You can't stay away from Sheermal's sweet and savoury taste during Ramadan

The hot smoke rising from the large tandoor often blocked the vision, but the fact that it was followed by the sweet aroma of dry fruits made it forgivable. After the vision cleared and we could peer inside the tandoor, what met our eyes were round breads placed on the inside walls, right above the smoking fire. This was the sheermal getting readied at the curbside stalls during the month of Ramadan in Kolkata.

For those who know about Kolkata and its lanes, never missing an opportunity to celebrate every festival with elaan, is aware of the fact that for a month, during Ramzaan, Zakaria Street, right beside the Nakhoda Masjid, becomes the centre of attraction. Beyond the regular chapli kebab, sutli kebab, galwati kebab, dates,  or Haleem, the street comes alive with the smell of desserts, sharbats and a variety of Parathas, being prepared and served right in front of you.  And how could we resist the opportunity of indulging ourselves in the sights and sounds of this busy street?

With transport access to the actual place being nil, it is recommended to catch a metro and get down at Central metro station, take a bus or exit the cab outside the lane. The best time to arrive would be around 5 pm when the sun is about to set, the shops are on the roll to prepare for serving the people, and food is fresh in the first few batches. Take a short walk along the lanes, and you would find yourself passing through colourful shops, with clothes, utensils, utilities, aluminum utensils, shoes etc on both sides of the street until you reach the intersection of the Nakhoda Masjid. Taking a brief detour, the Nakhoda Masjid was built by merchant Haji Zakariah in the year 1926. The name Nakhoda means ‘sailor’ and sits apt when you (on a less crowded day) check on the architecture of the mosque, which resembles a boat, and it also symbolises Zakariah’s profession of being a merchant.

After reaching the Masjid, the street right adjacent to it is called Zakaria Street, and it becomes the hub of food lovers during this period. Rows of light curtains hang from the mosque, illuminating the area along with the street lights. In every 2 metres, one would find a stall serving Sharbat e Mohabbat or Sharbat –e- Nafrat, Haleem, Kebabs, Laccha and more. You will have to be very patient while traversing the road because of the crowd (which does move slowly, because everyone is soaking in the sights).  As you progress, a small open stall on your right is easily distinguishable because of the aroma of freshly cut dry fruits and til. That is where you have to be if you want to taste some of the best varieties of Sheermal. The most amazing part is, if you are in two minds, request them for a tasting bite, and they willingly oblige. We took a pit stop in front of the shop to not only eat the tasty sheermal but also to get a vibe of the whole making process.

Surprisingly, sheermal is actually very easy to make and can be tried at home as well. All you need are a lot of chopped almonds and pistachio powder, if you want to keep it simple and if you are making it for the first time. Roll a thick flour dough and completely fill it with chopped almond and pistachio powder coating. To make it moist and yet not slimey enough so that the dry fruits fall off, the vendors were using a water spray. The next step was the work of the most skilled person, where the rolled dough was placed on the inner walls of the tandoor with hands. In the absence of a tandoor at home, this can be made in a nonstick frying pan with the lid on. However, it will take a significantly higher amount of time in this method to prepare one unit. The tandoor took about 1-2 minutes to get its magic done. It was then scooped out and placed in another bowl, filled with ghee. To avoid an overdose, at home, you can brush lightly or spray melted ghee. And your sheermal is ready to be devoured in no time.

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