Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: August 21, 2020 | 
| 中文
A Local Street Vendor Making Bun Kebabs
The story of Karachi's street food is as timeless as it is delicious. Not many can truly say that they live in or have visited Karachi without tasting the city’s scrumptious delights, be they Samosas, chaat or bhelpuri. While every Karachiite may have a personal favourite, there is one dish that is regarded as the quintessential Karachi street food: The Bun Kebab. This crispy and affordable, burger-like dish made with sweet buns, a soft vegetable patty, various condiments and vegetables, topped with a fried egg.
My oldest memory of this iconic snack is from my childhood, when my mother sometimes did not have time to cook lunch in the afternoon, and we would get Bun Kebabs after school. I always had the same order: a potato patty, no egg and lots of sliced onions. But it was during my time in university that I experimented with other categories, flavors and add-ons.
The Inside of a Bun Kebab
The story of this roadside meal, however, dates back to 1953, if not earlier. Business and commercial enterprises had just begun in the bustling metropolis of Karachi, and young people wanted something affordable and handy to eat on their short lunch break. Enter Haji Abdul Razzak with the perfect solution: A soft patty made from lentils and potatoes, fried with an egg coating set between two dinner rolls like buns, with some green chutney and thinly sliced onions adding an extra something to the ensemble.
"My grandfather saw all of these menfolk rushing about Burns Road with not enough time to stop and eat a proper meal. Some of them were afraid they'd spill food on their clothes, so they didn't want to eat dishes with gravy or greasy food," says Haji Adnan the third-generation owner of the unnamed yet famous Bun Kebab stand, that has been handing out Bun Kebabs for 69 years.
"In the old days, they used to toast the bun and fry the eggs in desi ghee and yet the dish was affordable. We now use cooking oil and farm eggs to keep the production cost in check," says Adnan while managing the till the whole time. One of his helpers told us that the rush starts building up at the stall around 2:30 pm and then subsides late into the night.
Do It Yourself Bun Kebab with Special Sauce (photo credits to Abdullah Mukaddam)
But the story of street food like the Bun Kebab often comes with a contentious history. The workers at Tipu Burger, at Boat Basin, believe that the Bun Kebab came into being as an affordable version of the burger, which was pioneered by one of the first local fast-food restaurants in Karachi, Mr. Burger. "This shop opened when burgers really became popular. They (the owners) wanted to give people a burger they could eat every day without it being heavy on the pocket," says Faisal, a busboy at the relatively busy joint.
"We shut the original shop down a few months ago, the business wasn't booming during the coronavirus lockdown," he said. Adding that even though they sell a host of other stuff now, their most frequently requested item remains the ever-so-famous Egg Burger (Anday Wala Burger), another name for the Bun Kebab.
Making Bun Kebabs
Since we had been to burger shops in two major parts of the city, it was only fair to visit the busy Karachi suburb of Nazimabad, to have a unique take on the classic Bun Kebab, from a third nerve centre of the city.
Here, at Baapu Burger, we met Qamaruddin, aka Baapu. He started his joint in 1977 upon returning from Saudi Arabia. "I couldn't settle into a job here in Karachi, it didn't feel right. I thought it was time for me to start my own business. I had seen how famous Bun Kebab had become at Burns Road and other adjoining areas, but it was virtually unknown in this part of the city," he explains, while also giving instructions to the workers. "I started selling Bun Kebabs off an old fashioned cart. As time passed I saved up enough money to get this shop. People love our food, you can judge by the throng of people around you," he says.
When asked if Bun Kebab is simply seen as a local knock-off of a classic American burger, Baapu replied: "There's no comparison. These Burgers are not something you can eat every day. The Bun Kebab is affordable and light, you can eat it any day without giving it much thought."
In an interesting twist on the beloved classic, Baapu considers himself the inventor of the hunter beef Bun Kebab. "I decided to expand my Bun Kebab menu, no one was using hunter beef slices in Bun Kebab at the time. I started doing it and then others followed."
Hunter Beef Bun Kebabs (photo credits to Abdullah Mukaddam)
After a long day of exploring various Bun Kebabs shops and stalls all over the city, we ventured home and tried our hand at making some ourselves. Much like the classic burger, the Bun Kebab is fast food that has tremendous potential for variety and experimentation. But what is unique about the dish are the classical Pakistani flavors and spices, which have allowed us to make this fast food our own. And standing in the cramped, bustling streets of Karachi, watching the food cook to perfection, one can truly experience an authentically Karachi culinary experience.
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