Latest news with #Latif
The Age
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Age
A food truck in an op-shop car park serves some of the best Turkish snacks in town
Find crusty kavurma rolls and meaty snack packs at Latif's Street Foods in Melbourne's northern suburbs. As featured in the June 2025 hitlist. See all stories. Previous SlideNext Slide Turkish$ A Vinnies car park is the site for a Turkish food truck turning out some of the best rolls and snack packs in town. But it's not just the food: it's the fact that owner Latif Sahin is there cooking, caring and checking in, putting his whole heart and heritage into the project. My friends and I are sitting in the blue gleam of the Vinnies sign, at a flimsy metal table on chilly chairs. We're holding paper-wrapped rolls and getting messy picking chips from cardboard containers. But there's no overlooking the hospitality as Sahin leans from the van window. 'Do you want tea?' he asks, as trucks plough by. We do. Minutes later, a sturdy brew is handed over in tulip-shaped glasses, a key gesture of Turkish hospitality everywhere from Istanbul to Gaziantep and, apparently, Campbellfield. Latif's specialty is braised lamb liver, served in a crusty roll. The way Sahin cooks it can turn offal naysayers into liver lovers, too. In fact, his special dish prompted the whole truck caper. Sahin's nephew wouldn't stop telling his uncle that his braised liver was too good to be restricted to family gatherings. Eventually, Sahin was convinced to pause a career as a builder and launch himself as a food entrepreneur. He hand-chops liver with a special blade then cooks it for hours with lamb tail fat, onions, peppers and spices. It's soft, almost creamy, meaty but not minerally, piled juicily into a long roll with red onion, tomato and chilli flakes. I could feel my cells soaking up the goodness with every bite. This is kavurma, a style of Turkish cooking that relies on the simple sauteeing of chopped meats. There's a beef mix made with topside, cubed and slow-cooked with Sahin's own bone broth. Chicken is spiced and grilled: it's the food truck version of the chicken the family makes when they're camping. Sucuk (spiced beef sausage) is layered with house chilli sauce and grilled halloumi. Lamb koftes are deftly seasoned and satisfying. The genius with all Latif's rolls is the way the fillings soak into the bread but leave the crust shatter-crisp. You can also have kavurma meats over buttered rice: the liver and beef are best because they're wetter and it's hard to overstate the pleasure of salty meat juices soaking into golden rice. Chip snack packs come with either beef or chicken, striped with sauces. Sahin makes a great garlic yoghurt sauce, letting it sit for 24 hours so allium sharpness softens to sweetness. His tomato-forward chilli sauce is great too. Barbecue sauce isn't on the menu, and you'll make Sahin a bit sad if you ask for it, but he still keeps some in the back of the fridge if you can't come at a snack pack without it. When Sahin started thinking he might go pro with his cooking, he shopped around for a food truck. Nothing was quite right. They're set up for kebabs not kavurma. What does a builder do when he can't find what he wants? Naturally, he gets on the tools himself. Sahin's truck is taller, longer and better ventilated than many. There's a spot for teacups and he can brew Turkish coffee. There's also a place for a daily soup, maybe chicken or pacha (hoof originally, but shank these days) or a gentle yellow lentil number. The truck first launched down the road a year ago, then Sahin was booted from the site, and the lights have been on at this location for just a few weeks. A warm welcome and good, honest cooking can come at you anywhere: fancy restaurants, cosy cafes and – as Sahin proves – op-shop car parks. Three other food trucks to try Dhamaka This Indian street food park is great for snacking, browsing and casual hangs. Dhamaka covers the Indo-Chinese part of the picture, serving all-veg spicy, cheesy comfort food. Try grilled sandwiches, Amritsar-style chole kulcha (chickpea curry) and frankies (curried potato wraps). If you're feeling brave, go for the extra-hot triple Schezwan fried rice. 1924 Princes Highway, Clayton, Sellami French Tacos Keep an eye out for this Algerian food truck. The specialty is French tacos, a loaded wrap that probably sprang from north African communities in Lyon, France. Are they tacos? Not exactly. Are they over-filled wraps with everything from crumbed chicken to falafel to garlic mayo and Doritos? Yep. Various locations, Sushi Brazilia Brazil has a huge Japanese diaspora and its own styles of sushi, which are represented at this food truck, now permanently stationed in Chelsea but also available for catering. Deep-fried sushi rolls are a specialty: try panko-crumbed salmon or kingfish with cream cheese and the jho rolls where sliced fish is used as a wrapper.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
A food truck in an op-shop car park serves some of the best Turkish snacks in town
Find crusty kavurma rolls and meaty snack packs at Latif's Street Foods in Melbourne's northern suburbs. As featured in the June 2025 hitlist. See all stories. Previous SlideNext Slide Turkish$ A Vinnies car park is the site for a Turkish food truck turning out some of the best rolls and snack packs in town. But it's not just the food: it's the fact that owner Latif Sahin is there cooking, caring and checking in, putting his whole heart and heritage into the project. My friends and I are sitting in the blue gleam of the Vinnies sign, at a flimsy metal table on chilly chairs. We're holding paper-wrapped rolls and getting messy picking chips from cardboard containers. But there's no overlooking the hospitality as Sahin leans from the van window. 'Do you want tea?' he asks, as trucks plough by. We do. Minutes later, a sturdy brew is handed over in tulip-shaped glasses, a key gesture of Turkish hospitality everywhere from Istanbul to Gaziantep and, apparently, Campbellfield. Latif's specialty is braised lamb liver, served in a crusty roll. The way Sahin cooks it can turn offal naysayers into liver lovers, too. In fact, his special dish prompted the whole truck caper. Sahin's nephew wouldn't stop telling his uncle that his braised liver was too good to be restricted to family gatherings. Eventually, Sahin was convinced to pause a career as a builder and launch himself as a food entrepreneur. He hand-chops liver with a special blade then cooks it for hours with lamb tail fat, onions, peppers and spices. It's soft, almost creamy, meaty but not minerally, piled juicily into a long roll with red onion, tomato and chilli flakes. I could feel my cells soaking up the goodness with every bite. This is kavurma, a style of Turkish cooking that relies on the simple sauteeing of chopped meats. There's a beef mix made with topside, cubed and slow-cooked with Sahin's own bone broth. Chicken is spiced and grilled: it's the food truck version of the chicken the family makes when they're camping. Sucuk (spiced beef sausage) is layered with house chilli sauce and grilled halloumi. Lamb koftes are deftly seasoned and satisfying. The genius with all Latif's rolls is the way the fillings soak into the bread but leave the crust shatter-crisp. You can also have kavurma meats over buttered rice: the liver and beef are best because they're wetter and it's hard to overstate the pleasure of salty meat juices soaking into golden rice. Chip snack packs come with either beef or chicken, striped with sauces. Sahin makes a great garlic yoghurt sauce, letting it sit for 24 hours so allium sharpness softens to sweetness. His tomato-forward chilli sauce is great too. Barbecue sauce isn't on the menu, and you'll make Sahin a bit sad if you ask for it, but he still keeps some in the back of the fridge if you can't come at a snack pack without it. When Sahin started thinking he might go pro with his cooking, he shopped around for a food truck. Nothing was quite right. They're set up for kebabs not kavurma. What does a builder do when he can't find what he wants? Naturally, he gets on the tools himself. Sahin's truck is taller, longer and better ventilated than many. There's a spot for teacups and he can brew Turkish coffee. There's also a place for a daily soup, maybe chicken or pacha (hoof originally, but shank these days) or a gentle yellow lentil number. The truck first launched down the road a year ago, then Sahin was booted from the site, and the lights have been on at this location for just a few weeks. A warm welcome and good, honest cooking can come at you anywhere: fancy restaurants, cosy cafes and – as Sahin proves – op-shop car parks. Three other food trucks to try Dhamaka This Indian street food park is great for snacking, browsing and casual hangs. Dhamaka covers the Indo-Chinese part of the picture, serving all-veg spicy, cheesy comfort food. Try grilled sandwiches, Amritsar-style chole kulcha (chickpea curry) and frankies (curried potato wraps). If you're feeling brave, go for the extra-hot triple Schezwan fried rice. 1924 Princes Highway, Clayton, Sellami French Tacos Keep an eye out for this Algerian food truck. The specialty is French tacos, a loaded wrap that probably sprang from north African communities in Lyon, France. Are they tacos? Not exactly. Are they over-filled wraps with everything from crumbed chicken to falafel to garlic mayo and Doritos? Yep. Various locations, Sushi Brazilia Brazil has a huge Japanese diaspora and its own styles of sushi, which are represented at this food truck, now permanently stationed in Chelsea but also available for catering. Deep-fried sushi rolls are a specialty: try panko-crumbed salmon or kingfish with cream cheese and the jho rolls where sliced fish is used as a wrapper.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Hans India
Man arrested for fraudulently grabbing land
ADILABAD: A man was arrested for fraudulently acquiring 25 acres by using fake dependent certificates. The case came to light after a complaint was filed with the district Superintendent of Police (SP). In 1954, the government allocated 25 acres in Kazjarl village to Ameenuddin Khan. Ameenuddin had only one daughter, and the land remained vacant for years. Former Talamadugu Sarpanch Karunakar Reddy allegedly conspired to forge a dependent certificate by falsely claiming Sheikh Latif as Ameenuddin's grandson. Using this fake certificate, the land was transferred to Sheikh Latif's name in 2005. Since the land was an assigned land, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was obtained from the RDO in 2009. Within four days Karunakar Reddy registered the land in his own name. Sheikh Latif passed away in 2022, further complicating the case. The real heirs of Ameenuddin Khan approached the district SP, leading to an investigation. Adilabad Rural CI K Phanidhar confirmed that fake dependent certificates were used to illegally seize land. -District SP Akhil Mahajan took special initiative to curb land fraud. Authorities emphasised the need for thorough verification before issuing dependent certificates. -Karunakar Reddy was arrested and remanded. The real heirs currently reside in Subhash Nagar, Adilabad.
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
27-year prison sentence: PTI MNA Latif claims ruling as bogus terrorism conviction
ISLAMABAD: The firebrand Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA from Chitral Abdul Latif, who was handed down a 27-year prison sentence on Friday, claimed he was given a bogus terrorism conviction after refusing a jaw-dropping Rs2 billion bribe to back the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment. A diehard loyalist of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan, Latif slammed the ruling as revenge by what he called the 'installed regime of Form 47 and its handlers, who are pulling the strings of the puppet Shehbaz Sharif regime.' An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad convicted Latif over his alleged role in the chaotic May 9 riots – when PTI supporters allegedly stormed police stations and government buildings. But Latif insisted the charges were bogus, calling it a false flag set up by the powers that be. Latifinsisted that he didnot even know the police station he is accused of attacking existed. 'I hadn't even heard of the Ramna Police Station until I was falsely accused,' Latif said in a defiant video message following the ATC verdict. 'Just because I support Imran Khan, they threw me into this mess.' The court's decision came down hard – 27 years for allegedly leading the charge on the Ramna PS during the nationwide unrest. But Latif, unbowed, said the real crime was his refusal to accept a massive payoff to support the controversial 26th Amendment – a move that he insisted would have betrayed his party and Khan's ideology. 'There is also a court of Allah, where no police, no pressure works,' he said, taking a fiery swipe at the lower judiciary. 'Justice will ultimately be served.' Latif remained hopeful that the higher judiciary of the country will toss out what he called a 'politically motivated and unjust' ruling. He insisted he would never sell out, no matter the price – or the prison sentence. 'No conviction, no bribe can shake my conscience,' he declared. 'I've stood by Imran Khan for 28 years – and I'm not backing down now nor will I ever in future.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
NDTV
25-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Kill And Dump": Baloch Journalist Killed In Front Of Family In Pakistan
Islamabad: A journalist in Pakistan's Balochistan province was allegedly killed when he resisted an abduction attempt by unidentified gunmen on Saturday. The journalist, Abdul Latif, who belonged to the Baloch community, was shot dead in front of his wife and children, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee said in a statement. Latif had worked with publications like Daily Intikhab and Aaj News, and was known for his fearless reporting on human rights violations and resistance in the war-torn province. A senior police official said that the journalist was shot dead when the gunmen entered his house and tried to kidnap him. "When he resisted, he was shot dead, killing him on the spot," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Daniyal Kakar, said. The assailants managed to escape, and no arrests have been made so far. An investigation into the killing is underway, police said. Incidentally, Latif's eldest son, Saif Baloch, and seven other family members were also kidnapped a few months ago and were later found dead. "This is not just a tragedy for one family--it is an act of terror meant to silence an entire people," said the Baloch Yakjehti Committee in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter). "We call on the United Nations, international media, and press freedom organisations to break their silence and confront these crimes against humanity." Journalist organisations, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), have also condemned Latif's killing. The incident is being seen as part of Pakistan's alleged 'kill and dump' campaign targeting journalists, activists and intellectuals in the troubled province. Shalee Baloch, organiser of the Baloch Women Forum, posted on X, "The egregious killing of journalist Abdul Latif in Mashkay, Awaran district starkly highlights the ongoing human rights abuses in Balochistan, necessitating immediate accountability and transparency. This incident exemplifies the systemic violence perpetrated by state officials against the Baloch people, characterised by enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings." She urged the international community to acknowledge the severity of the human rights situation and pressure Pakistan to ensure accountability. "The persistent silence surrounding the Baloch genocide is untenable, and prompt action is essential to prevent further bloodshed. Justice must, once and for all, prevail," she added.
