Rajshahi iftar market hots up

The city’s iftar market has been slowly picking up since Ramadan started on June 7.
Though most people prefer to have homemade iftar, some like to gorge on delicacies like jilapi, piajoo, firni, haleem, chicken tikka, kebab, lassi, and dohi at the end of their ritual fast.
A few restaurants and small eateries in the city are drawing big crowds with their unique array of iftar delicacies. One of those is Chili’s, a restaurant at Shaheb Bazaar Zero Point, which focuses on nutrition and hygiene when preparing iftar items.
“We use fresh beef, mutton, chicken, vegetables, sunflower oil, and pure ghee to prepare the iftar items,” said Husainur Rahman, Chili’s restaurant manager.
Among its special items, ‘asto’ (full) chicken is being sold for Tk. 250–300, grilled chicken for Tk. 340, Kashmiri jilapi for Tk. 240 per kg, Bombay jilapi for Tk. 140 per kg and jali kebab, shahi kebab, seekh kebab and liver kebab for Tk. 40–100, he added.
Riaz Ahmed, the owner of Rahmania restaurant, said people do have an interest in new trends, but the traditional items are still preferred. He added that like the previous years, Rahmania is holding the Iftar Bazar on its premises.
At the bazar, guests can enjoy delights like chicken biryani, beef tehari, shahi haleem, murgi musallam, chicken kebab, shuti kebab, shahi firni and shahi jilapi, to name a few. Guests can also order special iftar packages.
“I have come to buy some unique iftar dishes like shahi firni, shahi jilapi and shahi haleem at the restaurant, like I do every year,” said Safayer Hasan, a resident of Ghoramara in the city.
Nazrul Islam, a roadside vendor at Shaheb Bazaar, said that the lower- and middle-income groups are interested more in traditional items like chickpeas, piajoo, jilapi, dates, firni, kebabs, keema and sweetmeats.
A kilo of raw chickpeas is selling for Tk. 55 to Tk. 60, up from Tk. 45 to Tk. 50 last year. Though the prices are higher this year, most items vanish by the time iftar begins, he added.

Rajshahi iftar market hots up

The citys iftar market has been slowly picking up since Ramadan started on June 7. Though most people prefer to have homemade iftar, some like to gorge on delicacies like jilapi, piajoo, firni, haleem, chicken tikka, kebab, lassi, and dohi at the end of their ritual fast. A few restaurants and small eateries in the city are drawing big crowds with their unique array of iftar delicacies. One of those is Chilis, a restaurant at Shaheb Bazaar Zero Point, which focuses on nutrition and hygiene when preparing iftar items. We use fresh beef, mutton, chicken, vegetables, sunflower oil, and pure ghee to prepare the iftar items, said Husainur Rahman, Chilis restaurant manager. Among its special items, asto (full) chicken is being sold for Tk. 250300, grilled chicken for Tk. 340, Kashmiri jilapi for Tk. 240 per kg, Bombay jilapi for Tk. 140 per kg and jali kebab, shahi kebab, seekh kebab and liver kebab for Tk. 40100, he added. Riaz Ahmed, the owner of Rahmania restaurant, said people do have an interest in new trends, but the traditional items are still preferred. He added that like the previous years, Rahmania is holding the Iftar Bazar on its premises. At the bazar, guests can enjoy delights like chicken biryani, beef tehari, shahi haleem, murgi musallam, chicken kebab, shuti kebab, shahi firni and shahi jilapi, to name a few. Guests can also order special iftar packages. I have come to buy some unique iftar dishes like shahi firni, shahi jilapi and shahi haleem at the restaurant, like I do every year, said Safayer Hasan, a resident of Ghoramara in the city. Nazrul Islam, a roadside vendor at Shaheb Bazaar, said that the lower- and middle-income groups are interested more in traditional items like chickpeas, piajoo, jilapi, dates, firni, kebabs, keema and sweetmeats. A kilo of raw chickpeas is selling for Tk. 55 to Tk. 60, up from Tk. 45 to Tk. 50 last year. Though the prices are higher this year, most items vanish by the time iftar begins, he added.