mr Khot, in fact, did not. The only vegetarian in his family, which lives just a stone's throw away, the Konkani gentleman told us he picks up four portions of Khichda almost every day, because his family members love the dish he describes as "hearty and healthy." Little does he know or care that the simple recipe, in fact, was designed to be exactly that, back in the 18th century.
Born in the kitchens of Nawab Asaf Ud Daulah, when he was building the Bara Imambara complex in famine-struck-Lucknow, the dish was the Nawab's chef's solution to ensuring that the 22,000 workers employed on the project were served nutritious meals.
Initially disappointed with the small bowlful Mohammad Rafi hands us for Rs 55, we were stunned to discover how satiating this dish was. Despite its rich flavour and taste, we were unable to have more than a couple of tablespoons.
Call: 23462237
Bheja Tawa
AT: Indian Hotel, Raudat Tahera Street
For: Rs 80 (half portion)
Baida Roti and Chicken Rolls covered a giant tawa at the entrance of Indian Hotel in the same lane, inside which chefs seemed hard at work. The bustle here was enough to invite our curiosity, and with Mohammad Zahir, the welcoming senior at the till, insisting we sample the Bheja Tawa (Rs 80 for half a portion), we just had to stop.
"All our dishes are specialities," the sweet old man smiled, cursorily instructing his son Mohammad Asif Shaikh to show us a menu. Having placed our order, we watched as a chef cubed a fresh piece of goat's brain and tossed it across the hot tawa, allowing it to simmer before he threw in a smatter of ingredients.
Having sampled novel meats earlier, it occurred to me while watching the meat cook from a distance that it may be wise to confirm whether it was in fact goat's brain, and directly confronted the chef. "Aap yeh kiska bheja bana rahe ho?" I asked, braving the hot fumes to gesture towards the selection.
"Aaap ka," he said seriously, reminding me to touch up on my Hindi. The taste of the dish, mercifully, left no room for confusion. Wonderfully piquant, the mild recipe was prepared exactly to my liking.
Rizwan Khatri had placed an order for Mutton Bhuna and assorted rolls at Indian Hotel, when we struck up a conversation with him. He was happy to tell us what to sample next, but when we asked him to recommend something vegetarian, his smile vanished. Frown lines indicated that he was considering the matter seriously, till finally with a shrug, he gestured toward the shop next door, "Sweets."
Call: 23460687
Malpua and Phirni
AT: Tawakkal, Raudat Tahera Street
For: Rs 32 (Plain Phirni), Rs 40 (Mango Phirni), Rs 70 ( a piece of Single Egg Malpuas), Rs 240 (a kg of Eggless Malpuas)
About 27 years old, according to owner Shabbir Mithaiwala's estimate, Tawakkal is another one of those places that features on everyone's list of recommendations. It didn't take long to see why. Telling me that he hopes to expand their menu, 24 year-old Moayyad, who studied baking at Mumbai's prestigious Sophia Polytechnic, beamed as he offered me a platter of assorted mithai, drawing my attention to Malai Mango (Rs 740 per kg), which he said was a hot seller.
Having already cleaned out half a terracotta bowl of Plain Phirni (Rs 32) -- the yummiest, lightest I have tasted -- I nevertheless dug in. The mawa was as fresh as it comes, and though Moayyad truthfully said that the recipe uses tinned rather than fresh mangoes, the fact is practically impossible to detect by taste alone. The chocolate varieties I sampled left me wondering why I bothered to drive all the way to Lonavala for Cooper's Fudge.
Then came the pi ce de r ufffdsistence -- Malpua and Malai.
Three varieties of giant Malpua were available here -- single egg, one made with two eggs and eggless. They are wonderfully soft in the centre and crisp at the edges.
Call: 23466360
Tricolour Kababs and Masala Dil
AT: Azad's Stall, off IM Road, in the lane opposite Suleiman Mithaiwala
For: Rs 140 (Kebabs), Rs 90 (Heart)
When friends told me to try the Chicken Kebabs here, in three colours, it didn't excite me. What difference could colour really make? But then, Azad, the owner of this nameless stall, said, "It's not just the colour. Each stick of Kebab is prepared using an entirely different masala."
A tray of raw meats displayed on a cart caught my attention. I recognised most cuts, except for one. Was that a heart?
We had to try it. With Khaja, an elderly steward, mumbling to himself as he walked around, and the chef inviting me to watch him chop the heart into cubes before he seasoned it with salt (taking us through the recipe with melodrama befitting a young Amitabh Bachchan), the modest eatery offered a good combination of food and entertainment.
And still, the heart stole the show. The Kebabs weren't bad either, but only the green variant boasted the flavour of a truly unique combination of spices.
Call: 9987868131
Nalli Nihari
AT: Chinese 'n' Grill, IM Road, near Minara Masjid
For: Rs 130
Seeing the way Ustad Mahmood guards his precious pot of Nalli Nihari, one may well be led to imagine that he is stirring liquid gold. Careful not to reveal the name of a single ingredient, he smiled as he told me how he moved to the city from New Delhi 15 years ago, and that the spices for this sacred dish are still brought in from the capital. Proud of the dish that is a specialty at Chinese 'n' Grill, Ustad said it takes six to eight hours to prepare. Available only in the evenings, preparations commence early.
The dish was served in a metal pail with a couple of nicely puffed up Tandoori Rotis (Rs 10 a roti). Bursting with flavour, the meat was remarkably tender and melted in my mouth. Owner Tabrez Patel asked me to try the Iftari Satay (Rs 100 for 12 pieces) and Crispy Chicken (Rs 20 per piece). Although we were sated, Patel refused to take no for an answer. Fried and not meant for the calorie conscious, both dishes were indisputably delicious, with just the slightest sweetness distinguishing the Satay from the Crispy Chicken, prepared in fried noodles.
Call: 23456529
Bhandoli
AT: Zubeidaa's Stall, just past Chinese 'n' Grill, IM Road
For: Rs 5 and Rs 12 for small and big-sized pancakes
I almost missed Zubeidaa's modest stall, mistaking it for just another place that sells Malpuas. But the golden pancakes stacked on a shelf, behind which the 65 year-old was hard at work stirring up a fresh load of batter, caught my attention at the last minute. Speaking to me as she cracked egg-after-egg, whisking each into the batter individually, she said she has six children, five of whom are married, thanks to the good business her stall does.
"Coconut milk, mawa, sugar, egg,' she said, counting off the ingredients of her hit recipe on her fingers. Her numerous grandchildren hopped about, one planting himself right beside the sizzling tawa. That did not seem to leave her nervous.
Zubeidaa has been running the stall at the same spot for 32 years, and keeps it open from 3 pm to 4 am during Ramzan. After her husband passed away 17 years ago, she became her family's sole breadwinner. Asked whether she earned a good living, she praised the Lord and happily admitted that she did.
The pancake, with its gentle coconut flavour, was incredible and could easily pass for the Indonesian Trambulan, with just a smidgen of chocolate spread. But the other thing I took away from this stall was this incredible entrepreneur's optimism.
Suprateek Chatterjee at Mahim
The last time I visited Mohammed Ali Road for a Ramzan feast was seven years ago, and the enduring memory I have of that visit -- apart from some great food -- was jostling against a number of people, screaming myself hoarse to place an order. So this year, I decided to tackle Mahim's famed Khau Galli, situated in the lane beside Midland Restaurant and Bar on Lady Jamshedji Road. A tweet, four 'direct messages' and 'reply to's' later, our motley group of five decided to meet at Midland. We were warned not to go there before 9 pm, if we wanted the 'real experience.'
So we arrived by 9.30 pm, Indian standard (delayed) time, and were pleasantly surprised to find the street nearly empty. Without wasting any time, we set off on a food trail to pick out the best of what Khau Galli had to offer. The under-explored lane filled with eating joints -- including a few lean-tos without a name -- threw up some unexpected delights that could be particularly appetising to those not keen to brave the Mohammed Ali Road rush this Ramzan.
Chicken Shwarma
Zaheerbhai's Arabian Chicken Shawarma, opposite RC Mahim Municipal School, Rs 60 a plate
Having been warned about the hygiene standards (or lack thereof) in Mahim, we wanted to start off with something safe to line our stomachs with. As we walked down the road we saw a few roadside vendors deep-frying Kebabs (the origins of which looked somewhat questionable) in oil that smelled like it had been reused several times all day. It was then that, opposite RC Mahim Municipal School, we spotted a row of Shawarma-wallahs. Driven mostly by our nose, we headed straight to Zaheerbhai's Arabian Chicken Shwarma stall, the last in the row.
Zaheerbhai, who has been in the Shwarma business for over 20 years, claims he was one of the first to start selling them in Mumbai. "I came from Kuwait over a decade ago, when nobody knew what Shwarmas were," he told us, skillfully shaving off strips of chicken from the rotisserie before wrapping it in khaboos. The Shwarma was substantial, juicy and oily. What's more, it seemed a fairly safe option to start the food trail with.
Zaheerbhai also offers customers the option of eating the chicken with Chappati or simply with Hummus served in a bowl.
Seekh Kebab and Khiri Kebab
AT: Raeesbhai Seekh Kebabs, opposite Zaheerbhai's
FOR: Rs 25 / Rs 30 a plate
Bang opposite Zaheerbhai's is Raeesbhai's Seekh Kebabs, a simple roadside stall with signs hanging from it that read 'Seekh Kebab', 'Chicken Leg Fry', 'Chiken (sic) Roll' and 'Kaleji'. Foodie and Santacruz resident Augustine Correia, who accompanied me on this trail, could barely stop himself from looking over at the skewers of meat, even as he decimated his Shawarma, across the road. "Mmm ufffdtrans-fat heaven," he said, gazing longingly at the juicy pieces of meat being dipped into pans of sizzling oil at Raeesbhai's.
We wasted no time in grabbing our places among the tables and chairs at Raeesbhai's (which, we were told, would be packed by the 10th day of Ramzan), and placed our orders.
First up was the Mutton Seekh Kebab: oily enough to give a small mammal a coronary, but delicious nevertheless. Served with green chutney and onions, this was wolfed down within minutes of it arriving at the table, after which, we promptly ordered a second helping. We then went for the Khiri Kebab -- barbecued bovine udder -- which was spicy and chewy, and simply delicious.
Don't bother with the Baida Roti here. Utterly uninteresting after the first arrivals.
Saandaal
AT: A stall outside Mahim dargah
FOR: Rs 20 a plate
We asked the people at Suleimanbhai to point us to a place that served up something that not many people outside the Muslim community knew about, and they lead us to a tiny stall right outside the Mahim dargah, run by a middle-aged lady. She was selling a specialty known as Saandaal. A speciality of the Memon community, the Saandaal is best described as a sweet Idli, made from milk, rice, and sugar and served with a healthy helping of malai (cream). After all that indulgence, it was a pleasure to have something this wholesome and healthy. An 'ooh' and 'wah!' later, the owner refused to accept payment. It took us five minutes of begging to get her to reluctantly take a Rs 20 note.
Khichda
AT: Mahim Makhdoom Miyan Kebabs, across the road from Raeesbhai
For: Rs 20 a plate
Diagonally opposite Raeesbhai's are a couple of stalls where you can pick up dates. These, along with lots of water, are useful in neutralising the heavily acidic food. A word of advice: carry your own bottle of cold water.
Having paid Raeesbhai a princely sum of Rs 145, we walked down the lane in the direction of Mahim dargah, skillfully avoiding traps such as a Chinese Shawarma stall (call me a conservative foodie, but that doesn't sound like a match made in heaven). A little ahead, on the right side of the road, we spotted an establishment which, along with the usual Tandoori Kebabs, also served Khichda -- a dal-like preparation mixed with herbs and tiny pieces of 'badey meat' (meat of a water buffalo). Flavourful and melt-in-mouth, clearly, the Khichda had been cooked all night on low heat.
Malpua and walnut barfi
At: Usman Suleimanbhai Mithaiwale, end of Khau Galli
FOR: Rs 80 a kg
At the end of the lane, as you approach Mahim dargah, distraction looms in the form of sizzling Malpuas being fried in deep pots to the right of Usman Suleimanbhai Mithaiwale. In case you were wondering, this shop is run by the brother of the man who owns its more famous namesake at Mohammed Ali Road. These huge and sinful Malpuas -- one is big enough to be shared by two, but you probably won't find anyone willing to share it -- aren't the only things to try here. Five were ordered, and while we took our time over them, not one of us had second thoughts about ordering a second round. The gamut of sweets on offer, including Suttar Phirni, Malai Khaaja, Mawa Khaaja, Doodhi ka Halwa and Ras Malai, made us change our mind. The Phirni lovers among us decided to go for the Mango Phirni, which was delicious but a bit warmer than what one would've liked. But our pick (besides the Malpuas, of course), was the Walnut Barfi -- loaded with the goodness of ghee.
Sidelights
Special Falooda (Rs 90) and Royal Falooda (Rs 70) at Baba Falooda, at the beginning of the lane.
Paya (leg of lamb) at Haji Abdul Rehman Hotel, next to Mahim dargah. Available from 4 to 6 pm, and at 8 am.
Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar, located on the main LJ Road, has a special Ramzan menu. They offer Chicken and Mutton Samosas (Rs 150 and Rs 180 for 12 pieces, respectively), Kheema Baida Roti (Rs 50) and Paya. Available only during Iftar from 6 to 7.30 pm.
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