U-Turn from Mohammed Ali Road

For manymdashirrespective of their faithmdashitrsquos a ritual to head to the lanes adjoining the beautiful Minara Masjid at Pydhonie during Ramzan However massive crowds and cacophony of shops stalls and vendors blending with the voices of selfproclaimed food bloggers who raid the area with a cameraperson or two in tow is not for everyone So if yoursquove got kebabs nihari phirni and rabdi on your mind turn back and let Chef Anees Khan and Chef Mohammed Danish take you on an iftar and after trail to JogeshwariMira Road and BhiwandiStarting at Jogeshwarirsquos Sahakar road at 6 pm Khan takes us through the labyrinth and we stop at Amazekart for kheema maida roti Rs 80 Swimming in a pool of oil these crispy fried parathas are filled with minced meat and egg and are an import from Surat ldquoThis particular one is thinner than the regular baida roti and a lot more flakier and crispier I love the egg between the layersrdquo says KhanWe then picked chicken tikka kandi Rs 100 from this unnamed stall in front of Zam Zam sweets and packed some ragda Rs 40 in a leaf ldquoYou can taste the charred smoked tikkas made with boneless leg The flavours are really mild The pattay walay ragda chacha has been setting up this Ramzan stall for years now serving delicious ragda in a leaf He makes his own spices to compliment the simple and delicious ragda Besides the ragda my favourite here is the masala khattay aloo from his stall which his wife serves with a lot of loverdquo adds KhanCoconut milk creamHeading home for iftar with this we started our trail again post namaz heading straight to seekh paratha Rs 60 at Farid Seekh Kabab Center which Jogeshwari has become synonymous with This small not too jazzy place is crowded but clean and serves piping hot seekh parathas a plate of chutney with a side of onions and mint leaves at lightningfast speed ldquoNominally priced the best time to savour the seekh is around 78 pm to avoid the mad rush this place encountersrdquo says KhanTikka all around Chef Anees Khan picks the juiciest of the lot for breaking fast at his Andheri residenceOn most days Khan also enjoys a good plate of tunday kebabs and parathe Rs 300 at Lucknowee Tunday Kebab on SV Road ldquoItrsquos the only place that serves tunday kebab with paratha in Jogeshwari The kebabs are melt in the mouth with a hint of their secret spices You must also try their iftar starters like Russian chicken kebab schezwan chicken lolly pops and mutton kheema samosardquo recommends KhanTime for some sweet cravings we went straight to have double malpua with rabdi Rs 299 at Jaffer Bhairsquos Delhi Darbar on SV Road ldquoThey serve the best malpua and this place has been my familyrsquos favourite for years now The combination of malpua with rabri is a match made in heaven and can be had at iftar as well as at sehri time Another favourite is the falooda at Baba Falooda on SV Road but we skipped it to avoid overindulgencerdquo he admitsInstead we headed to have the mawa jalebi from JJ Jalebi Rs 80 which tastes divine Abursquos Creamrsquos coconut cream Rs 150 is a new Ramzan favourite addition we are fond of To wash all that guilt down we had Irani black fruit and lemon tea Made with black tea and infused with sabja seeds pineapple cubes mint leaves lemon and chaat masala it is a great digestive The tanginess of masala the sweetness of fruits with the hint of lemon and a mouthful of soaked sabja seeds give this tea a burst of flavour and texture We arenrsquot sure if the recipe is native to Iran or if it got lsquodesifiedrsquo along the wayJaffer bhairsquos Delhi Darbar is where Chef Danish prefers lazeez boti and tandoori raan from where he usually heads to Hyderabad Express on Link Road for biryani his favourite being Lucknowi mutton biryani or to Lazeez seekh kebab corner at Oshiwara for his malai seekh biryani ldquoThis hopping from one place to another reminds me of my school days when I used to go to various food stalls with my friends after school hoursmdashwe had to have it all Also the mild flavours of these biryanis bring back memories of home And for once I am not in the kitchenrdquo he laughsStreets were buzzing with food stalls offerings tikkas kebabs nans baida rotis ragdas phirnis malpuas and more that we savoured during an iftar trail with chef Anees KhanAt Mira Road Danish heads to Shaandar Zaika Naya Nagar for nihari and khichda a comfort food delicacy usually made during moharram There is also Zahra Lucknow Darbar in Mira Road East for the authentic taste of sheermal kebab and shahi tukda that he misses from his hometown ldquoThese foods have their own charm in the holy month Canrsquot explain but dishes taste different maybe because you abstain from food the whole day and so you can appreciate the flavours betterrdquo he addsIrani fruit tea with its blend of tea spices and fruits acts as a great digestiveKhan prefers going with his gang of boys for latenight meals to Sanaya Dhaba at Naigaon East where they devour kali mirchi lamb chops whole pomfret fry gauran murgh curry and mutton mandi ldquoWe often set out in search of good food and one of our recent finds has been Arabian Restro located on the second floor of the famous Fountain hotel on Godhbunder road on the way to Surat This amazing place serves authentic Yemini Turkish Arabic and Egyptian Ramzan sehri delicacies such as Turkish sumac kebabs adana kebab mezze platters Arabic lamb mandi and delicious kunafa to name a few We wash it all of down with fruit champagne rdquo he addsFarid Seekh Corner in Jogeshwari is a culinary gem known for the juiciest kebabs in townFor Biwandi Chef Danish recommends Baradari restaurant at Quresh Nagar for their chicken alishan and baradari special falooda ldquoThe food town at Gokul Nagar has some great pahadi garlic bread paan shots and red fantasy drinkAt Rizwan Hotel have the KalyanBhiwandi special ghaula a crepe made from a batter of malpua stuffed with a special filling of inflation rabri and lots of dry fruits Their chicken panga and malpua are delicacies that remind me of my childhood and I savour every moment of it We go to Bombay cream centre for the nariyal cream special drink a Ramzan special made famous by Pappu Juice wala in townrdquoDanish also has sehri recommendations in Bhiwandi if you are game for a late night drive there ldquoWe head to Ayyub Bhai Mithaiwale at Kesar Baugh They are famous for their special kheema masala and phirniJJ Mawa JalebiThe kheema recipe is said to be 100 years old and started by the current ownerrsquos grandfather People come from faroff places just to have kheema among other meat delicaciesrdquo he adds