Within the precincts of Colombo 12 is a vibrant street that never sleeps. It is a road bursting with life by day and night. One of its unique features is the many eating shops: some focusing on traditional Muslim recipes while others have a fusion of modern dishes. In order to understand and appreciate this amazing street I ventured off on Saturday night at 9 pm with Timothy, a likeminded foodie. After navigating past the esteemed Supreme Courts complex we turn into Abdul Hameed Mawatha - the street with all the food. There are many young folk eating and chilling out.
One of the first shops here is Asgar Hotel, better known to the foodies as Razeeks kade. The present owner is Mohammad Naleer, a jolly man with an amiable disposition. He explains “We are operating a family business which my father late Mr. Razeek started in 1956. This is one of the oldest shops in the area”. Naleer reminisces the days when he returned after school and helped his parents, learning the art of home cooking, maintaining a strong influence on traditional recipes. Tourists also frequent this place and they refer to Naleer by his pet name of Dudley!
As we look around the cooks are busy. A young man is moving a cast iron wok with speed dishing out mixed rice. The specials here are dolphin kottu, pittu kottu, naan kottu and an innovative “paan” (bread) kottu. The menu gets more exotic with large portions of cuttle fish curry, fish egg (roe) curry, beef curry, tripe (babath), masala chicken, cherry chicken (an invention of Naleer that has a sweet and sour taste) and palandi chicken (infused with curd). Even as we young guys push past placing orders, there is a BBQ grill set up on one side with chicken legs being transformed into delicious bites. I ask Naleer about the operating times and he says “We are a 24 hour operation, and begin the day at 4 am”. In addition to these spicy delights the shop serves lavaria, honey hoppers and panni pattis in the morning. The latter is a traditional Muslim sweet item filled with grated coconut and oozing with honey, sought after by schoolchildren.
As we make our way to find an empty table some youth have concluded their meal and ask us to sit down. We try the butter naan with the beef curry, fish roe and curd sambol - the combination was most satisfying. The waiter comes around and repeats the choice of after dinner beverages “Milk tea, plain tea, ginger tea or ginger coffee”. Tea is made here with passion, almost refined to a graceful art. The old tea-maker grins while pouring the hot water into the old silver cup with such ease, finally serving his masterpiece in a cutwork glass. The cashier speaks to us in fluent English, which reminds me of the importance of a link language to understand all communities in our motherland. We as young people must take time to talk to our neighbours and co workers to understand their views on life.
It is 11pm. We walk along the road, as people pass by us: smiling or greeting us. A bevy of beautiful young girls giggle and gaze away.
There are two “modern” eating options selling burgers. Another ‘night kade’ is in full swing with all the noises associated with making kottu rotti. Luxury vehicles vibrating with hip hop grooves are driven down here as late night club owls gather to eat. The atmosphere is loaded with fun - young people serving spicy food and talking to other young folk. We came across a solitary fruit juice maker - Zaman Osama. Standing at six feet tall he smiles. His glass kiosk is full of oranges, mangoes and mandarins. He invites us to try something, and we oblige by ordering a “baddam paal”- milkshake infused with chopped pistachio nuts. Zaman is a resident of Aluthkade, and says that all communities must live in harmony. The milkshake is quite refreshing.
As we stand here some curious vendors gather around for a chat. They unanimously agree that what binds us together is the fact that we are Sri Lankans. They move away after shaking our hands. Harmony reigns at Aluthkade manifesting in a spirit of brotherhood. This is a happening street. Food has an alluring power - the magic to bring youth together. As an old sage once explained we are all people from one root- showing up as different branches of the same tree. The food shops at Aluthkade don’t just serve a meal- they impart deep reflections of our diverse ethnic connections, which enable us to gel and stand as one united nation.