Restaurants, haleem bhattis see huge rush at sehri, iftar

Hyderabad: After two years of subdued celebrations of Ramzan, the city is abuzz with streets in several parts of the city, especially in Old City, dotted with haleem bhattis, and people enjoying the delicacy after iftar.

With Covid restrictions no longer in force this year, the city is witnessing a rise in demand for ready to eat sehri meals, with more and more people opting to forego cooking at home and relying on restaurants and food outlets ready to serve hot meals, in the wee hours of the day.

Sehri meals are available right from 3 am and are being sold in combos with more than three dishes served on a plate. The popular food items include khichdi khatta keema, gurda fry and bheja fry,  Chicken 65 added in khichdi khatta keema combo, tahari, shikampur and khatti dal – Khichdi combo and Qubuli combo.  Most of these meals are available in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Masab Tank, Old city, Lakdikapul, Malakpet and Toli chowki.

“It is a relief for us this year due to the availability of Sehri at restaurants and stalls. Waking up is not difficult, but preparing meals early in the morning is a little tiring. Our maximum time by which we can have our meals before fasting is 4.30 am,” said Hussain Khan, a businessman.

However, nutritionists in the city have said that it is not a good idea to get Sehri meals from outside.

It is very important to eat nutrient-rich food to avoid malnourishment.
“Homemade food is the best meal one can have, as the quality in restaurants is not guaranteed. Sehri meals must consist of slow digestive nutrients like good fats, protein, complex carbohydrates and some vegetables. These help one to stay energised during the 14 to 15 hours of fasting,” Ali Mohammed, a nutritionist, said.

He added that one can always add meat, paneer, chicken and eggs in their meals as they are good sources of protein.

Rice, multigrain roti, and sattu roti make for the balanced diet that is required.