Muharram food offerings become more expensive

KARACHI: Prices for food prepared for Muharram niaz have increased at catering shops as arrangements begin for offerings made in memory of the martyrs of Karbala, with rates climbing for rice dishes, curries, haleem and sweets along with the ingredients used to make them.

A 10-kilogramme pot of white chickpeas is being sold for Rs12,500, mixed vegetable rice for Rs13,000, biryani for Rs18,000 to Rs20,000, beef pulao for Rs22,000, chicken pulao for Rs17,500 to Rs19,000, mutton pulao for Rs35,000, sweet rice for Rs8,000 to Rs12,000, haleem for Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 and chicken curry for Rs9,000. Where customers bring their own ingredients, cooking charges alone are Rs5,000 per pot.

Parcel rates have also gone up. One hundred haleem parcels with naan are being sold for Rs6,500, chickpea dal parcels with naan for Rs4,500, and 100 parcels of minced meat with peas or potatoes and naan for Rs8,000. Disposable glasses, spoons, plates and food boxes used for niaz have become 30 percent more expensive.

Catering Food Union Secretary Mashkoor Ali Abbasi said Muharram is a peak season and that prices of rice, chicken and spices have reached record levels. He said commercial gas cylinder prices have risen from Rs17,000 to Rs22,000, while chicken is selling at Rs730 per kilogramme, beef at Rs1,600 per kilogramme and mutton at Rs2,700 per kilogramme.