Delhi Rabri House: Serving the sweet-teeth since sixties

“Burns Road Ki Mash-hoor Rabri” (Burns Road’s Celebrated Rabri)…

Day in day out, Karachiites are force-fed this cooked-up claim. It is literally blaring at them in bold letters on the signboards above the shop-fronts of vendors dealing in sweetmeat and milk-based delicacies all over the city. It is nothing but at attempt to tempt the sweet-toothed admass into believing it’s the same ambrosial Rabri they go to indulge in all the way to Burns Road, the most honest-to-god food street of the metropolis. The bitter truth is that a whole lot of us like to fall for this mockery, denying the best to ourselves and help the shammers get away with it big time. One should never forget that ‘not all Rabris are created equal.’

“Since we are the oldest in this business and our products are acclaimed not only nationally but also globally because of the unique taste, the newcomers allude to our brand to sell their Rabri,” Mohammad Bilal of Delhi Rabri House said.

Rabri, which is very popular in Indian subcontinent, is a heat-desiccated and sweetened whole milk product containing several layers of clotted cream. It is made by slowly evaporating the milk, without being stirred, at simmering temperature (85-90 degrees centigrade) in a Karahi (a large iron vessel shaped like a bowl) over open fire. Many people believe that Rabri is somewhat a product of pre-Khoya stage. It has a rubber-like consistency and light caramel colour and flavor.

According to the co-owner, now in his late fifties, it all started in absolute humbleness in early sixties.

“My father, late Haji Muhammad Ismail Dehlavi, started selling Rabri soon after he migrated to Karachi from New Delhi in 1964. Though, an utterly modest startup, it was the beginning of what would later become a phenomenon. The credit of introducing this unique dairy product in Karachi undoubtedly goes to my father. He, being very nostalgic about Delhi, named his business after his hometown for obvious reasons,” said he looking back at the long days of his family’s arduous but illustrious struggle to success.

Bilal continued that his father, who used to deal in fresh milk in Kuch Rehman Wali, New Delhi, knew very well how to cook ordinary milk into this extraordinary sweet, which became our hallmark.

“My father along with my elder brothers started hawking Rabri on a pushcart just outside the very same shop we now own. It was no piece of cake. Staying on top of demand and maintaining the signature tastes of our sweets was tantamount to tons of sweat in those days. Back then, they had to do everything by themselves from purchasing raw material to cooking Rabri and washing utensils. In this struggle, my mother also stood by my father with all she was worth. We are thankful to the Allah Almighty for blessing us with success,” said Bilal getting dewy-eyed as he talked about his family’s endeavour.

To a question, he said there is no secret recipe to success…

“We owe it to the untiring efforts of our founders who never compromised on quality. Selection of finest ingredients, maintenance of hygiene, and professional dedication has been our guiding principles.”

The Burns Road locality became the new home of people migrating from New Delhi after independence in 1947. The people, who settled here, mostly belonged to Delhi Punjabi Sodagran, and Delhi Baradaran communities. They are known for their love for eating and cooking tasty foods.

And that’s why many good eateries, which turned Burns Road into the food central of Karachi, are now opening their branches in other parts of the metropolis.

Remembering violent political activities of the late seventies, he said “Burns Road was the focal point of a 1977 anti-Bhutto campaign launched under the name of Pakistan National Alliance. It was a nine party alliance – mostly known by the name of nine stars, which included leaders like Mufti Mehmood, Allah Wala, Asghar Khan, Shah Ahmed Noorani etc. Fresco Chowk was famous for rallies.”

Talking fondly about the dignitaries who graced Delhi Rabri, he recalled that BB sahiba (Benazir Bhutto), our wazir-e-azam (Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif) and Musharraf sahib (former president Musharraf) all have come here in fact Sehaba sahiba (Musharraf’s wife) likes Rabri too much and many times her driver used to come.

“I don’t recognize them but many film stars and players have been to our shop to relish our dairy wares. When I see fans thronging them for autographs and pictures only then do I realize they are some kind of celebrities. Prominent clerics, who have paid us visits, include Mufti Rafi Usmani, Mufti Taqi Usmani, Shah Ahmed Noorani, and Mufti Shamzai,” said he.

He added that Burns Road has seen a mushroom growth of food outlets in the recent years but only Waheed Kabab House, Malik Restaurant, Café Lazeez, Delhi Dahi Baray, Fresco Sweets, and Punjab Lassi House are from the old days --established in 60s and 70s.
“Now our next generation is stepping in with innovative ideas. They are planning new things. We have launched a new product range including Rabri ice cream and a number of other traditional sweets. We are now selling more than 50 items,” he said adding Rabri ice cream is our specialty that you won’t find anywhere else.

Interestingly, orthodox Muslim communities of the subcontinent believe Jinns, which are supernatural creatures according to Islamic theology, are fond of traditional sweets. Some sweet sellers swear that Jinns come to the sweet shops late at night in the form of humans to buy sweets in large quantities.

Laughing aside this urban myth, Bilal said there’s no truth in it and it has never happened at our shop...ever.

Delhi Rabri House Family Tree:
Hafiz Mohammad Siddiq
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Mairaj (late)
Mohammad Hilal (late)
Mohammad Bilal
Hafiz Mohammad Younus
Hafiz Mohammad Shafiq