The New Nation - Internet Edition

Farizaa Sabreen

From last few years city dwellers like to experiment both traditional and diverse iftar. They like to try new recipe for iftar. For this, they tend to buy some items from iftar stalls along with making various items in home.

The aroma of iftar items is on the air. Pass by any stall of iftar meal and let the aroma of different delicious items drive you to the wonderful experience and delicacies of Ramzan.

The iftar bazar of Dhaka starts from 1:00 pm and finishes at 4:30 pm. From noon people gather iftar spots and starts push and pulling to get their favourite item quickly from old Dhaka, baily Road, Dhanmondi, Gulshan and other areas of the city.

For appetizer rojadar starts iftar by lemon juice, rooh afja, tang or any other seasonal fruit juice. For a change, try isabgul, jeera pani, milkshake or tamarind juice. Then comes main dishes, like piaju, chola bhuna, beguni, gosht bhuna, parata, etc. Satisfy your sweet tooth cravings with desserts like faluda, firnee, jilapi, etc.

Don't eat fried and spicy food during iftar. Don't keep roja if you are sick. The menu of iftar should not only be tasty but also nutritious.

Old Dhaka:

Nurani's lassi and lemon juice and Beauty's(nazirabazar and Johnson Road) lassi, lemon juice and faluda pacify many rojadar's thirst during these hot days.

Traditional Boro baper polara khay (Tk.260 per kg) and shuti kebab(Tk.260)

Take your pick from Anando Bakery's shahi paratha(Tk.200-500), haleem(Tk. 300-600), keema paratha, shuti kebab, chicken roast are must have items for city dweller's.

Descent's kashmiri sherbet(Tk.150), shahi haleem(Tk.250), labang(Tk.120), nimak para(Tk.10), cheese tana paratha(Tk. 15) and turk cow(Tk.100)

Alauddin Sweetmeat has some special features for the Ramazan. The most popular items are jail kebab, keema samosa, cheese samosa, jhal kachuri and dahi vara.

Manchuri, cheese samosa, coconut samosa and singara are noteworthy items of Bombay Sweets.

Pizza Hut (Gulshan and Dhanmondi outlets) gives an special iftar offer at Tk. 349. You can eat as much as you can and bottomless pepsi at Tk. 75. These prices are inclusive of 15% vat.

Khazana(Gulshan-2) arranges a variety of iftar items, like murg musallam, chicken chap, kesharia firnee, gosht dum biriyani, shahi chicken and mutton haleem, reshmi paratha, chicken lollipop, special jilapi, chicken kathi rustom, hariyali shahi tikka, kalmi kebab, chana chatpat, dahi vara, murg shahjahani and sikandari naan. Different types of desserts are also available there.

Casablanka(Gulshan Avenue) offers mouth-watering sumptious iftar dishes for Ramzan. Their special items are dahi vara, kebaba, jilapi, pati shapta, tehari, lassi and Pakistani style special mutton and chicken haleem.

Kasturi's (Gulshan-1) iftar menu features Indian beef, mutton and chicken chap (Tk.150-160) and Pakistani khatakhat(Tk.150). Other menu's are fish finger (Tk.20), chicken tandoori(Tk.325), tandoori pomfret(Tk.400), butter naan(Tk.65), mutton biriyani(Tk.160), bundia(Tk.275), cramb fried prawn(Tk.350), chapali kebab(Tk.95), rumali roti(Tk.20), many other delightful treats.

If you want to enjoy a buffet iftar refreshingly relaxed and comfy environment, go to Baton Rouge (Gulshan-2). They have 101 dishes for iftar cum dinner menu. They offer iftar party facility and iftar takeaway services and outdoor catering with ifatr cum dinner menu. They provide group menu for 50 persons (Tk.375-475+) which includes items like lemon juice, lassi(sweet/salted), fruits, jilapi, chana bhuna, mini chicken cutlet, mini chicken shaslik, fish finger, spring roll, shami kebab, special shahi haleem, beef bhuna, special paratha, tehari etc.

Don't forget to taste special jilapi, bong and fried chicken of EFES(Gulshan-1).

Dhanmondi

Lailaty(Satmasjid Road) iftar selection consist of 22 types of yummy iftar items. Among them dahi bara, mini kebab, beef kopta, faluda, liver samosa, dahi bundia are noteworthy.

Star kebab(Satmasjid Road)Try their mutton leg, kebab karai, chicken roast and haleem.

Bamboo Castle, Euro Hut, Domino's Pizza, Helvetia, Fakhruddin's are some shops of Baily Road, where people gather for buying yummy iftar items.

The prices of commodity increase during Ramzan. Because, shopkeepers know people spend lots of money for iftar purpose. Massive price hike troubles people. Beware of the original price of the market, so that salesmen cannot make you fool. Here are the prices of some essential food items.

Brinjal(Tk.60), green chilli(Tk.100), small local onion(Tk.32-34),ginger(Tk.80-90), garlic(Tk.35), cucumber(Tk.20-25), lemon(Tk.8-20), potato(Tk.15), date(Tk.80-300 per kg), papaya(Tk.60-80), apple(Tk.120-150 per kg), red lentil(Tk.70-80 per kg), sugar(Tk.35-37 per kg), beef(Tk.190-210 per kg), mutton(Tk.330-350 per kg), local chicken(Tk.220-240), farm chicken(Tk.130-140), hilsha fish(Tk.250-600 per kg), ruhi fish(Tk. 180-350 per kg), prawn(Tk. 180-350 per kg).

Photos: Sharif Khan