Dishin' on Devon

By Anonymous in Food on Sep 1, 2005 11:58AM

Chicagoist was jonesing for some Pakistani food recently, so we called our “Paki Connections” and ran up to Devon over the weekend to see what we could find. We’ve never actually made any Indian or Pakistani food, but it was time to venture out to see what kinds of things we could pull together for a meal.

Our first stop was World Fruit Market, which is actually a Lebanese-owned store, with Pakistani, Indian, Hispanic, and Greek food items. We picked up a package of long “Kabul Bread” similar to Naan, but thicker, for $1.49. It was still warm in the bag, direct from the bakery. Chicagoist also grabbed a container of dates from Nigeria, $2.99. There were all kinds of teas, oils, and meats including Halal (meats which are slaughtered in a specific way in accordance to religious law).

Next stop was the Noor Meat Market, which for a small market was loaded with a great selection of items, from pots and pans, rolling pins, and tea sets to instant meals. The cooking pans and utensils were greatly overpriced, but the food items seemed about right. They had a Halal meat counter as well, and a few aisles of prepared foods.

You never really think of other cultures as having “prepared” or “instant” kinds of foods, that most of their stuff is prepared from scratch, but Chicagoist picked up a box of Shan Tikka Seekh Kabab BBQ Mix for $0.69, which is sort of the equivalent of Pakistani Shake-N-Bake. It is a flavoring that you mix with garlic, onions, ginger and water and let meat marinate in before cooking. The recipes are right on the back. Chicagoist was warned to use with caution, as it can get very hot and spicey.

We also picked up a $2.99 bottle of a rose-water flavored syrup called “Rooh Afza – Summer Drink of the East” that makes a refreshing beverage. Add just about a teaspoon to a glass of water with ice and you are good to go. It had a very cool, smooth taste. Chicagoist also grabbed a jar of Sultan Apricot Chutney to use with grilled chicken, $2.49 for 8 ounces.

To finish off the day, Chicagoist stopped at Tahoora to pick up some pastries. A huge bakery with some seating, it has lunch items (burgers, chicken, samosas, which are potato and spice-filled deep-fried dough) as well as a large assortment of Pakistani pastries and breads. For $6.00/lb, we loaded up on rasgulla (coconut flavored pastry) and burfee (almond flavored). Rusk cake, similar to biscotti but a little less dry and more pound cake-ish in texture and flavor, was $4.50/lb.

Parking on Devon was pretty packed, Chicagoist parked around the corner on Western (meters). There are plenty of food shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, and clothing shops to keep you busy all afternoon.

World Fruit Market
2434 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
773.508.0700

Noor Meat Market
2505 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
773.274.6667

Tahoora Sweets & Café
2326 W. Devon
Chicago, IL 60659
773.743.7272