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Ramadan Nights Lakemba - Take your tastebuds on a tantalising tour

At Ramadan Nights Lakemba, you can experience traditional cuisine from places like Burma, Syria, Lebanon, India, Africa and more, all in one night.

06 Mar 2023

At Ramadan Nights Lakemba, you can experience traditional cuisine from places like Burma, Syria, Lebanon, India, Africa and more, all in one night.

Sahar Elsemary from Taste Cultural Food Tours has been taking the tastebuds of locals and visitors on tantalising tours of Ramadan Nights for more than 12 years. Check out her top five treats that you don’t want to miss:

1. Start your journey off with mouth-watering mortabak

The spicy folded omelette pancake is commonly found in the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia… and during Ramadan, on the streets of Lakemba!

With vegetarian, beef and chicken options available, Sahar says there’s something for everyone.

“It’s very fresh and tasty and it’s only available at Ramadan Nights in Australia,” Sahar says.

“Crowds gather to enjoy the chef’s delightful slamming, building, folding, flipping and nudging involved to get this scrumptious snack just right.”

2. Experience the Ramadan Nights classic camel burger

According to many visitors and regular festivalgoers, the camel burger is not to be missed!

Sahar says that for people in the Middle East camel meat is a great delicacy considered to be more delicious than beef, lamb chops or chicken wings.

“It’s lean… there’s no fat in the camel meat at all,” Sahar says.

“It’s gamey, moist and delicious. The queue for the camel burgers in Lakemba will be long, but well worth it!”

3. Fill your heart and your stomach with koshary

Koshary is Egypt’s national dish and a widely popular street food.

The Egyptian staple boasts a mix of pasta, rice, and brown lentils, topped with a zesty tomato sauce, garlic vinegar and a sprinkle of chickpeas and crispy fried onions.

“It’s a convention of all kinds of carbohydrates, but when people try it they fall in love with it and ask for the recipe,” Sahar says.

4. Delve into delicious dessert — knafeh

People travel from far and wide to try the traditional Knafeh Nabulsia/Kunafa Nabulsia on offer during Ramadan.

The cheesy, stretchy cake encased with a crispy filo pastry and drizzled with sugar syrup originally hails from the City of Nablus in the West Bank of Palestine.

There are many different variations of Knafeh that alter the type of cheese or replace it with cream or custard… the Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian versions are all available at Ramadan Nights.

Sahar says it’s a delicious dessert and a must at Ramadan!

5. Soothe the soul with sahlab

Sahlab is the name of a comforting creamy hot drink made from the roots of certain wild orchids.

Often served with a crushed pistachio nut topping or a sprinkle of cinnamon, Sahar says it’s the perfect “sweet sipping” to finish off your night.

“It’s creamy and smooth and it warms your heart,” Sahar says.

Ramadan Nights will transform Lakemba’s Haldon Street into a global food bazaar every night from 21 March-20 April, dusk until 3am. It’s the ideal place for you and your friends to experience foods cuisines around the world, and for many Muslims to break their fast.

Taste tours are available for private and group tours, every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during Ramadan Nights. For more details, visit cb.city/RamadanNights