Pakistani food celebrates joy of spicy meats, rices

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Two new Bangor restaurateurs enjoy offering the exotic. Brothers Anis and Nafis Ahmed have opened Bahaar, located next to Randy’s Leather on Hammond Street in Bangor. Bahaar, which means “coming of the spring,” specializes in Pakistani/Indian food, the first such restaurant in the Bangor area.

While living in Faisalbad, Pakistan, the amiable Ahmeds owned and operated Sam’s Fried Chicken and Burgers. They learned to cook American foods through cookbooks and a lot of practice. One of the most popular restaurants in that part of the Asian country, its name, “Sam,” was taken from their father’s initials, Shiekh Abdul Majeed.

“Everybody wants some change,” said Nafis.

Bangor will be a change for the Ahmeds, who have moved here from the Boston area. While there, they had worked for American companies, Anis at Digital and Nafis at Sears. They also kept cooking, created new dishes which were a blend of Pakistani and American styles.

They discovered Bangor while driving their cousin up to school at Eastern Maine Technical College.

“We liked it here,” said Anis. “The place is quiet and the people are nice and friendly. Also, we saw nobody had Pakistani or Indian food here.”

The brothers had seen people waiting two to three hours for Indian food in Boston, so they knew Americans were ready for what they had to offer. They originally planned to open a restaurant in Somerville, Mass., but then they decided to check out several locations in Bangor, finally settling on the former Barbara and Paul’s Beauty Shop.

“Then it was `Goodbye, Digital. Goodbye, Sears,’ ” said Nafis.

While the Ahmeds can get meat, vegetables and cooking oil locally, they still must import about 90 percent of their supplies from Boston, New York and even Pakistan or India.

Nafis explained that Pakistani food is spicy, with chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, caraway seeds, cardamon and black pepper among the most popular ingredients.

Curry is a mainstay of the Pakistani menu, and is eaten with rice (Bahaar will offer a half-dozen different rice dishes) and loaf, a kind of pita bread.

Among the 34 items on the Bahaar menu will be samosa (a vegetable or beef turnover), pakora (mixed vegetables or potatoes deep-fried in batter), spicy barbecued chicken, fried fish, shami-kabob (a beef patty in Pakistani gravy), fried mixed vegetables, palak paneer (a spinach-cheese dish), biryani (rice with lamb, chicken or beef), aloo paratha (loaf stuffed with baked potato) and keema paratha (loaf stuffed with ground meat).

Bahaar doesn’t have waiters. Instead customers place orders at the counter, either to eat in or take out.

Nafis said the dishes are authentic, but can be made to be anything from mild to spicy.

“The recipes are the same as in Pakistan,” he said. “The only difference will be in the amount of spices.”

Bahaar, located at 23 Hammond St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They will also be open for dinner on Sunday. Further information is available by calling 942-0646.

Below are two Pakistani recipes, provided by the Ahmeds, to try at home.

Beef Curry 1 pound beef, cubed 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2-inch piece of ginger root, crushed

1/4 cup plain yogurt 1 tomato, chopped

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup cardamon Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Pinch ground carraway seeds Pinch ground cinnamon Pinch chili powder

Pour oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add onion and cook until yellow. Add garlic, ginger and tomato, and cook for 10 minutes. Add all other spices, yogurt and beef. Slowly simmer for 20 minutes, or until beef is tender.

Pakistani Chicken 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder 1 small jalapeno pepper, crushed 1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon carraway seeds Pinch black pepper Pinch cinnamon Pinch salt

Perforate chicken parts all over with a fork. Mix all ingredients, including chicken, in plastic bowl. Allow to marinate for at least one hour. Place grill on highest rack. Cook on grill for 10 minutes, then turn for another 10 minutes.