‘Phirini’: Meet Kashmir’s special Ramadan dessert maker

Srinagar: What ‘Sewaiyan’ is to sub-continent, ‘Phirni’is to Kashmir. And the Phrini at Aali Kadal stands out. The dessert has been people’s favorite for the past 45 years in Ramadan.

Showkat Ahmed Sheikh, who sells this Phirni only in the holy month of Ramadan, said he had inherited the business from his father.

“We have been selling this Phirni for the past 45 years at this same spot in Aali Kadal chowk. First, my father would make this and now I do the same. We sell it in Ramadan only. Earlier, we would sell in traditional Kashmiri clay cups but after the Covid outbreak, we started using these disposables,” he said.

Showkat said preparations to make the phirni would start at 6.00 am and end at 3.00 pm.

“Our Phirni contains milk, sooji, dry fruits, and sugar but it takes us a lot of time from 6 am till 3 pm to make it. The small container of Phirni sells for Rs. 50 and the bigger one for Rs. 100. We start selling from 5.00 pm in the evenings. We have maintained the same taste for the past 45 years due to which our Phirni is very popular,” he said.

Valley-based food blogger Omar Rather of ‘Kashmirfoodgram’ fame said the ‘cooking of milk’ for long hours made the Aali Kadal Phirni very special.

“Elsewhere, sewaiyan and rabri are counted among the popular desserts but Kashmiris prefer phirni. The Phirni sold at Aali Kadal is the tastiest Phirni one can have. They cook the milk from the morning till afternoon and as a result, it turns very thick. This gives the Phirni a special taste,” he said.

“It is a must-visit spot for Phirni lovers and they should grab a bowl as there are just a few days left for Eid-ul-Fitr. They serve it only in the fasting month of Ramadan,” he added.