Delicacies draw crowds in Rajshahi Iftar market

The city’s iftar market has been doing brisk business, with people making a beeline for the diverse delicacies on offer in different stalls since the beginning of Ramadan.

Though most people prefer to break their fast with homemade food, some cannot seem to resist the lure of Jilapi, Piajoo, Firni, Haleem, Chicken Tikka, Kabab, Lassi and Dodhi. Cashing in on the occasion, some exclusive restaurants and eateries in the city are drawing in big crowds with their unique spread of iftar delicacies.
One such popular outlet is Chili’s, a restaurant located at Shaheb Bazaar Zero Point, which promises nutritious and hygienic food for its iftar customers.
“We use fresh beef, mutton, chicken, vegetables, sunflower oil and pure ghee to prepare our iftar items,” said Hsainur Rahman, restaurant manager of Chili’s.
He said the hot favourites this year were Asto (full) chicken selling at Tk. 250 to Tk. 300, Grill chicken selling at Tk. 340, Kashmari Jilapi selling at Tk. 240 per kg, Bombay Jilapi at Tk. 140 per kg, Jali Kabab, Shahi Kabab, Sheek Kabab, and Liver Kabab priced at Tk. 30–120.
Riaz Ahmed, in-charge of Rahmania restaurant, said people showed interest in new trends, but traditional items still had the highest demand.
He also said that Rahmania had been serving the favoured iftar dessert of Firni to the people of Rajshahi for the past 66 years. “Firni was first served in a clay pot, and we have maintained the tradition till this day. It has now become a traditional iftar item for the city people,” he added.
Like the previous year, Rahmania is holding an Iftar Bazar on its premises this year too, with Chicken Biriyani, Beef Tehari, Shahi Haleem, Murgi Mussalam, Chicken Kabab, Shuti Kabab, Shahi Jilapi being the hot favourites among customers. Besides, people can order special iftar packages as well. “Like every year, I have come to buy some unique iftar dishes like Shahi Firni, Shahi Jilapi and Shahi Haleem at the restaurant,” said Kaniz Parvin, a resident of the Tikapara area of the city.
Meanwhile, owing to the sweltering heat, various kinds of soft drinks are witnessing a rise in demand. Ghol, made with milk and sugar, has become the most popular among them.
Abdul Halim, a footpath shopkeeper at Shaheb Bazaar Zero Point area, told The Independent that people from the lower- and middle- income groups were more interested in traditional items like chickpeas, Piajoo, Jilapi, dates, Firni and different types of sweetmeats. The price of one kg of raw chickpeas is Tk. 55–60 this year, as against last year’s price of Tk. 45–Tk 50. 
“Notwithstanding the rise in prices, I manage to sell most of my items by the time of iftar every day,” he said.

Delicacies draw crowds in Rajshahi Iftar market

The citys iftar market has been doing brisk business, with people making a beeline for the diverse delicacies on offer in different stalls since the beginning of Ramadan. Though most people prefer to break their fast with homemade food, some cannot seem to resist the lure of Jilapi, Piajoo, Firni, Haleem, Chicken Tikka, Kabab, Lassi and Dodhi. Cashing in on the occasion, some exclusive restaurants and eateries in the city are drawing in big crowds with their unique spread of iftar delicacies. One such popular outlet is Chilis, a restaurant located at Shaheb Bazaar Zero Point, which promises nutritious and hygienic food for its iftar customers. We use fresh beef, mutton, chicken, vegetables, sunflower oil and pure ghee to prepare our iftar items, said Hsainur Rahman, restaurant manager of Chilis. He said the hot favourites this year were Asto (full) chicken selling at Tk. 250 to Tk. 300, Grill chicken selling at Tk. 340, Kashmari Jilapi selling at Tk. 240 per kg, Bombay Jilapi at Tk. 140 per kg, Jali Kabab, Shahi Kabab, Sheek Kabab, and Liver Kabab priced at Tk. 30120. Riaz Ahmed, in-charge of Rahmania restaurant, said people showed interest in new trends, but traditional items still had the highest demand. He also said that Rahmania had been serving the favoured iftar dessert of Firni to the people of Rajshahi for the past 66 years. Firni was first served in a clay pot, and we have maintained the tradition till this day. It has now become a traditional iftar item for the city people, he added. Like the previous year, Rahmania is holding an Iftar Bazar on its premises this year too, with Chicken Biriyani, Beef Tehari, Shahi Haleem, Murgi Mussalam, Chicken Kabab, Shuti Kabab, Shahi Jilapi being the hot favourites among customers. Besides, people can order special iftar packages as well. Like every year, I have come to buy some unique iftar dishes like Shahi Firni, Shahi Jilapi and Shahi Haleem at the restaurant, said Kaniz Parvin, a resident of the Tikapara area of the city. Meanwhile, owing to the sweltering heat, various kinds of soft drinks are witnessing a rise in demand. Ghol, made with milk and sugar, has become the most popular among them. Abdul Halim, a footpath shopkeeper at Shaheb Bazaar Zero Point area, told The Independent that people from the lower- and middle- income groups were more interested in traditional items like chickpeas, Piajoo, Jilapi, dates, Firni and different types of sweetmeats. The price of one kg of raw chickpeas is Tk. 5560 this year, as against last years price of Tk. 45Tk 50. Notwithstanding the rise in prices, I manage to sell most of my items by the time of iftar every day, he said.