Chawk’s Iftar

Puran Dhaka is famous for its special foods and their taste. Almost every food item of the old part of the city has traditional and historical connection to the Mughal period. So, if you think of special items for iftar to break your fast, Chawk Bazar in Old Dhaka is the right place for you as its iftar delicacies are only available there, and rare in other parts of the capital.

During the month Ramadan, the road in front of Chawk Bazar Shahi Mosque becomes the centre of traditional iftar market, where thousands of food enthusiasts from different corners of the city throng every day with the aim of getting their favourite items. Though vendors are found selling common iftar items at makeshift stalls all over the city, the iftar items of Old Dhaka are special for their unique recipes and taste. 
A famous iftar item of Chawk Bazar is known by the majestic name of ‘boro baper polay khay’, which means something that is eaten by a rich man’s son, and huge shahi jilapi, a special fried sweet batter originating from the Dhaka Nawab family. Besides these, mutton roast, chicken roast, borhani (a yoghurt drink) and other sweet and savoury items are also sold here.
Ahead of Ramadan, which begins next week, the eateries and food vendors of Chawk Bazar have already started their arrangements. This week, The Weekend Independent talked to some cooks, vendors and local customers regarding their preparations for iftar.  
“People come here to buy ‘boro baper polay khay’. I have been preparing it for 30 years. Formerly, it was known as ‘sheikh churar bhatta’. After the birth of Bangladesh, it became popular under its present name, with the slogan ‘Boro baper polay khay, thungai bhoira loiya jay’ (rich man’s son eats, takes it away in a packet),” Mohammad Hossain, aged 45, the cook now famous for the popular iftar item, told this correspondent.
“We make it following the proper mixture of chickpeas, fried potatoes, minced meat, piyaju (lentil and onion fritters), chira (flattened rice), beguni (eggplant fritters), chicken, eggs, 12 kinds of spices and ghee (clarified butter). We sell it per kilogramme at Tk 400,” Hossain said. “Nowadays, some cooks claim their dish to be the original. But it is our age-old family recipe. If you taste our item, you will taste the difference.”
“My brother and I remain busy with other businesses the rest of the year, but return to prepare this popular iftar item during Ramadan. Our forefathers have been in the iftar business since the British period. My grandfather was a good chef and first started the food business. Being a member of that family, I became good at cooking food, especially ‘boro baper polay khay’, and we are making it maintaining our tradition. So every Ramadan, we start preparing the item from the previous night, and we earn around Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 daily from selling it,” Hossain said. “Besides, people hire us for cooking other dishes. Now, we are getting orders from our regular customers. We have 35 people working in three shops. We will prepare the items according to demand,” he added.
Zakir Hossain, a local resident and shopkeeper, said: “The iftar item ‘boro baper polay khay’ is very popular among my family members and we enjoy the flavour. Besides, we also get shahi jilapi, haleem, amriti and other items for iftar. I see people come here from far corners of the city and give the place a festive look during Ramadan.” 
Shahab Uddin, owner of Niaz Jelabi, is an expert maker of shahi jilapi and amriti, two traditional sweet items. He was seen selling palm fruit and jackfruit in front of Shahi Mosque at Chawk Bazar. 
“My shahi jilapi is popular because I do not use any harmful additives, I use flour and pure ghee for making it. My other popular item is amriti, which is made from mashkalai dal (black lentil) and fried with ghee. For Ramadan, we have already started our preparation. We are now preparing utensils that will be used for making iftar. We have recruited some more cooks and helpers to make the task smoother. At least 12 persons are required to manage our six stoves. I, along with three others, work as the main cook. We do not go for food adulteration, because we believe we are serving the people. We always want to provide our customers with healthy iftar items,” said Shahab Uddin, aged 65. 
“Round the year, I sell normal jilapi from our stall and do different work. Now, you can see I am a fruit vendor. But during Ramadan, I make shahi jilapi and amirti. We set up our stall in front of the mosque. I have been making shahi jilapi for 40 years. Now, you can get it everywhere in Chawk Bazar. By the grace of Allah, our jilapi has achieved immense popularity among the people of Old Town,” Uddin continued.  
“We learned about this jilapi from our grandfather. He told us that members of the Dhaka Nawab family used to slice this big sized jilapi with a knife and eat it family ceremonies. Thus, this jilapi came to be known as ‘shahi (regal) jilapi’. Even now, we are making shahi jilapi keeping the original features,” Uddin said, explaining the origin of shahi jilabi.
Another popular item at Niaz Jelabi is reshmi jilapi, which contains eggs and rice flour. 
“I make normal jilapi, shahi jilapi and reshmi jilapi. Reshmi jilabi is a popular iftar item because of its small size. I always try to make tasty and healthy items for our customers so that they will keep coming to us,” said Nasir Alam, another cook who has been working at the sweet shop for 22 years.
Jabbar Khan, a vendor at the Chawk Bazar iftar market, said: “We start selling iftar items after 1 pm during Ramadan. We keep only two items _ amriti and reshmi jilapi. The demand for amriti is huge. We sell reshmi jilapi for Tk 140 per kilo.”  
About the demand of fresh fruits for iftar, Anwar Hossain, a fruit seller at Chawk Bazar iftar said: “We deal in four types of fruits _ papaya, watermelon, banana and jackfruit. No formalin is used in these fruits. So, people come to our shop to buy these fruits. People are well aware about the use of formalin (a harmful preservative).”
 Amin Parvez, a local resident who has been buying iftar from Chawk Bazar for 15 years, said, “At first, I buy special shahi jilapi from Niaz Jelabi. Then, I get fruits like bananas, apples, mangoes, watermelon, papaya, jackfruit, potato croquettes, jackfruit and other iftar items.”
“The quality of the food is of good standard here. Many types of iftar items are available, particularly Alauddin’s cheese samosa, boro baper polay khay, haleem, amriti, shahi jilapi, fried chicken, plain paratha, roasted whole goat, roasted mutton leg, roasted pigeon, roast duck and other items are available in the market. On the other hand, seasonal fruits and local drinks are also sold here. If you come during Ramadan, you will have a good experience with the food,” said Mohammad Sohel, another local resident.
“Chawk Bazar is our pride and thus, we come here to buy delicious iftar items. It is very relevant to say that Old Dhaka and Chawk’s iftar are interlinked to each other. Unlike many others, I am a big fan of Chawk’s iftar, so I hardly miss the chance of enjoying these items. If you come here during Ramadan, you will see people from far flung areas of Dhaka gathering here to buy the special iftar items for their families,” said Miraj Hoissain, a regular customer of Chawk Bazar iftar market.
“However, it is a matter of sadness that last year a team from BSTI (Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute) conducted an anti-adulteration drive here and fined some guilty shopkeepers. Undoubtedly, Chawk Bazar is a traditional iftar market of our country. So, for the sake of keeping its unique feature and festive atmosphere, the iftar makers and sellers have to make sure of the hygienic standard of the items they offer,” Hossain added. 

Photos: Nabiulla Nabi, file.

Chawks Iftar

Puran Dhaka is famous for its special foods and their taste. Almost every food item of the old part of the city has traditional and historical connection to the Mughal period. So, if you think of special items for iftar to break your fast, Chawk Bazar in Old Dhaka is the right place for you as its iftar delicacies are only available there, and rare in other parts of the capital. During the month Ramadan, the road in front of Chawk Bazar Shahi Mosque becomes the centre of traditional iftar market, where thousands of food enthusiasts from different corners of the city throng every day with the aim of getting their favourite items. Though vendors are found selling common iftar items at makeshift stalls all over the city, the iftar items of Old Dhaka are special for their unique recipes and taste. A famous iftar item of Chawk Bazar is known by the majestic name of boro baper polay khay, which means something that is eaten by a rich mans son, and huge shahi jilapi, a special fried sweet batter originating from the Dhaka Nawab family. Besides these, mutton roast, chicken roast, borhani (a yoghurt drink) and other sweet and savoury items are also sold here. Ahead of Ramadan, which begins next week, the eateries and food vendors of Chawk Bazar have already started their arrangements. This week, The Weekend Independent talked to some cooks, vendors and local customers regarding their preparations for iftar. People come here to buy boro baper polay khay. I have been preparing it for 30 years. Formerly, it was known as sheikh churar bhatta. After the birth of Bangladesh, it became popular under its present name, with the slogan Boro baper polay khay, thungai bhoira loiya jay (rich mans son eats, takes it away in a packet), Mohammad Hossain, aged 45, the cook now famous for the popular iftar item, told this correspondent. We make it following the proper mixture of chickpeas, fried potatoes, minced meat, piyaju (lentil and onion fritters), chira (flattened rice), beguni (eggplant fritters), chicken, eggs, 12 kinds of spices and ghee (clarified butter). We sell it per kilogramme at Tk 400, Hossain said. Nowadays, some cooks claim their dish to be the original. But it is our age-old family recipe. If you taste our item, you will taste the difference. My brother and I remain busy with other businesses the rest of the year, but return to prepare this popular iftar item during Ramadan. Our forefathers have been in the iftar business since the British period. My grandfather was a good chef and first started the food business. Being a member of that family, I became good at cooking food, especially boro baper polay khay, and we are making it maintaining our tradition. So every Ramadan, we start preparing the item from the previous night, and we earn around Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 daily from selling it, Hossain said. Besides, people hire us for cooking other dishes. Now, we are getting orders from our regular customers. We have 35 people working in three shops. We will prepare the items according to demand, he added. Zakir Hossain, a local resident and shopkeeper, said: The iftar item boro baper polay khay is very popular among my family members and we enjoy the flavour. Besides, we also get shahi jilapi, haleem, amriti and other items for iftar. I see people come here from far corners of the city and give the place a festive look during Ramadan. Shahab Uddin, owner of Niaz Jelabi, is an expert maker of shahi jilapi and amriti, two traditional sweet items. He was seen selling palm fruit and jackfruit in front of Shahi Mosque at Chawk Bazar. My shahi jilapi is popular because I do not use any harmful additives, I use flour and pure ghee for making it. My other popular item is amriti, which is made from mashkalai dal (black lentil) and fried with ghee. For Ramadan, we have already started our preparation. We are now preparing utensils that will be used for making iftar. We have recruited some more cooks and helpers to make the task smoother. At least 12 persons are required to manage our six stoves. I, along with three others, work as the main cook. We do not go for food adulteration, because we believe we are serving the people. We always want to provide our customers with healthy iftar items, said Shahab Uddin, aged 65. Round the year, I sell normal jilapi from our stall and do different work. Now, you can see I am a fruit vendor. But during Ramadan, I make shahi jilapi and amirti. We set up our stall in front of the mosque. I have been making shahi jilapi for 40 years. Now, you can get it everywhere in Chawk Bazar. By the grace of Allah, our jilapi has achieved immense popularity among the people of Old Town, Uddin continued. We learned about this jilapi from our grandfather. He told us that members of the Dhaka Nawab family used to slice this big sized jilapi with a knife and eat it family ceremonies. Thus, this jilapi came to be known as shahi (regal) jilapi. Even now, we are making shahi jilapi keeping the original features, Uddin said, explaining the origin of shahi jilabi. Another popular item at Niaz Jelabi is reshmi jilapi, which contains eggs and rice flour. I make normal jilapi, shahi jilapi and reshmi jilapi. Reshmi jilabi is a popular iftar item because of its small size. I always try to make tasty and healthy items for our customers so that they will keep coming to us, said Nasir Alam, another cook who has been working at the sweet shop for 22 years. Jabbar Khan, a vendor at the Chawk Bazar iftar market, said: We start selling iftar items after 1 pm during Ramadan. We keep only two items _ amriti and reshmi jilapi. The demand for amriti is huge. We sell reshmi jilapi for Tk 140 per kilo. About the demand of fresh fruits for iftar, Anwar Hossain, a fruit seller at Chawk Bazar iftar said: We deal in four types of fruits _ papaya, watermelon, banana and jackfruit. No formalin is used in these fruits. So, people come to our shop to buy these fruits. People are well aware about the use of formalin (a harmful preservative). Amin Parvez, a local resident who has been buying iftar from Chawk Bazar for 15 years, said, At first, I buy special shahi jilapi from Niaz Jelabi. Then, I get fruits like bananas, apples, mangoes, watermelon, papaya, jackfruit, potato croquettes, jackfruit and other iftar items. The quality of the food is of good standard here. Many types of iftar items are available, particularly Alauddins cheese samosa, boro baper polay khay, haleem, amriti, shahi jilapi, fried chicken, plain paratha, roasted whole goat, roasted mutton leg, roasted pigeon, roast duck and other items are available in the market. On the other hand, seasonal fruits and local drinks are also sold here. If you come during Ramadan, you will have a good experience with the food, said Mohammad Sohel, another local resident. Chawk Bazar is our pride and thus, we come here to buy delicious iftar items. It is very relevant to say that Old Dhaka and Chawks iftar are interlinked to each other. Unlike many others, I am a big fan of Chawks iftar, so I hardly miss the chance of enjoying these items. If you come here during Ramadan, you will see people from far flung areas of Dhaka gathering here to buy the special iftar items for their families, said Miraj Hoissain, a regular customer of Chawk Bazar iftar market. However, it is a matter of sadness that last year a team from BSTI (Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute) conducted an anti-adulteration drive here and fined some guilty shopkeepers. Undoubtedly, Chawk Bazar is a traditional iftar market of our country. So, for the sake of keeping its unique feature and festive atmosphere, the iftar makers and sellers have to make sure of the hygienic standard of the items they offer, Hossain added. Photos: Nabiulla Nabi, file.