Hurrah for Hurrem’s Baklava is Here!

farzana contractor uppercrust Hurrem Baklava

Step into Hurrem’s and you could have stepped into a café in Istanbul. The oriental décor grabs you as does baklava and kunefe, Turkish delights which get a sigh out of you, so pleasing is the sight and smell

Text: Farzana Contractor

'Der aaya durust aaya.' People of Bombay, rejoice. Finally, a syrupy slice of Turkey is here, right in Bombay, in the heart of town. Turkish delight is now ours. And we have to thank brothers, Hani and Aamer Farid for that.

At Hurrem’s, their charming store and café in the heritage precinct of Fort, in one of the most architecturally grand edifices in the area, called Taj Building, you can lose yourself in the assorted baklavas on display. In an atmosphere, replete with ceiling-to-floor windows draped in deep maroon, velvet curtains, reminiscent of oriental fantasy, with servers wearing fez caps, quietly moving about, it is indeed a delight to shop here, or sit comfortably at one of the few tables, order a savoury dish, a baklava or two and wash it down with Turkish tea. The products, it is easy to notice in one glance, are of high quality. Gently, lovingly and carefully made. Enticingly displayed. Could not have been easy to achieve this level.

“No, it wasn’t,” says Aamer Farid, the man behind the enterprise, with whom I am sitting at a corner table, watching all the activity around us. Young moms, kids in tow, walking in, going directly to the sweets counter to purchase something, a group of youngsters at the next table, shrieking in delight as the tempting plates are being laid in front of them, servers keeping an eye on our table for any gesture that the boss may make. “No, it wasn’t at all easy,” continues Aamer. “To start with, since we knew we were going to diversify from our existing business, we had to do our best to become a success in whatever venture we would embark upon. When we zeroed in on bringing to India the best of Turkish sweets, we went the whole hog. Did an intensive recce in Turkey for a year, identified chefs, brought them down, bought the best of machines which they identified. Indulged in months of trials to get the best ingredients together. For example, the chef, who we got from Turkey –the best we could, because a chef is the core of a company – rejected 25 brands of ghee before he actually settled on the one he thought gave him the best result. Pistachios, the key ingredient he said, have to be rightly tender, 80% mature. We sourced that. And then of course finding the perfect outlet! Getting this beautiful space was providential, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.” “I can easily understand why,” I said to Aamer, looking around waving my arms at the beautiful iron spiral staircase leading to the mezzanine floor, the tall columns, the classic windows, the beautiful ceiling with the most impressive central chandelier. I have to admit the Farids have done a good job with the interiors, assisted by an architectural team flown in from Turkey, no less.

Food and interiors are both my weaknesses. As I sat tasting different baklavas I couldn’t help but marvel at the passion each one responsible for Hurrem’s is bringing to the table. Figuratively and literally! Ezme, the spicy dip salad with tiny bits of vegetables served with Turkish bread was fabulous. A perfect appetiser, like a chilli salsa. Haydari, the refreshing dip, also served to me next, is something that I can never have enough of. Made of yogurt with finely-chopped dill (it can also have Feta cheese), this refreshing, ubiquitous dip always lands up on the tables in Turkey, as part of a mezze or served with their mouth-watering grills! But sikander (had carrot in it) sauce, which I ate with muzver (a zucchini fritter), as well as the robust lentil soup and potato borek, was outstanding. Must confess that all these savoury titbits helped in cleansing my palate, so I could actually taste the number of baklavas I did! But I have to say, food is incidental here, you go to Hurrem’s mainly for the sweets. Takeaway or eat there. Have tea and conversations. But the best thing is to know that baklava, the pinnacle of Turkish sweets, is king at Hurrem’s.

It also makes a perfect gift. Can safely say 99% recipients will love receiving a box of baklava (the 1% who won’t will probably be diabetic, oops, sorry!) Hurrem’s really does a good job with the packaging, very attractive with lots of choices. The price ranges from Rs2,800 a kilo to Rs3,800. P.S. Forgot to add a rather important point; the place is totally vegetarian. No eggs used, not even in the bakery!

I was also given a tour of the extremely clean kitchen with their spanking stainless steel machines, where the busy chefs were rolling dough which would go on to being converted into the thinnest of phyllo, layers and layers of it which go on to being baked and then becoming the best of baklava. Delicate and crusty, sprinkled with powdered pistachio, gently melting in the mouth. Believe me, what I tasted at Hurrem’s was far better than any I have eaten in Istanbul! The sugar is toned down just right. I don't like baklava drenched with honey-like sugar syrup.

So we come back to the interesting side story of how Hurrem's was born… Basically, with the third generation wanting to get into the retail food business, we understand it was the lure of better rewards, compounded by glamour and, of course, the love of good food. “When my children and those of my brother came to us wanting to branch into a new venture, I thought, why not baklava. The only time we really get to eat the best of this sweet is when we travel or someone brings it to us from abroad. I love Turkey and have been going there regularly since the past 15 years, so it seemed the thing to do,” says Aamer, smilingly.

That’s how the company, Prime Foods, was established for Ahmed and Muhammad Hani and Ayesha, Ilham and Bashaar Aamer. If you notice, the surnames of the youngsters take on their father’s first names. Not surname, which is Farid. That’s because Farid is Hani and Aamer’s father’s first name, too, not surname. And that’s the tradition they follow.

So let’s rewind to when Farid Ahmed came to India. It’s a tale worth telling. The patriarch was a merchant who came here from Yemen, way before India’s Independence. He used to trade in commodities, grains and fabric, with the Middle East. Once here, he applied for a license and got one. “I still remember the number, RBI Code #42. You can judge from the number, there were such few exporters at the time,” points out Aamer.

Trade in those days was conducted through post and on deep trust. That went on for many years. But once new technology like telex, later telephone and even later facsimile machines came into existence, horizons opened up and Aamer and Hani, now young adults, took over and diversified into the chemical industry, slowly giving up being merchants. And then the current generation came into the picture and a leap of faith was made. From chemicals to confectionery, quite a jump!

“That’s why I said it was not easy,” laughs Aamer. But what wasn’t a laughing matter was the setback Hurrem's faced soon after its launch in Nov. 2019. The new Big C that hit the world in the next couple of months... "The pandemic hit us straight in the face. Like everyone, we had to close in March ’20. But we did not let it overcome our enthusiasm. As it is we were prepared for a gestation period of two years, so we took it in our stride. Until we could, we kept the machines working, doing new trials. We re-opened Hurrem’s six months later under the ‘takeaway’ category. But then the second wave happened. Once again the world shut down, but it was crucial for us to keep the machines going, for closure of such sophisticated machines is their death. So chefs would periodically start them, regularly oil them, make sweets now and then, thus we overcame the worst. But God is great! From Aug. ’21 onwards it has been smooth sailing."

I guess so, considering footsteps to the store increased multifold and six more Hurrem’s stores came into existence. Counters at three Foodhalls, another at Haiko Mall in Powai, a café and store at JW Marriott, Juhu, and another at Jio World at BKC. With plans afoot for a Poona opening, a standalone, for they already have one at Pavillion Mall.

“All in all, we are all working hard at our new vertical. Our jobs are all cut out according to our strengths. Ahmed runs the business, Muhammad looks after the marketing (he has worked with Lintas and is now with Vedanta, also in marketing there), Ayesha is an architect, so creative and aesthetics are under her, Ilham is in the culinary world, at Le Cordon Bleu, she will head that division at some point in the future, which leaves the youngest, Bashaar, who is at Xavier's now, but will head finance, since he has the head for it!”

“And you, what about you?” I enquire, “Oh I am the ‘go to’ person. The wise one! But seriously, I am sitting here in this charming atmosphere, enjoying myself thoroughly. A far cry from dealing in chemicals, you agree?” Absolutely! From chemicals and their harsh whiffs to the current wafts of heady fragrances, pistachio and rose, sweet smells emanating from the kitchen, engulfing the entire store… nothing but happiness!