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Nothing beats the chicken chazza from Shaireen’s Kitchen to complete a crisp winter evening. A hot bowl makes me yearn for a lazy day off, spent burrowing on a comfortable sofa, watching good TV.

The aroma brings back childhood memories of my grandmother’s old kitchen; the delicate flavour completes a sensory double-whammy that leaves one reeling. It comprises rice noodles, small chunks of tender meat and coarsely ground peanuts soaked in a rich coconut broth, flavoured with turmeric and curry leaves.

The broth is delicately balanced, and the noodles, meat and peanuts force you to stop and savour every flavour and texture in each heavenly spoonful.

The offered toppings — chopped boiled eggs, spring onions, lemon juice, and chilli peanuts — each add an essential layer to the chazza experience. The chilli, in particular, is great at whamming you back to reality lest the broth lulls you too deep into your memories.

The chazza is a favourite at our office brunch meetings, or ‘eatings’ as we call them. A Burmese dish, it looks very similar to the more familiar khow suey with its distinctive yellow colour and soupy noodle presentation, but with subtle differences.

Chef Shaireen, incidentally, also serves one of the best (if not the best) khow suey money can buy in Karachi, as well as a range of other, equally delectable savouries and sweet treats from her home-based kitchen.

Her page, Shaireen’s Kitchen, can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

The chazza is priced at Rs1,000 per serving, but you need to place a minimum order of four servings. The food comes in a reusable container, with the toppings neatly packaged separately.

The serving is quite generous and the food filling, which means four servings can easily feed six — although it will always leave you wanting more. Orders must be placed a day in advance, and can be picked up from Clifton or delivered to nearby areas via bike messenger between 12pm to 9pm.

The Shaireen’s Kitchen chazza gets a solid 5 stars from me. Do try it if you’re a fan of Burmese cuisine, or just generally someone who would love a bowl of hot, delicious soul food on a cold December evening.

Photo: Shaireen’s Kitchen Facebook