Desi street food in Pakistan: Vada pao, pav bhaji find their way to Karachi through ’Kavita Didi Ka Indian Khana’
Set in Karachi's cantonment area, Kavita came up with “Kavita Didi Ka Indian Khana” after she couldn't easily find any good place to enjoy a plate of delicious pav bhaji or a vada pao.
India's desi street food -- Vada Pao and Pav Bhaji -- has found its way to Karachi, considered to be Pakistan's culinary hub, through 'Kavita Didi Ka Indian Khana'.
The owner of the food stall, Kavita Solanki, worked as a marketing executive before she decided to set up her food cart to introduce Karachi to India's street food.
Set in Karachi's cantonment area, Kavita came up with “Kavita Didi Ka Indian Khana” after she couldn't easily find any good place to enjoy a plate of delicious pav bhaji or a vada pao.
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“So, I thought, why not start with the thing that is very difficult to find in the city?” she told Arab News.
It wasn't long before large crowds were attracted to her stall.
Today, Kavita's food stall is among Karachi's most famous food joints. The owner said it's almost the first name that pops up in one's mind when one thinks of vegetarian options in the city.
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However, she told Arab News that it wasn't just the two Maharashtrian dishes that attracted the crowd to her cart, "but the authenticity and taste of the food'.
“We are giving proper homemade stuff, nothing artificial. What we eat at home is what we are bringing here,” she said.
Ethnically a Gujarati, Kavita said she had never been to India but had learned to cook the lip-smacking Indian dishes via YouTube videos.
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“Once we tried it at home, we liked it. So, we would make these for ourselves every weekend at home.”
She also told the Arab News that her clientele includes people from all faiths, and is formed particularly of those looking for an alternative to meat.
“They offer some unique dishes, and they're very clean, yummy, and nice,” pharmacist Maha Ahmed, a loyal customer at Kavita's stall, told Arab News.
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Business NewsNewsTrendsDesi street food in Pakistan: Vada pao, pav bhaji find their way to Karachi through ’Kavita Didi Ka Indian Khana’
First Published:15 May 2024, 06:07 PM IST
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