‘Pure vegetarian Indian dishes’ trends in Pak

Karachi: Pakistan’s industrial and financial centre Karachi has become the food capital for the foodies of the cosmopolitan city, with the latest trend being an acquired taste for authentic and refined Indian vegetarian dishes such as ‘soyabean aloo biryani’, ‘aloo tikkis’, ‘vada pav’, ‘masala dosa’ and ‘dhokla’.

For millions of people in the capital of Sindh province, Karachi’s beauty is the food options ranging from the most expensive European and Italian cuisine to affordable Chinese food or a simple bun kabab as the food capital caters to the taste and pockets of everyone.

The foodies in recent months have also developed a taste for “pure vegetarian” dishes.

Mahesh Kumar, who owns the small Maharaj Karamchand Vegetarian Foods Inn inside a historical old compound of the bustling M A Jinnah Road, says his business is booming as people have developed a taste for vegetarian dishes known in Karachi as “pure vegetarian Indian dishes”.

The Narayan compound, where before partition Hindus, Sikhs and Christians lived in peace and harmony, not only houses the restaurant but also the centuries-old Swaminarayan Temple and also a Gurdwara.

Initially built for the inhabitants of the compound, the Maharaj Karamchand Inn is now a popular joint for the lawyers and visitors who show up every day at the city courts just opposite the compound or for other businesses in this commercially vibrant area of old Karachi.

“Our Soyabean Aloo Biryani, Aloo Tikkis, Paneer Karahi, and Mixed Vegetables are famous and we witness a lot of rush during lunchtime with a lot of takeaways and deliveries as well,” Kumar said.

Kumar said his father started the restaurant in 1960 and there is nothing fancy about it with the same old wooden chairs and tables, but what attracts Muslim and non-Muslim customers is the homemade spices and the fresh vegetables and oil used in preparing the dishes.

Kumar admits they do not publicise their restaurant because there are still some Muslim conservatives who consider it taboo for Muslims to eat food prepared by Hindus.

“We have enough clientele who are happy with our food and service but don’t like to promote it,” he added.

It is not just this Hindu-run vegetarian restaurant that is doing a great job but, in other parts of Karachi, entrepreneur Hindu, Christian and Muslim women have set up food stalls specialising in refined Indian vegetarian dishes such as ‘pav bhaji’, ‘vada pav’, ‘masala dosa’ and ‘dhokla’.

Kavita, who started a food stall in the Cantt area on a side street eight months ago, sells Indian vegetarian dishes and can barely keep up with the rush at her stall.

“What is surprising for us is that apart from walk-in customers, we have developed a clientele of regular customers who love our food,” she said.

What surprised Kavita and her family is the taste the meat-loving people of Karachi have developed for pure vegetarian dishes.

Not only Kavita but her sister-in-law, Chandrika Dixit, brother Jeetandra and her mother Nomita manage three stalls next to each other while a fourth stall which sells ‘dhoklas’, ‘aam panna’ and ‘dal samosas’ is run by a Christian lady Mary Richards.

“We all live in the same compound close by and after hearing how people have taken to Indian

vegetarian dishes we have decided to try our luck. We make these dishes regularly at home,” Mary said.