Bajella is broad beans cooked in the same way. Aash is made from lentils and several other ingredients like onion, garlic, pepper and salt

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In nearly every area in Kuwait, commercial establishments that surround cooperative societies include a nakhi and bajella shop. This takeout outlet serves 'traditional' Iranian-Kuwaiti food that is a favorite of both citizens and residents. These eateries were opened by the Iranian community in Kuwait in the 1950s, and from then on, became staple food shops near co-ops. Kuwait Times visited the nakhi and bajella shop near Khaldiya Co-op that has been in existence since 1965.

"My boss has owned this shop since 1992," said Saiful Islam, a Bangladeshi cook and attendant who mans the eatery. He has been working with this restaurant for the last 25 years, and confirmed that the ingredients and menu are unchanged. "The menu has never changed since it started operating in 1965," he said. The shop's dishes includes nakhi, bajella, aash, hares, jareesh and adas (lentil) soups. Takeout orders are usually placed in small white plastic containers.

Nakhi is boiled chickpeas cooked in water and salt, served with hot chilli pepper. Bajella is broad beans cooked in the same way. Aash is made from lentils and several other ingredients like onion, garlic, pepper and salt. Harees is an oat-based gruel cooked with beef and several other ingredients. The beef is boiled till every fiber separates. It is then mixed with the oats and continuously heated on a low flame. Jareesh is similar to harees but is cooked with chicken meat.

"These are all easy-to-cook items. Orders triple every Ramadan. We open our store in Ramadan at 11 am and close at 2 am. Customers also come with their own containers or pots. Maybe they serve it to their kids who are not fasting, or if they do not want to cook while fasting," Saiful Islam said. "Preparation is easy - we mostly only need beans and water and that's it," he added.

There are no tables or chairs at the nakhi and bajella shops. All you find are huge simmering stainless steel vats. Since it is only available for takeaway, some customers consider nakhi and bajella as street food. Yousef Abdulla, a Palestinian born and brought up in Kuwait, told Kuwait Times he likes most of the dishes served by the eatery. "It's very nutritious and inexpensive. I've been a fan of this food since childhood," the 36-year-old enthused.

By Ben Garcia