Multiple eateries along the landmark Mohammed Ali Road have switched to coal and diesel as cooking fuels, as iftaar demand remains high while commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is unavailable. According to owners, a few sweets, such as malpua, are heat-intensive, making their production tough to sustain, whereas tandoori items, including breads, tikkas, and kebabs, are already cooked over coal, so there is no significant shift there.

Rolls are made on a coal-based sigdi at Shabbir’s Tawakkal Sweets on Mohammed Ali Road. Pics/Sarthak Mehta