Hyderabad: With the huge increase in demand for Hyderabadi food delicacies during the month of Ramzan, caterers are making most of it by setting up annual stalls which have now become part of the cultural fervour. Stalls in different parts of the Old City and even other areas like Toli Chowki are seeing huge crowds every day till late in the night.
Caterers and local cooks are preparing Haleem, Pathan Ka Gosht and other snacks, which are being sold at their stalls set up in local markets and even in residential clusters. The main objective is to earn money during the ‘dry season’ (which comes in the summer months) when there is no business in Hyderabad. The craze for Haleem and other food items certainly helps.
The second benefit with these temporary Ramzan food stalls is that customers get familiar with the caterer and their cooking skills. “There are no marriages or other big functions in Ramzan so we are without work. To tide up with the gloom we prepare, set up temporary stalls and do some business to sustain,” said Mahmood, a cook from the Old City of Hyderabad.
A group of 5 to 6 people assist Mahmood in preparing Haleem and other food items at his stall at the Salala and Balapur road in the southern end of Hyderabad.
A little away from this place, Sultan Ahmed, who runs a catering agency, has set up a Haleem and snacks stall. Business picks up from 4 pm and continues till Iftar time for him. “Our work starts at 7 in morning when we start preparing Haleem and by noon, we begin making the snacks and selling them,” said Ahmed.
Another area which is abuzz with food stalls is the Hussaini Alam road, which has close to a dozen stalls selling mutton, chicken and beef delicacies. Al-Farook Sonu Kabab there has become a big hit with people for its Pathar Ka Gosht, while another stall named Al-Kareem bas been drawing repeat customers this Ramzan in Hyderabad for its mouth-watering beef Shami kebabs.
During the Ramzan, these caterers essentially become seasonal entrepreneurs, and make good profits. “Customers collect our phone numbers and during marriage, receptions or other parties contact us and place orders for food catering,” said Khadeer Khan, a cook at Teegala Kunta.
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