Mohammed Ali Road is famous for its vibrant Ramadan food scene, drawing crowds eager to indulge in rich, flavorful delicacies. While it’s known for its meaty delights, vegetarians need not feel left out! Often when people think of this street, it is automatically assumed that it has only non-vegetarian food. Well, it is true to some extent but vegetarian delicacies are available too. The bustling lanes offer a variety of delicious vegetarian treats that are just as indulgent and satisfying.
We went exploring through the streets of Mohammad Ali Road, around the Minara masjid and all the way to Shabbir's Tawakkal in the Bohri Mohalla near Bhindi Bazaar. Here are a few vegetarian items we found at Mohammad Ali Road:
A range of sweets:
A must-try sweet treat, Aflatoon is a rich, dense dessert made with ghee, semolina, and nuts. It has a unique, melt-in-the-mouth texture and a nutty flavor that keeps people coming back for more.
You can also savour some aloo chaat and matar chaat along the streets. To your surprise, you will also find a popular dahi wada spot that is quite crowded due to their speciality.
Along with these items, you will also find a range of refreshing drinks, from Mohobbat-e-Sharbat to Mojito's. You will also come across veg seekh kebabs that are made from mashed vegetables, lentils, and aromatic spices, these smoky, grilled kebabs offer a delicious, protein-packed bite for those craving something hearty.
You surely can't miss Shabbir Tawakkal's Sweet Shop
Tawakkal sweets started as sweet shop in 1950 and only sold a few sweet delicacies such as malpua and jalebi. It was prepared by Abdulla Mithaiwala every single day. Generations down the line, due to the family dispute, Tawakkal's has now split into two. Shabbir's Tawakkal is owned and run by Taher Shabbir, a Bollywood actor and his family. Every Ramazan, he can be spotted at his shop, greeting cutomers and being a welcoming host to celebrity visitors and others as well.
Shabbir's Tawakkal and Tawakkal sweet shop is differentiated by colours, red and yellow. Taher Shabbir's Tawakkal shop is yellow with a digital hoarding that displays pictures of Taher with celebrities and famous personalities who he has worked with and some that have visited their shops.
Though Shabbir's Tawakkal remains a sweet shop for most of the year, it transforms into a bustling eatery during the time of Ramazan. Recently, they have also expanded their eatery to a seating of 240 where people come and enjoy their food. Along with Nihari & Kebabs, this eatery also serves lip-smacking vegetarian food which makes it a hub for everyone to experience varieties of dishes. Open till 4:00 am during the time of Ramazan, this eatery also has unique range of sweets that are made from recipes passed down by Shabbir Tawakkal.
If you wish to try their vegetarian food, ask for grilled panner, mushrooms, baby corn and hara aloo. All these delicacies are grilled to perfection and are served with green chutney. Eggetarians can try their egg wrap too which is an instant source of energy and is equally delicious.
The three unique vegetarian dishes available at this eatery are Veg Baida Roti, Veg Naan Chaap and Dal Chawal Palida. Veg Baida Roti is vegetarian twist on the popular Baida Roti is a crispy, pan-fried parcel stuffed with spiced paneer, onions, and herbs, making it a flavorful and filling option.
Veg Naan Chaap is more like a bun stuffed with soya, paneer and vegetables. Dal Chawal Palida is their showstopper and according to Taher, even non-vegetarians order this delicacy. It is a slow cooked khichadi that melts as soon as you take a bite. It is filling and delicious. After a hearty meal, Taher made sure we had their special desserts, Malpua with rabdi, Firni and Kunafa. All these desserts had great texture and were satisfying.
If you are a vegetarian and wish to visit these streets during Ramazan, do not listen to whoever tells you that there is no food for vegetarians. There is and it tastes better than anybody could ever imagine!
