Support Local: Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (Mandaluyong City)

Chicken Biryani at Tanveer Halal Kitchenette — Chicken *Biryani* at Tanveer Halal Kitchenette

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of lives across the globe. Many have lost their lives or their livelihood. While I’m also having difficulties, I’m still blessed that I still have a job. With whatever little spare money I have, I give it away to bless others who are less fortunate than me. But I thought, “How else can I be a blessing to people? And now that quarantine is easing up more and more, how can I spur economic activity in my own little way?”

As a foodie, I’m really rooting for the food industry to bounce back. So how can I help my beloved industry? I decided to do this “blessing-the-food-industry” project/series called Support Local (I know it’s generic, but it’s what I’m encouraging people to do). The game plan is to order from my favorite food spots (and order a lot of food, one-time or staggered), feature them in my blog, and promote them to my friends. I will also be focusing on small and medium enterprises owned (or partially-owned, at least) by local entrepreneurs rather than food chains run by big corporations.

How Can You Help?

To make this project work, I will need your help. If you want to support this simple endeavor, you can help me S.P.O.T.:

Share. As simple as sharing my article or other related entries, we can spread the word.
Promote. Nothing beats a personal recommendation of the food spots to your friends. But this is best done when you have an experience of the food itself (don’t forget to share your experience and photos in social media; this will give the food spots extra mileage). If you haven’t tasted the food yet, then the next letter is for you.
Order. This is the most important of all, as we intend to help the food establishments. If you have extra money or the means, order from the food spots (and order as much as you can).
Tip. The staff are making risks to provide for their families by preparing amazing food. To help and appreciate them, I give a generous tip. So if you have the means, I encourage you to do the same. If you will have your food delivered, tip the driver or rider as well.

I’m excited for this blessing project. But let’s now talk about the food spot featured today.

The Food Spot: Tanveer Halal Kitchenette

Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (THK) serves authentic Pakistani food. It used to be a takeaway stall in another part of Mandaluyong City back in 2019. Then it moved to its current location where it’s now a dine-in eatery (check their Facebook page for updates on dine-in option).

I learned about this eatery through a video shared by a friend. At first, I was skeptical about it. It’s just my default mindset when there is a new spot serving international cuisine, especially when its Indian, Middle Eastern, and South East Asian cuisines. My primary concern is authenticity. But my skepticism was alleviated when I learned that the eatery is helmed by a Pakistani chef whose name is Tanveer. He runs the business together with his Filipina wife.

As its name suggests, THK is a Halal eatery. To the uninitiated, halal literally means permissible, allowed, or lawful (as opposed to haram, which means forbidden or unlawful) in Arabic. It refers to Islamic dietary practices prescribed by the Quran. For a food to be declared halal, it has to go through a specific permitted process of slaughtering and preparation. Also, there are animals and products that are outrightly considered non-halal, in which pork is the most known one. Because Pakistan is an Islamic nation, it’s cuisine is halal and so is the food in THK.

I first visited THK back in February and tried their Biryani, Chicken Curry, and Daal…and they’re all amazing! I was supposed to visit again and even invite my friends to this newfound gem. Unfortunately, the community quarantine happened.

After more than 3 months of lockdown (which, for me, also meant saving resources because of bills and debt), I can finally eat “outside” food again (because by God’s grace, I’m more financially stable now). Since I’ve been watching and studying biryani recipes, I began craving for it and immediately thought of THK. So I ordered a lot of food from them, almost the entire menu.

The Food

Because Pakistani cuisine might not be familiar to you, I’ll give you a background of every dish (let this article be food for the brain as well). I have to admit that I’m poor in distinguishing flavors so I might not be able to describe the taste accurately for you. But I will do my best. Here’s what I ordered:

Chicken Biryani

Biryani (also spelled briyani) is a dish made of fragrant rice and usually served with a protein, typically chicken and mutton. It originated from Persia (modern day Iran) and is widely eaten in the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia) and the Middle East. It has even made its way to the Malay Peninsula, where it is locally called Nasi Biryani. As you would expect of any South Asian or Middle Eastern food, biryani is flavored with many spices, making it one of my favorite South Asian dishes!

THK serves Beef and Chicken Biryani. Because I already tired the beef version before, I ordered the chicken one this time. The rice is made with long grain basmati rice, which is fluffy and flavorful. Again, I’m poor in distinguishing flavors. But I’m certain that there are fennel seeds because I saw some (I hope I’m right!).

Chicken Biryani (P230; the beef is P270) — Chicken *Biryani* (P230; the beef is P270)

The chicken, composed of leg and thigh, are tender and juicy. There are also chucks of potatoes and green chilies hiding beneath the rice. Just be careful with the chilies because it’s stay-in-the-mouth spicy.

The chef gave me a complimentary yogurt, which gives a nice richness and sourness to the dish.

Chicken Curry

This dish is far from the chicken curry we Filipinos know. The South Asian version is flavored with different spices (in which curry leaves is the most obvious one) and varies per region (like in South India, it has coconut milk).

THK’s version, which I believe is a traditional Pakistani style, has a soupy base, with what I believe are chopped curry leaves (trying my best here!) floating around. There are also 3-4 pieces of chicken and chunks of potatoes.

The first time I tried this, I don’t remember it to be spicy. In fact, it didn’t make a huge impression on me. But this time, I found it to be stay-in-the-mouth spicy and enjoyable, perfect to pair with Pratha, a kind of flatbread (more on this later).

Daal

Daal (also Dal, Dahl, or Dahl) refers to dried legumes like lentil and pea. It can also refer to a puree, soup, or stew made from these dried legumes and flavored with different spices. It’s popular in South Asia and I first tried it in Nepal. I love having it with rice!

THK’s version (see photo below), as with the other dishes, is flavorful and stay-in-the-mouth spicy. I saw some garlic, ginger, julienned green chilis, and pieces of red chilies. It also has a nice starchy texture coming from the legume puree. This is one of my favorite dishes in THK. It’s a comforting dish, reminding me of Ginisang Monggo (Filipino mung bean stew).

Pratha

Pratha (or Paratha) is a staple in South Asian cuisine just as rice is to Filipino cuisine. It is made with a dough (traditionally using wheat flour), stretched and fried on a griddle. It varies per region and some even have filling. It’s flaky and doughy, perfect to dip in curries and daal.

THK serves 3 varieties: Regular, Spicy (which has green chilies and onions), and Aloo (which is smothered with potato; “aloo” is a South Asian term for potato). They’re all flaky, doughy, and stretchy, and I love it!

Shawarma Wrap and Rice

This dish needs no further introduction so I’ll just jump right away to THK’s shawarma, which is available in beef and chicken varieties. The shawarma wrap is hefty, not skimping on meat. The vegetables (cabbage, cucumber, and tomatoes but it seems there are no onions) give a nice crunch. Then it’s doused in a sweet and tangy garlic sauce and wrapped with their handmade Chapati (another kind of flat bread), which they also sell separately at P25 each.

It’s not the best shawarma that I tried in the Metro. But it’s still way better than the ones you can get from the typical food kiosks. (By the way, THK also offers shawarma rice. I tried the Beef Shawarma Rice and it’s okay.)

I hope that my article made you crave Pakistani food. If it did, then order from Tanveer Halal Kitchenette soon! That’s the goal of this project/series! Let’s support them and other local food spots in this time of crisis!

Tanveer Halal Kitchenette

Address: 19D Domingo M. Guevarra St. (formerly Libertad St.), Brgy. Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City
Operating Hours: Daily, 1-7PM
Contact Nos.: 0917-8554904
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram
Note (as of July 13): They accept takeaways (walk-ins) but encourage pre-orders. Delivery (via third party services) is shouldered by the customer. Dine-in is still not allowed.