A modern Bohri affair

Baida rolls, bheja fry, bhuna ghosh, phirni, kheema pav, malpua, barfee… are a few gluttonous offerings that pull foodaholics to Bohri Mohalla's khao galli, every Ramzan. Diet plans vanish under staggering amounts of grease and cream. But not everything at the Dawoodi Bohra haunt is a Bohri offering or matches the community's food sensibilities.

Many hands, one plate

It is said, 'A family that eats together, stays together'. Bohris demonstrate this endearing thought by sharing one humungous thaal among eight members of the family or sect. A custom observed during weddings or Ramzan, it makes even those tainted by western habits forgo their individual plates for iftar. The thaal is kept on a kundali (raised platform) under which is the safra (cloth mat), which prevents the floor from getting dirty. The youngest member offers salt to the rest at the start and end of the meal, keeping with the unique kharash-mithash ritual, where foods are served in the order of 'salt-sweet-savoury-sweet-salt'.

Doing away with gluttony

The reasoning behind this order is worded in the Hadith, guidelines for a good life, says orthopaedic surgeon Dr Mustansir Abbasi, who is a dietary counsellor to Mumbai's Bohri community. "Salt, an astringent, removes plaque and cures about 72 ailments. We have the sweet in-between because sugar is a precursor to bacteria, which the salt consumed at the end eliminates." Increased cases of bypass surgery, diabetes, blood pressure – all pointing to obesity, made the Syedna alter our diet-patterns. "We now only have one sweet and one savoury dish, instead of two, so the main course can be relished." Olive oil, glorified in the Hadith and Quran for its low calorie and high fibre count, is a new staple. "We have high potassium foods such as figs, dates, raisins, etc in the morning because they gradually release glucose throughout the day when we are fasting," explains Dr Abbasi who likens performing namaaz to yoga.

A far cry from what's served at Bohri Mohalla, Bohris today barely use garam masala and oil. Homemaker Shahnaz Jalalie says, "We put peanuts, coconut milk, cashews and mustard in our masalas, so the dish is flavoursome, but not spicy." Explaining how particular they've become about their diet, the 55-year-old adds: "We're opting for chicken (grilled or pan-fried versus deep fried) over red meat. Many are dungaad—smoked with coal. We even stuff kebabs with veggies, use a lot of oats, and salads too are a must."

Street fares & home affairs

As a child, Jalalie, whose family always ate from a thaal, remembers waking to a bowl of sevaiyan soaked in hot milk and sugar, before starting her fast. "It keeps you full and you don't feel thirsty." To guests, "we'd served gulab and badam ka sherbet in tiny glasses as the kesar used as garnish, was expensive."

Bohri cuisine amalgamates Gujarati, Parsi, Mughlai and Maharastrian influences. Even their iftar reflects this. Typically starters include shammi kebab and the flatter-than-usual dal bhatti samosas. Munaf Kapadia (27), who runs The Bohri Kitchen, sells them frozen as these can be stored for about three weeks. His venture was the city's first to give foodies an experience of eating from the thaal. He runs it with his mother, Nafisa (58), and partner Gurmeet Kochhar (29).

"People assume we only eat non-vegetarian food. But that's not true." There's chana bateta (black gram and yellow potatoes dunked in tangy imli gravy). "At home, we consume chana bateta with thuli or sweet lapsi (broken wheat with cardamom)," adds Munaf. Another vegetarian delight is dal chawal palidu (tur dal gravy with drumsticks and cucumber on rice), accompanied by roasted papad.

For the mains, there are four types of bread: the sweet, fluffy, semolina-based sheermal, the hard, lamba pao, khammi roti and naan. Comparing Bohri and Mughlai cuisines, Fatema Soni (30) of The Big Spread (TBS) at Byculla, says, "Unlike other biryanis, ours has fried potatoes and smoked masalas". She runs TBS with her mother Farida Kutianawala (47). Their nalli nihari and paya, far-less oily than the street fare, are favourites among those who go to their Ramzan-special 'The Mighty Iftar Thaal'.

Then there's the hard-to-find delight, harissa (meat with wheat combined in an overnight symphony of saunf, ginger powder, ghee, milk, caramelised onions, mint and lemon juice) and the unique, mutton patveliya (roundels of steamed besan-smeared patra leaves with spicy meat chunks), and similar meaty dishes — haleem and khichra.
 

Gol paani (jaggery sherbet infused with lime) is served with the meal. Phirni and malpua aren't Bohri items, but there's sancha (handmade) ice cream and sodanna (rice and sugar cooked in ghee). "We also make khajra (meetha or 'tea samosas') stuffed with mawa, almonds and pista," says Jalalie. An Eid treat, as per Soni, is sheer khurma (creamy, sweetened milk with sevaiyan and dry fruits) in every Bohri household. While most of this is available at Bohri Mohalla and Mohammed Ali Road, the health-conscious community now prefers to cook at home, purchase from community caterers such as King Kitchen, Badri and Goga holed in Byculla and Mazgaon, or go to The Bohri Kitchen and The Big Spread.

Authentic Bohri Bites

While most iftar offerings are available at Bohri Mohalla and Mohammed Ali road, the Bohri community prefers buying from caterers such as:
Kings Kitchen, MazgaonBadri, Bhendi BazarGoga, Bhendi BazarThe Big Spread, BycullaThe Bohri Kitchen, Worli