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The Desi Dastarkhawn is located amidst a plethora of Asian-style restaurants in the heart of Manama and one of the latest to offer authentic, street-side delicacies from the Pakistani city of Karachi.
Established now for seven months, the venue which is situated close to the Family Book Shop and the American Mission Hospital has steadily grown in popularity and become a regular haunt during weekday lunchtimes for office workers in the vicinity as well as proving a destination for weekend diners looking for authentic tastes.
Managing director Nadeem Usman Dhadhuk came up with the plan to open the eating place because he was missing his mother's cooking and the real taste of his hometown.
He said: "All the recipes that we use at Desi Dastarkhawn are my mother's - she really is a wonderful cook!"
Mr Dhadhuk, from Sanabis, hails from a family of textile businessmen and came to the island six years ago to manage a garment factory it owns here. He said: "I really enjoy cooking and was one day hosting a get-together with friends with a variety of homemade delicacies when I decided to take my hobby more seriously and came up with the idea of opening the restaurant."
Dastarkhawn symbolises the traditional laying down of a piece of cloth for family and friends to enjoy a meal and Desi refers to the authenticity of the sub-continent.
Mr Dhadhuk explained that the restaurant's signature dish was the Bihari kabab which was made of beef. Other favourite dishes on the menu include Peshwari kabab, Chicken tikka and 'dekh ki biryani' with the meat and rice cooked together.
Chef Muhammed Mushtaq and his colleagues in the kitchen use the same ingredients as their counterpart back home in Karachi such as Dalda ghee - a popular brand of clarified butter, Pakistani meat and Amul butter. He said: "My wife, Rahila, purchases the raw materials and she is very particular about the quality of the products."
The restaurant is open daily for breakfast from 8am to 10.30am, for lunch from noon to 3pm and for dinner from 6pm to midnight.
Mr Dhadhuk also explained that they had plans to expand their business with a new restaurant in Budaiya with a featured live cooking station.
He shares one of the popular dishes for GulfWeekly readers.
Chicken katakat
Ingredients
(Serves one)
Boneless chicken 250gm
Clarified butter 2tbsp
Red chilli powder 1tsp
Black pepper 1/4 tsp
White pepper 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
Ajinomoto 1/8 tsp
Yoghurt 1 tbsp
Tomato 1
Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Dried fenugreek leaves
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Fry the chicken in the clarified butter. Add the red chilli and cumin powder, white and black pepper as well as ajinomoto and continue frying. Add yoghurt and mix it. Add the tomatoes and mix it properly. Switch off the flame and add the salt and the fenugreek leaves.
