KARACHI: Born into a three-generation Gujarati-speaking family in Karachi, Sana Azeem learned traditional cooking from her mother, who taught her recipes passed down from her late grandmother.
Gujarati recipes, now preserved for decades, are no different for the roughly 3 million Gujarati-speaking people who have settled in Karachi, and for the popularization of Azeem’s Iftar cuisine during Ramadan. It has always been an integral part of the country and most of them migrated to port cities in southern Pakistan after the partition of Pakistan. He immigrated to the Indian subcontinent in 1947, but many have lived there since his mid-1800s.
Thus, the taste of Gujarati cuisine has been pervasive in Karachi for decades, and there are several restaurants that serve only Gujarati cuisine.
“We grew up tasting these dishes during Ramadan,” Azeem, a 35-year-old teacher, told Arab News last week while preparing a Gujarati iftar meal at home.
Azeem’s father is from a village called Gala in Gujarat, India, and his mother is from Bodhan, Telangana, India. Her paternal family migrated to Pakistan after her 1947 and her parents were married in Pakistan.
Among the dishes that Azeem loves to feed to family and friends during Ramadan are kandvi, a popular savory snack made with gram flour and yogurt, a mashed potato patty coated with chickpea flour; There’s batata vada, farmas puri, which is a fried flatbread, and bhelpuri, a type of chaat made with puffed rice, vegetables, and a tangy tamarind sauce.
Azeem said the dish is popular in Gujarati households in Pakistan during the month of Ramadan.
“Nothing has changed [in the recipes] until now.most people follow [the same recipes] Both in Pakistan and abroad,” she said.
Khandvi is especially popular during Ramadan, but it is also made in Gujarati homes at other times of the year.
“When eaten with tarka, it tastes salty and has a nice aroma,” Azeem said, referring to the way food is flavored with spices heated in oil or ghee.
Azeem said batata vada, a mashed potato and spice dish that originated in the city of Surat in Gujarat state, was the equivalent of pakora (fritters), a staple Ramadan dish in Pakistan, in Gujarati households.
Farmas Puri, on the other hand, was a rather unique addition to the menu that originated in South Africa, but has become a popular dish among Gujaratis in India and Pakistan.
Puri is made by layering samosa sheets with minced meat added to them, then rolling them up and leaving them in the freezer overnight to harden the base. The dough is then cut into flat circular slices and fried in oil before serving.
“My Gujarati family in Pakistan also makes it,” Azeem said, adding that he learned how to make it from his in-laws. “I also make it during Ramadan because the taste is similar to samosas.”
Another popular dish, kopyanju, is a spring roll alternative for Gujaratis and contains minced meat, chickpeas and boiled eggs.
Azeem said Gujaratis frequently make bihajiya during Ramadan due to its “nutritive value”.
“Green gram beans, especially for protein,” she said. “As for my own family, we often make it as an evening tea snack, even outside of Ramadan. It becomes as important as pakoras during Ramadan.”
Culture and food writer Ahmar Naqvi said Gujarati cuisine was popular in Karachi because many Gujarati speakers, mainly merchants and businessmen, had settled there since the British opened a port in the 1850s. said.
“They are probably one of the oldest communities to have migrated to Karachi, so you can see their cuisine and food culture all over the city,” Naqvi said.
“Gujarat has many special dishes that are still very popular during special occasions such as Ramadan. The influence of Gujarati cuisine on Karachi’s cuisine is undeniable.”
