Ek Sanju Baba, White Biryani ke saath -- this unusual-sounding order resonates through a choc-a-bloc seating area dotted with fez caps, Pathan suits, and burqa sporting white-collared junta that arrives to break bread
"Ek Sanju Baba, White Biryani ke saath" --u00a0 this unusual-sounding order resonates through a choc-a-bloc seating area dotted with fez caps, Pathan suits, and burqa sporting white-collared junta that arrives to break bread. A heady mix of charcoal-infused meat flavours do somersaults with your senses. We are at Bhendi Bazaar's gastronomic paradise, Noor Mohammadi Hotel & Caterers.u00a0
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| The Chicken Sanju Baba, named after famous Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, uses only whole spices |
Third-generation owner Abdul Khalid leads us through a dingy side entrance into his air-conditioned 200 sq ft office, while monitoring the action on a set of eight CCTV cameras, making us feel like extras in an '80s Bollywood whodunit. "My grandfather Abdul Karim started the business in 1923. Back then, we only sold the Nalli Nihari, our speciality. Before Partition, my father Abdul Hakim expanded it into an eating house," says Khalidbhai. When he took over the business in 1985, he completed the transformation, turning it from a bhatiyarkhana into a sit-down restaurant. Since then, they've been feeding celebrities and labourers with the same spoon, in a simple set-up and at drop-dead low prices.
How the actor landed on the menu
By now, his star attractions -- Nalli Nihari (Rs Rs 50/half plate) and Chicken Sanju Baba (Rs 45/half plate), accompanied by fresh Tandoori Rotis arrive. We dig in, one dish at a time. Rolling back the years, Khalidbhai talks about the Sanjay Dutt fixation. "In the mid-1980s, Duttsaab (Sunil Dutt) was the one to be called for inaugurations. So, when I invited Sanju to inaugurate a section of the restaurant in 1986, he was touched. Since then, he's a regular and a huge fan of the Nihari."
Once, the actor told Khalidbhai's younger brother, Rashid, of a chicken dish he had experimented with. Impressed, Rashid sounded off big brother who checked with Sanjay if the hotel could prepare the recipe. Not only did he agree, he also gifted the recipe, suggesting they name it after him. "Yeh unka badappan hai," Khalidbhai says, adding that only akkha (full) spices are used in this tender chicken preparation.
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| Painter MF Husain has graced the restaurant several times. On one visit in 2003, he sketched a rooster calling out Noor Mohammadi's famous Nalli Nihari |
Anytime breakfastThe Nalli Nahari, a gravy-based bone marrow delicacy, has fed millions since 1923. Made from the best part of the buffalo's thigh muscle, it is cooked on a slow coal fire for eight hours till it becomes tender enough for a toothless customer. The nalli (marrow) melts fast in the sharp gravy and should be eaten with nihari ka masala (thin strips of ginger and chopped green chillies). This dish is cooked in humongous tamba (copper) vessels, sealed with atta, alternately prepared at 6 am and 7 pm. Traditionally a breakfast special, it was Khalidbhai's father who began serving it after sunset to adjust to Mumbai's long working hours.
Butter republic"The White Biryani (Rs Rs 40/half plate) is Rashid's creation. Meant for the health conscious, it's made from curd, and without any spices," he says. The Beef Shammi Kebabs (Rs 7/piece) are succulent, while the Hakimi (Rs 120/half plate), served after sunset, is cooked on a tandoor in unmentionable amounts of Amul butter and curd. By the end, our butter-ghee consumption could've fed a tiny African nation. Our workout was the kitchen tour, reminiscent of a trip to Lucknow's bawarchikhanas. Charcoal pervades the air as cooks briskly stir and bake over brass handis and tandoors.
Feeding the famous
Singer Adnan Sami's love affair with Noor Mohammadi is amusing. "A certain Junaid would regularly order from Lokhandwala. Suddenly, he disappeared for two years. Once I spotted Adnan walk towards the hotel. He shook hands and whispered, 'I am Junaid; I've returned after my two-year-diet-break!'" Other famous faithfuls include tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, actors Salman Khan, Mona Singh, and singers Altaf Raja and Daler Mehndi. Khalidbhai is particularly honoured when singers relish the spread.
At: 181-183, Abdul Hakim Noor Mohammadi Chowk, Bhendi Bazar.
Call: 23456008 / 23457618.
Open: Daily, 6 am to 1 am
To make a note of the sanju Baba chicken recipe, log on to www.noormohammadihotel.com
