As the thaals got decked up with a large variety of mouth-watering dishes and bountiful goodies, Asrashaheen.in took a sneak-peek at the sumptuous feast of the Bohra New Year’s Eve.
One of the most progressive, industrious and pragmatic communities of India, Dawoodi Bohras recently observed the Pehli Raat Thaal (New Year’s Eve), which marks the beginning of the Hijri or Islamic New Year with the month of Muharram. Bohras follow the Fatimid or Misri calendar and hence observed the New Year’s Eve on August 8, 2021 with the special annual ritual of the Pehli Raat Thaal. Marking the new beginnings with the thaal (a large round metal platter) tradition is quite unique to the Bohras. It is rituals such as these that give the community a distinct cultural identity compared to the other Islamic sects.
Thaal – the quintessence of Bohra dining
The thaal is notably an integral part of the Bohra way of life. Gathering and sitting around thaal is how most Bohra families dine every day. As the large platters were decked up with sweet, savoury and a large variety of mouth-watering dishes, Asrashaheen.in took a sneak-peek at the sumptuous feast of the Bohra New Year’s Eve.
Spread across India, Dawoodi Bohras are largely settled in various cities of the country, including Udaipur, Rajasthan. Mairaj Hatim Ali is one of them. A food-n-fun loving woman in her 20s, Mairaj enjoys putting her cooking skills to the best use, especially for the Pehli Raat Thaal every year.
New beginnings with refreshing flavours
The youngster is also an active member of Foodies Hain Hum, a vibrant culinary group on Facebook. Being part of the group constantly inspires Mairaj to keep trying her hand at new things in the kitchen. “Ever since I joined this group, I became more creative than ever before. Inspired by the dishes of the group members, I started taking more interest in cooking,” she said. This year, Mairaj made an exquisite green chicken with luscious and appetizing mix of coriander paste and cashews. The tantalizing seasoning of curry leaves and cumin seeds was done just right.
Bohras take their cuisine very seriously. From the crunchy keema and daal samosas, hand-folded with absolute precision, to the delectable combination of wheat, ghee and jiggery in malida done with exactness, every delicacy is painstakingly mastered to perfection. In fact, people of the community take pride not just in the way they prepare their exquisite dishes but also in the tradition of laying out the thaal, especially for the Pehli Raat.
“New year comes with new happiness… We hope that the coming year brings more joy and prosperity than the previous year. This is the reason why we make a mix of sweet and savoury dishes and decorate the platter, and enjoy food with the family,” explains Mairaj. This year, the thaal festivities at her home were even more flavourful with special guests of honour. The Foodies Hain Hum group founder-admin Monto Khan joined her family to partake in the special thaal.
Bonding over food
Based in the city of lakes, the Foodies group is where people from different regions, religions, languages, and cultures bond together over one common factor – their fondness for food.
“Picture speaks more than words” and that’s exactly how the bunch of enthusiastic foodies like to celebrate their culinary love. From dishing out innovative recipes to checking out an exciting new restaurant in the town or ordering food from the neighbourhood eatery — every interesting gastronomic moment is clicked and posted with a caption. And while it may sound all fun and frolicking, the group has also done its bit in these extraordinary times by organizing food distribution drives during the second wave of COVID-19 (8,000 food thalis were distributed in a span of 45 days!). With Monto Khan as its founder-admin and Sofiya Abed and Ghazala Sheikh as the moderators, the Foodies group recently celebrated its first anniversary.
