Takeaway service of chappli kabab, Peshawari polao shine amid spike of coronavirus

PESHAWAR: The takeaway services of famous Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao have shined amid spike of coronavirus cases and chilly weather in provincial capital where people prefer to take parcels of their favourite food to enjoy it with their families at home.

Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao’s foodies are being seen in front of these shops in different areas of the City, buying their favorite food to enjoy it with their families at homes with traditional Qehwa following increase in COVID-19 cases and chilly weather condition in last couple of days in Peshawar. Peshawar is a unique ancient city for being most frequently visited by tourists and food lovers to relish on its delectable traditional foods varieties, of which mouthwatering Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao business’ takeaway and home delivery services get upward boom in wake of second wave of coronavirus cases in Peshawar.

These days, Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao’s outlets have started roaring business by witnessing deluge of orders for home delivery from residents and visitors to enjoy its delicious bites along with families, relatives and friends.

Buyers could be seen in substantial numbers at Qisa Khawani, Namak Mandi, Firdous, Warsak and Ring Roads where myriad shops were opened to attract foodies to taste tantalizing aroma of Chappli Kabab and Peshawari polao at home. “I bought two kilograms Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao’s parcels to enjoy it with my family at home.

Normally we enjoy these aromatic and mouthwatering food at Firdus on every weekend but could not come last Sunday due to fear of Covid-19,” said Riaz Khan, a school teacher.

He said one kilogram Chappli Kabab was being sold at Rs550 and one pack of Peshawari Polao at Rs 400, adding its prices are sky high that needed to be checked by the district administration.

Chappli Kabab’s history dated back to Mughals era as they had great influence on culture, art, architecture and foods in subcontinent.

Derived its Chapli name from Pashto word Chaprikh means ‘flat’, this key dish of Peshawar-origin had gradually expanded to other provinces of Pakistan even beyond borders to India and Afghanistan and this traditional food item figures high on hotels and restaurants’ menus in south Asian countries including Pakistan. “These days, I avoid bazaars because of Coronavirus fear and prefer to bring Peshawari Chappli Kabab home to enjoy it with my family,” Professor Ehtisham Qaiser said. He said his visit to Peshawar remained incomplete without eating Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao and was happy to see mushroom of growth of its shops in provincial capital.

Professor Ehtisham said since my childhood, my first choice is chappli kabab because it is simple, cost-efficient dish with lots of taste, flavor and spiciness.

The south Asian countries has over dozens of popular kabab recipes such as shami, boti, seekh, Behari, Dehli, Lahori and Kashmirs but none of them can compete with the world famous Peshawari Chaplli kabab in taste and deliciousness, he said.

“These days, the takeaway business of Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao get upward boom in Peshawar as people prefer to take these popular dishes of subcontinent to home instead to enjoy it in hotels due to fear of COVID-19,” said Arif Ahmed, owner of Jalil Kabab house at Firdus Peshawar. “I had inherited Chappli Kabab’s business from my father, Jalil Ahmed after he took over it from his own father, Jumma Khan in 1950. Following the death of my father, all his (Jalil Ahmed) six sons had carried forward this hard-earned business and continued till date with a lot of hope to transfer it to next generation,” he recalled.

“My grandfather started chappli kabab business from a single ‘Karahi’ (frypane) 70 years ago and today with grace of Allah Almighty we have six more shops including one at Melody Food Street, Islamabad, two each at Firdous and University Road, one each at Gul Bahar and Faqirabad Peshawar.

“He said, “Chappli Kabab’s making had initially originated in Peshawar during Mughal dynasty as told by our forefathers and from here its recipe shifted to Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and other cities of Pakistan besides Jalalabad and Kabul in Afghanistan and Amratsar, Lucknow and Dheli in India.

Arif said minced meat was being used in Chappli Kabab and once it is rightly crushed by experienced labourers, tomatoes, red chili powder, onions, dry coriander leaves, eggs, ginger, lemon juice, salt, masala and pomegranate seeds go into its marinated meat and it takes only 10 minutes to make a complete Chappli Kabab served with chutney, katchup, salad, yogurt and naan to our customers followed by Peshawari Qehwa.

He said more than 2,500 chappli kebab shops in and around Peshawar city are existed, catering needs of people, adding people of all ages are taking keen interest in Chappli Kabab and Peshawari Polao. Peshawari Chappli Kabab’s demand was often being received from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Gulf States, he said, adding its demands increase manifolds during weddings, engagements and haqeeqa parties of new borns for which our labourers had to work till late night to meet the deadline. After reports of second wave of Covid cases, he said the number of tourists’ has been decreased again in Peshawar, reducing kabab’s sale to 80kg meat per day from earlier 120 KG.

However, he said takeaway and home delivery service of Chappli Kabab and Peshawar Polao had increased manifolds that immensely helped to fulfill our gas, electricity and labour expenses. He said one KG Chappli Kabab was being sold at Rs550 and its prices were directly linked with prices of others commodities like tomatoes, meat, ghee and others ingredients.

Arif said they were directed to close their shops by 10pm in the wake of rise of coronavirus cases and urged government to extend the deadline to at least 12am late night for meeting of our expenses and strengthen of food business.