PESHAWAR (APP): The mouthwatering cuisines including Peshawari rice polao, chappli kabab and beef nehari besides chicken achar have become the most sought after item of Muslims during Iftar parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Great rush was being witnessed in outlets of these food shops at Qissa Khwani, Namak Mandi, Furdus and other bazaars ahead of Aftari where the shopkeepers are making roaring business.
Arif Ahmad (45), a famous Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Rice Polao seller, who keep up deluge of the parcel orders of fasting people for mouthwatering Peshawar’s traditional cuisine just prior to Iftar and earning maximum capital.
Arif Ahmad, who looks well composed saddled up in high armchair amid hustle and jostle of shoppers with stretched hands at his shop established by his grandfather Jumma Khan in 1950, is working against the clock to meet the takeaway and home delivery orders usually weighting from one kilogram to five KGs.
Sitting on left side of a long black frying pan beneath big gas flames cooking the famous Chappli Kabab and 50KG marinated meat in a tray on right side of his two-storey famous shop in front of Kanumgam Park, Arif said, “these days most of Chappli Kabab lovers ask for parcels from one KG to five KG for Iftar parties at home rather than eating it in restaurants” Arif who inherited the hard-earned business from his father told APP.
“I had inherited Chappli Kabab’s business from my father, Jalil Ahmad after he took over it from his own father, Jumma Khan in 1950. Following the death of my father, all his (Jalil Ahmed) six sons had carried forward legacy of this hard-earned business and continued till date with a lot of hope to transfer it to next generation,” he recalled.
“My grandfather had started chappli kabab business from a single ‘Karahi’ (frypane) 75 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.
“We use minced meat and once it is rightly crushed by an experienced labourers, tomatoes, red chili powder, onions, dry coriander leaves, eggs, ginger, lemon juice, salt, masala and pomegranate seeds go into its marinated meat, making it delicious,” he said, adding it takes only 10 minutes to make a complete Chappli Kabab served with chutney, katchup, salad, yogurt and naan to customers.
Eminent writer and traveler, Qari Javed Iqbal in his book ‘Saqafat Sarhad Tarikh K Ayeene Me’ (frontier culture in mirror of history) wrote that people of united India were mostly vegetarians but all kings and invaders from the west including Mughals, Turks, Ghazni and Afghans who conquered India loved these traditional fruits of this region.
They introduced the habit of eating meat in new ways and customs in 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.
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, more than 3,000 chappli kebab 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.
“Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Rice Polao are my favorite dishes and my Iftar seems incomplete without tasting its aromatic bites,” said Professor Ehtisham Khan, a resident of Wapda Town Peshawar while talking to APP at famous Chappli Kabab shop at Qissa Khwani bazaar for parcel.
He said there are over dozens of kabab recipes such as shami, boti, sekh kabab, behari, delhi, lahori and kashmiris in subcontinent but none of them can compete with famous Peshawari chappli kabab in taste and deliciousness.
He said one KG chappli kabab was being sold at Rs850 to Rs900 in Ramazan in Peshawar against Rs750 to Rs800 per KG in normal days that needed to be checked by the district administration.
Besides Chappli Kabab, Arif said takeaway service of traditional cuisines including Peshawari rice polao, paye, dampokh, namak mandi karahi, lamb chops, BBQ and others traditional foods have also shined in Ramazan.
Arif said people also dispatch it to UAE, Saudi Arabi and other countries for their friends, relatives and loved ones besides used in walima, engagements and haqeeqa of the newborn in normal days.
The spokesman of Food Services and Halal Authority told APP that countering of adulteration in spices products mostly used in traditional cuisines including chappli kabab, paye, dampkoh and mutton karahi was a big challenge.
To counter the challenge, he said seven mobile testing laborites were setup at divisional headquarters of KP, adding ten more such labs would be established in major cities including Swabi, Batagram, Chitral, Haripur, Manshera, Charsadda, Nowshera, Dir and Chitral.
KP’s lacked the facility of state-of-the art food testing laboratory since long and mostly relied on Punjab province. In case of person or factory is found guilty of adulteration in food related items, heavy fine were being imposed while the accused could be sent behind the bar besides confiscation of materials/units.
Three foods training schools at Mardan, Peshawar and Abbottabad have been completed. He underscored the need for establishment of nutritional wings, food screening laboratories and halal food research wings in all districts besides inclusion of food subjects in curriculum and constant awareness campaign by media and religious scholars necessary to win fight against menace of adulteration in milks and food products.
The crackdown against adulteration in food cuisines and milk were underway in the province where adulteration goods including spices, ice cream, beverages were being disposed off.
He said it was mandatory for hotels and food restaurants to ensure maintain hygiene of kitchens and eatery halls while chefs should have a license of having no communicable disease. He sought cooperation of masses imperative to win fight against adulteration.
