The reason I am a foodie is because of my Father; it's in our blood. I remember that when we were growing up, my brothers and I, along with my Father, used to hunt down new restaurants together. In fact, I went out to eat more often with my Family than with my friends. We are famous in our community and among our relatives for this. All this came to my mind because I am about to share my latest experience of eating out with my Father when we were in Peshawar.
Just across the community place on the main G.T. Road, there are a couple of local restaurants offering Chapli Kababs and much more. When in Peshawar, we all crave Chapli Kababs as it’s their specialty, and we don’t want to miss the opportunity of tasting those Chapli Kababs. There's no match to any restaurant in Karachi. I had already tasted Chapli Kababs at one of the restaurants with my cousins, so this time, I went to try out the Chapli Kababs at the other restaurant with my Father. We ordered one plate with Naans (bread). The taste was good, but in comparison to my first experience with my cousins, those were tastier and more delicious.
My Father wanted to get a takeaway for our family ladies who were at the community place so they could taste the Chapli Kababs as well. So, I took him to the other restaurant. We ordered 20 Kababs and one Sajji. My Mother really liked Sajji last time, so we decided to try it from this restaurant too.
Here is the big frying pan, as you can see in the pictures, which is used to fry the Chapli Kababs. They are deep-fried, crispy on the top, and soft inside. The real secret is in the mixture they make—beef and other ingredients—and their hand skills in shaping the Chapli Kababs, dipping them in egg or something similar to ensure they don’t break apart when deep-fried. This is such a talent.
Sajji is not originally from Peshawar; it is a famous dish of Balochistan, a different province in Pakistan, but it is popular all over Pakistan. As you can see in the picture, it is displayed attractively to draw in customers, and its taste is awesome. I saw how it is cooked for the first time: it is flattened and then grilled on charcoal, with spices and oil added while grilling. It was a nice experience watching them cook it live.
This man was so happy and smiling when I took his picture. There were several other dishes they were offering, but we were only interested in Chapli Kababs and Sajji. Another famous food item is Kabuli Pulao. It is originally from Afghanistan but enjoyed by many in Pakistan.
Naans are also displayed to attract customers, offering four different kinds with different shapes. The Tandoor here is not the same as the ones we are used to seeing in Karachi; it’s a bit different. I captured some pictures of the Tandoor as well.
Finally, our order was ready in 20 minutes, and we took it to the family. They enjoyed the food very much, especially my Mother, who liked the Sajji, while the others enjoyed the Chapli Kababs. It is always good to enjoy regional food when out of town. All the pictures were captured with my Father’s cell phone.