LAST month saw a whirlwind trip to Pakistan. I was invited to speak at the Lahore Literary Festival, and the opportunity was hard to pass by. This Pakistani Punjabi city is the seat of literature, art, architecture, fashion and most of all, food, and each trip has always inspired me to keep writing about my cuisine. But the love affair for this glorious city was one I only admitted to since I left Pakistan twelve years ago.
Hailing from Karachi, the largest port city of Pakistan, I was always very committed to my city growing up. When I was young and I used visit my cousins in Lahore, all I could think was maybe a bit of shopping and running around in the parks. I have returned many times to Lahore since I moved to the UK, and now my interests in food keep me coming back – Lahore is the food capital of Pakistan.
A visually mesmerizing city, with Mughal monuments such as the Lahore Fort and Badshahi mosque, a walk through the many winding narrow streets of the Old City of Lahore which enclose the Walled City , you step back into time, like a scene from Midnight in Paris, you are transported into a time forgotten and remembered in the pages of history books. Once the home of the nobles of the Mughal dynasty, as you enter this historical space now, you are hit by the aromas of smoky barbecues, freshly made bread, simmering rich spicy curries and freshly made Kat-a-Kat, a steamed and fried stir fry. There is a sense of history in the well preserved buildings, they speak of a time of richness. As I usual begin my food adventures late in the afternoon, I begin always with the Lahore Food Street. I always find myself intoxicated by the culmination of the sounds of the Kat-a-kat in the distance, traffic from a far, views of exquisite Mughal architecture, enveloped in the sweet smoky aroma of barbecue combined with the wafts of incense. Baskets are lowered down to the kitchen below, quickly to pull up food to the rooftop from the ground floor kitchen, used in the old days to bring up shopping.
Making it past the first stop, I next made my way to an area called Gawalmandi, where the smells of exhaust fumes mingle with aromas of grilled meats, chicken and paiy (goat’s trotter curry) – this is the “real” Lahore. A Pakistani delicacy that is cooked for up to 17 hours to achieve a rich, deeply spicy, rather sticky broth topped with garam masala and soft warm naans soaked in the sauce and eaten warm. Finding my way through an array of street stalls of Chargha chicken (steamed and flash fried whole chicken) and khikar kay channay (chickpeas curry made without oil) – through all the hustle and bustle of a noisy busy narrow street flanked with every kind of Pakistani street food, I knew my night had only just begun. We slowly found ourselves around the Cricket Stadium which is surrounded by an array of food places, each proudly displaying not just all that Lahore has to offer, but the whole of Pakistan. The air is filled with aromatic smoke that can only be described as the essence of Pakistani food. We sat at a restaurant that boasts traditional outdoor seating of charpai’s (jute woven beds) and low jute chairs, as we enjoyed a Punjabi favourte, Sarson ka Saag and Makai ki roti, (mustard greens and corn bread) and Lahori fried fish.
Before I knew it, it was midnight, and we were still eating, I had a book festival to speak at in the morning, and so I made my way to my room, will a belly filled with food and typical Lahori hospitality.
Lahore has architectural beauty and endless food inspiration, and though Karachi will always be home, I can’t deny that merely a weekend away to this city, leaves my senses tantilised and tastebuds wanting more.
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