East street: Smells and sizzles that draw hundreds at sehri

From Pahlwan’s Cholay to pizza naan, Ramazan food street has it all

PESHAWAR: Stimulating the taste buds with satiable sites, sizzling sounds and scintillating smells, the Ramazan food street at Fawara Chowk has something to offer for all comers. Fluffy pizza naans, chai paratha and halwa puri are just a few of the delicacies creating the hustle and bustle.

The fact that the fountain has now been replaced by a horse sculpture has little bearing on the hundreds of people who converge on the area during sehri.

It is the lone site turned into a food street for the whole of Ramazan. People from across the city also enjoy namkeen lassi and Pahlwan’s famous cholay (chick peas).

In the centre of Saddar Bazaar, some of the shops are home to Peshawar’s famous falooda which is believed to have been introduced to the city in 1953. Initially starting out at Qissa Khwani, the sweet treat spread like wildfire across the city.

Most of the growling stomachs at Fawara Chowk are either students or professionals – all of whom reside at nearby hostels in Saddar Bazaar.

In one of the streets is ‘Palawan Cholay Wala’ whose gastronomical creations are a must at sehri even though one may have to wait for an hour to buy the cholay.

“We open the shop at around 12am [all the way through] till sehri,” says the owner, Pahalwan, who prefers to go by that name. He adds people from across the city come to his shop at sehri time.

He started the eatery some 20 years ago at the same shop.

“I entertain over 500 customers a day,” he explains.



Sohail Khan, a resident of Gulbahar, has been visiting Fawara Chowk throughout Ramazan to get Pahlwan’s cholay. Speaking to The Express Tribune, he says his family does not eat sehri unless the famous cholay are on the table.  According to Sohail, the taste is like none other in the rest of the city.

When foodies enter the street from main Saddar Bazaar, a tandoor making Peshawar’s special pizza naan welcomes them. The dish bears some resemblance to its Italian counterpart. It is tipped with tomatoes slices, capsicum and fried unions.

“It looks like a pizza and has a delicious taste,” says Muhammad Tayeb, a journalist. Tayeb regularly visits Fawara Chowk for sehri as he lives nearby. He adds one of the main benefits of the spot is everything one needs is available on the same stretch of road at Fawara Chowk. Also drawing in the crowds are the roghni naans, halwa puri, and jalebis. Musa Durrani, a student living at a hostel near Saddar Bazaar, says the place is convenient for sehri.

The street also provides food for hundreds of labourers who come near Iftar time in search for a free meal.

Well-to-do families donate food, clothes and money to these underprivileged individuals on a regular basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2016.