NEW DELHI: During Ramadan, Rubina Siddiqui frequents the streets of Zakir Nagar to explore its lively markets, joining thousands of the city’s residents seeking to taste India’s diverse delicacies.
There is always a generous array of culinary offerings, from slow-cooked meat stew, nihari, traditional saffron-flavored flatbread, and sheermal, to the traditional Indian dessert, halwa.
“The brightness and vibrancy of this place, the food here is very tasty and it is cheap and best,” Siddiqui told Arab News.
Located in the southeastern part of New Delhi, Zakir Nagar is one of several Muslim neighborhoods hosting the city’s Ramadan markets, which remain open from late afternoon until a bit after sahoor, or around daybreak.
Siddiqui is among those who go to the Ramadan market every day to get her meals for both iftar and sahoor, where succulent kebabs, fragrant biryanis and all kinds of refreshing desserts are aplenty.
“Everything is special here in Ramadan, especially food. You need to taste every flavor of veg or non-veg, all are very tasty,” she said.
While mostly known for their bustling food scene, they are also popular for Ramadan shopping, where people can buy items including traditional kurta pajama sets for men, perfumed oils locally known as attar, or salwar and lehenga outfits for women.
“Once you enter Zakir Nagar you don’t need to go anywhere (else). For food, clothes, jewelry … Everything is special here in Ramadan,” Siddiqui told Arab News.
The neighboring market in Shaheen Bagh, where string lights line the streets and wafts of barbecue smoke fill the air, is also crowded with people who have come to break their fast during Ramadan.
In recent years, the neighborhood’s Chaalis Futta Road has gained a new reputation for tasty street food, serving traditional Mughal dishes as well as Arab, Afghan, Turkish and Italian cuisine.
“This is the beauty of this market, that it opens till late night,” said Tawqeer Hussain, a Delhi resident who visits with his friends at least twice a week to enjoy its culinary offerings.
“But in Ramadan, it is more colorful. It’s more vibrant, and it opens for a full night. Even if you can have the pre-dawn meals that is (sahoor), you can have it here.”
For many Delhiites, these markets are an alternative to the streets of Old Delhi, which have traditionally been the heart of the Ramadan food culture in the Indian capital.
“You can see from this market that it is full of shoppers. There are multiple delicacies that come around here. And one of the best places in Delhi currently to have wonderful food,” Hussain told Arab News.
Among the ample offerings at Shaheen Bagh, a line of customers would often form at Mohammad Irshad’s stall for a sip of mohabbat ka sharbat, or “love syrup.”
He sells different varieties of sweets at the market, but the special iced beverage, which contains sugar, milk and cardamom, is a particular hit during the holy month.
“During the month of Ramadan this sells more,” Irshad told Arab News. “People have love for the market, suddenly people start coming to the market and the crowd remains here till early in the morning.”
As a long-time seller, Irshad has witnessed how the spirit of Ramadan amplifies the market.
“This brightness you will see the whole Ramadan. People of all faiths come here and people from far come here during the month of Ramadan,” he said.
For first-time visitor Nikhilesh Kedari, the market’s fame drew him and his friends to finally visit this Ramadan.
“We have always heard about Shaheen Bagh. Its festivities and decor, and shopping and variety of food, we wanted to check it out. I work nearby but we never got a chance to come here but today we decided to make time to come here,” he told Arab News this week.
“Ramadan brings out the best of the best, all the iftar food is available and delicacies are available … We are enjoying it.”
