Hyderabad: The popular annual Hyderabad event, Numaish, is equally well known for mouth-watering eatables sold outside. Among the most sought-after delicacies is the ‘Khajla’ sweet, popular in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
Traders from UP and Delhi visit the city annually and set up stalls outside the Numaish and sell the sweets prepared using milk, sugar, maida and other edibles. It is sold for Rs 250 to Rs 300 a kilogram at half a dozen stalls located outside Hyderabad’s annual fair.
“A kitchen is set up in the neighborhood where it is prepared on a daily basis and sold to customers. Sweet, salt, plain and khova varieties of khajla are prepared by the professional cooks who accompany us from UP during the season,” said Ameer Khan, a confectioner from Uttar Pradesh, who visits Numaish and sells the sweet for 45 days.
The sweet is more popular in Uttar Pradesh during the Ramzan month. In Hyderabad, it is available at Ajanta Gate Numaish grounds and a couple of stalls at the Gandhi Bhavan side gate. “For 40 years, we have been setting up our stall at the Ajanta Gate entrance. Initially, we sold it for Rs 12 a kilogram,” he recalled.
Agra petha, a mouth watering sweet famous in Uttar Pradesh is sold at these stalls as well. The shops selling khajla and petha are a hit among visitors, who after completing their visit to Numaish stop at the stalls and purchase the sweets.
“A visit to the numaish is incomplete without a halt at the Agra mitha sweet stalls. I bought half a kilogram of both sweets during my visit,” said Aslam Baig, a government employee who is a resident of Hussainialam.
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