Food extravaganza: Savouring the flavours of Pakistani streets

Street Food Bazaar tantalises taste buds with local, everyday delicacies prepared fresh.

ISLAMABAD:

For residents of the capital city, the spring season kicked off on a festive and flavourful note. The Street Food Bazaar held at Kuch Khaas on Sunday morning had a vast array of everyday delicacies from the subcontinent on offer to tantalise the visitor’s taste buds. 

The beautiful courtyard was neatly compartmentalised. Various food stalls were strategically set up at the open-air theatre stage, allowing enough room for the seating arrangement to sprawl across the lawn.

Covered in unapologetically vibrant traditional decorations, the bedecked food stalls upped the delicious fare on sale by several notches. Catered by Kuch Khaas’s very own Lime Tree Café, the menu for the morning was fresh and appetising.

The assortment of food items was carefully handpicked to follow the event’s theme. The food offerings ranged from light and crunchy snacks such as samosa chaat, noodle bhel, hot crispy vadas with assorted chutneys and laksa, to grilled items such as nizami rolls (with barbecued chicken and egg) and  shami burgers. Aside from the regular delightful fare, snacks such as kheema pao and pongal were pleasant revelations for capital foodies.  Because there is always room for desert, piping hot gulab jamuns and ghee shakkar churmuri presented a truly divine taste of the sub-continent.

The chefs on duty stood alert at their stations, ready to prepare prospective clients’ snacks in front of them. Many were spotted rushing to the fresh lime and kashmiri chai stall for refills.  The food did not fail to impress those who had come for the true desi food experience.

One such desi enthusiast, Haroon Khan, was enjoying the food with his family and remarked, “I think it is a great initiative. Living in Islamabad, we do not get to taste street food as casually as the rest of the country’s cities, so this constitutes a ‘once in a blue moon’ experience.”

The Kuch Khaas team was dressed in traditional Pakistani attire, with the girls sporting shalwar kameez accessorised with khusas and the boys celebrating the season’s spirit in kurtas.

A definitive attraction was a photo booth, replete with a Vespa scooter draped with flowers, stationed at the entrance. Clusters of friends and families were seen striking poses, soaking in the retro, ethnic ambiance.

Not lacking in any department, the event also hosted a troupe of Punjabi dhol players in their flashing neon yellow kurtas and conventional waist-coats and turbans, who would occasionally step on stage and drum out infectious beats, inviting many youngsters to flaunt their bhangra skills.

“The dhol walas added a great touch to the entire event, getting everyone in the mood to dance,” said Qasim Ali.

While many people savour the taste of Pakistani street food, they are skeptical of the hygiene and quality of items used to make these dishes, said Kuch Khaas Deputy Director Michelle Tania Butt.  She added that snacks on sale at the Kuch Khaas Food Bazaar were made at the café, ensuring that children and families get to enjoy scrumptious snacks without worrying about the quality of food.

While the event introduces a new theme each month, the purpose of the food street was to build an atmosphere which celebrates the diversity of different cultures thriving in the country, the taste of which residents of the capital are deprived of.

Other activities such as a “Matka Race”, where two constants are asked to balance a pot filled with water on their heads while racing to meet the finish line, were also held.

Natalia Tariq, a visitor, commented on the experience, “Great environment and great food. It’s been a great way to spend the Sunday morning with my friends.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2014.