KARACHI: It wasn’t long before Nabeel Paracha decided what he wanted to do after moving to Karachi from Saudi Arabia four years ago. He ordered a charcoal grill from the kingdom to preserve the authentic flavor of one of his most cherished Middle Eastern cuisines: Shawarma.
Born and raised in Makkah, 40-year-old Paracha said his children craved for the dish after his family relocated to Pakistan, though they were not satisfied with the taste after consuming it at various food joints in the city. That’s when he decided to set up his own eatery, Mr. Arab, which specialized in these rolls and served them with better seasoning and more enticing aroma.
According to some accounts, shawarma first originated in the Ottoman Empire, though it has now become a popular street food in several other countries, including Pakistan. The dish consists of thin slices of meat and is stacked and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie.
Instead of exposing the meat vertically to heat on an electric or gas grill, however, Paracha uses a horizontal skewer over charcoals to give it a more crusty and scorched texture. He then tops the dish with different sauces and presents it with fries, though unlike other place he does not add vegetables to it.
“We had to start a business after moving to Karachi,” he told Arab News earlier this week. “So, we thought of making something that our children and we used to miss here. There are many families like us who have returned from Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries. We decided to bring to them one of the things that we liked there [in the kingdom].”
Mr. Arab, a food joint, prepares to serve charcoal shawarma with French fries and sauces to customers in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 7, 2022. (AN Photo)
The owner of Mr. Arab said about 70 percent of his customers had returned from the Arab world, adding that many of them utilized the home delivery option while ordering food from his restaurant.
“Many of our customers who have returned from Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries tell us they haven’t had this taste in the last four or five years,” he continued before taking a phone call and chatting with a customer in Arabic.
Haris Jamil, who worked in the kingdom before returning to Pakistan, agreed that the charcoal shawarma brought back memories of his employment days abroad.
“The taste is superb,” he exclaimed after taking a bite. “If you haven’t tried it, trust me you will love it.”
A worker at Mr. Arab is slicing chicken to make charcoal shawarma for customers in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 7, 2022. (AN Photo)
Paracha said the authenticity of taste was important to him, adding that he even ordered sauces for the food from the kingdom.
“We import tahini and shatta sauces from Saudi Arabia,” he continued.
Mr. Arab has developed a loyal customer base in Karachi since shawarma rolls are also popular with people who have never been to the Middle East.
“People who eat it for the first time also return to our stall,” Paracha said. “Many of them like it so much that they come back again and again.”
Abdul Latif, who is now a permanent customer, agreed.
“I have tried it,” he said while pointing toward the charcoal shawarma. “It tastes really good. It’s also different from other places … and the sauces are really good.”
