Karachi Cuisine
By Ras Siddiqui
CA
Landing in Karachi after fifteen
odd years was not an easy undertaking. To the
outsider it may just be another mega-city in South
Asia, maybe a more chaotic, distant cousin of
Bombay, but to this sentimental old fool (the
emphasis here is on being “old”),
this was (and is?) home. And home is where the
heart is and will remain for a long lost son.
Karachi now (I cannot write this easily) has many
lost sons around the globe.
The fact is that this writer does not have a great
grasp of the current generation’s collective
and unfulfilled dreams for this city. But let
me also add here that there is no place on earth
that many born in Karachi love more. Karachi lives,
loves and celebrates without these distant souls
today, as many have fled its mini-wars, political
turmoil and economic neglect (till recently).
But its cuisine still remains etched in our memory.
And it is through this culinary route that we
still get misty eyed and nostalgic.
Being the focal point of much internal Pakistani
and regional immigration, Karachi, naturally also
has become a hub for their ethnic cuisine. The
Sindhi (obviously) plus the Baluch and the Gujaratis
have been here from the very beginning. Add to
that the UP/Delhi influx, the Pathan and Punjabi,
Afghan and Irani and let us not forget the Bangladeshi
and you can get to see the beginning of the food
picture. And Middle Eastern and Western influence
cannot be ignored here either. The foods of this
region are well represented here because millions
of outsiders have made Karachi their home now.
First and foremost, many words of thanks are due
to each household that I visited and the great
food that old friends and people in my extended
family in Karachi served their long lost one.
The family cuisine is surviving very well in my
absence and is not diminished in any way by this
journey into Karachi’s Restaurant or Bazaari
food.
The first stop outside was Sabir Restaurant off
M.A. Jinnah Road for some superb Nihari and Bheja.
Not to be confused with Sabri on Burns Road (where
the REAL food is still alive and well) and neighboring
Malik’s for more of the same. This is where
Karachi food is at par if not better than Delhi
food (where this cuisine actually originates).
If only we could transplant that taste here to
the US.?
But let start from the beginning. That Rs. 70
plate of Student Biryani in Saddar was certainly
still well worth the taste, although the ambiance
could be much improved. Baloch Ice was rather
disappointing but maybe the ice cream is better
here in America except for the Faluda that I had
in Bahadurabad which reminded me of the old Sunshine
days on Tariq Road.
And while we are on the subject of dessert, the
mithai standard has not fallen, not even a notch
since the old days, at S.M. Sweets and Darbaar-e-Shireen,
and who can forget Dacca Sweets in Gulshan where
the Date Palm Juice flavored “Dohi”
(yogurt) melts in the mouth like the original
from Bogra in Bangladesh. But it would not be
fair if I neglect to mention the Nirala chain
here because not only was their traditional khoya
mithai great but it was displayed, packaged and
presented in such a hygienic way that one wonders
if ISO 9000 type certification had reached this
industry in Pakistan?
Ghaffar’s at Riaz Masjid still cooks and
serves delicious kababs (with dhaga/strings) right
off the skewer and you can also indulge in their
nihari if you don’t have time to go to old
Karachi. And somehow I missed old Firpo and Fizaro
off Tariq Road this time and wonder if they are
still there?
For a taste change towards mild, the chicken and
goat at Agha’s Sajji Corner on Burns Road
near Malik’s was quite refreshing. But who
can stay away from Sabri or Malik Hotel’s
nihari while in Karachi? It would almost be like
going to Karachi and not trying Bundoo Khan’s
paratha and kabab!
This was just a glimpse of my food journey into
the traditional or economy model of Karachi food
which is very rich on taste but lighter on the
pocketbook. But what about the upper end restaurants?
The five star hotels in Karachi all have superb
restaurants, but that is not what I meant. The
gathering places for the rich and successful these
days are mainly around the localities of Clifton
and Defense. And I only had a chance to visit
them twice.
My favorite discovery on this trip had to be “Bar.B.Q.
Tonight” in Clifton. And I can write this
in jest because it appeared as if the rest of
Karachi’s social movers and shakers had
already discovered the fine Pakistani-Afghan fusion
food here (they can even do justice to steak and
ribs). With few chili spices, heartburn is not
an issue here. There is little to criticize about
this restaurant except for the fact that on some
evenings you will be lucky to get a table even
in their parking lot. But the wait for their Kandahari
nans alone is worth it.
The other place that I visited is expensive. The
restaurant is “Nawab” on Zamzama Street
which is a Dubai started franchise. Here the food
was Mughlai and they do not hold back the spices.
The service is excellent and the ambiance worthy
of a Nawab.
Had to save this last one because it is certainly
a place where Pakistani Americans could take their
families while in Karachi. It is a bit of smoke
and mirrors but “Lal Qila”
or “Red Fort” on Shahrah-e-Faisal
somehow works well. At around Rupees 400 per person,
you can indulge in a buffet that covers the wide
spectrum of the food available in Pakistan. There
is such a selection here that everyone in the
family will find something that he likes. And
the ambiance plus entertainment will touch a funny
bone or two, enough to impress most foreign tourists.
And if ever you want a change or Baklava or just
to kick back and relax, you can join the hukka
smokers of “Sheesha” outside the Damascus
Restaurant in Clifton. Being a non-smoker is fine
here too, but you just have to experience the
heavenly December breeze in Karachi more than
once.
One cannot really close this Karachi Gourmet tour
easily. This was just a small glimpse of what
is available there. And if you are not a fan of
South Asian cuisine at all and your kids are into
fast foods, Pakistani Americans will find that
this city is full of McDonalds, KFC and Nando’s
where you can feel right at home. But for us “old
timers” Karachi still has some of the best
food in the world. And just in case you eat too
much, keep some of that Pepto or Imodium handy!
Bandar Road say Kimari Hamari.
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