The first time I went to Karachi was over 25 years ago as part of an informal lunchtime curry club held at the marketing agency I worked for long before my tour guide days. What I always remember is the small metal tub of cooked papadum in the kitchen behind the counter, the Formica table, no cutlery, no menus, changing prices as they went up and down and the menu changed. The only thing left on the wall is a board with letters and numbers written on it. .
The restaurant was founded on Neil Street in 1963 and is Bradford's oldest Indian restaurant. In April 2002, celebrity chef Rick Stein stayed at the restaurant with a film crew as part of filming his television show, Rick Stein's Food Heroes. On the show, Rick Stein showed us how to make the restaurant's signature lamb and spinach karahi curry, and then we watched him fall in love with the dish, which is featured in one of his best-selling cookbooks.
Not long after the TV show aired, I visited Karachi like a rolling stone and found that the lamb and spinach karahi had been removed from the menu board in its original form and replaced with a dish called Rick Stein (1 lbs. ) than all other dishes). Now there's marketing for you!
I had that cookbook and I made a very complicated recipe that blended chili peppers and spinach and it turned out great. However, although I tried making it several times, I could not make it taste as special as Karachi. (See the end of the blog for the menu).
Last year, it was reported in the newspapers that Rick had returned to Karachi unannounced, without a film crew, to have tea before the “An Evening with Rick Stein” show he was hosting at Bradford St George's Hall. I saw it. I realized that I hadn't done it in years either, so I made a mental note to revisit it.
I had hip replacement surgery last week. I stayed overnight and returned home after 8 days of good progress, although I was suffering from a bit of cabin heat as I was unable to drive for the next 6 weeks. My good friend Dave (Digger to his friends) took pity on me and rescued me from the house, and in the afternoon we went to the cinema to see the Bob Dylan biopic Complete Unknown, followed by curry. I ate it.
We decided a visit to Karachi was in order so we arrived for early tea. We were greeted by the owner, Mumrez Khan, and were early so we were able to choose a table. The first thing I noticed is that while it's not going to be fancy or drastically different, there have been some small changes to the menu, cutlery, etc.
My friend had the shami and seekh kebab for starters and I chose the mushroom and onion bhaji. Both were cooked by Mumres himself in a large cast iron cauldron/wok while the chef prepared them. Properly made, the bhaji was crunchy, flavorful and wonderful, not the giant golf ball shaped bhaji with an uncooked center that you see in some curry houses.
We had a chance to ask about Rick Stein's recent visit last year, and he confirmed that the dish Rick tucked in was indeed the same lamb & spinach karahi we had there 22 years ago. He also added that Rick said, “It was just as good as last time, no different.” Unlike Dylan's movies, times haven't changed. “He has done everything,” Mumules added.
When ordering the mains, Dave asked for one of my favorite dishes, the keema peas. For me there was no option to choose the special lamb and spinach karahi. We ordered plain naan, rice, and some chapattis as sides.
Mains power has arrived. Dave likes his food and would mix it with rice and put it in before I could take a decent photo. It looked great and Dave made sure we enjoyed every bite of the dish.
My Rick Stein was served on a black cast iron plate and topped with fresh cilantro. It was delicious and felt like I was back to my mom's home cooking. It wasn't very spicy, but it had fresh green chili peppers in it and had a nice background heat to each bite. The blended spinach mixed with the sauce to create a greenish dish.
The lamb had obviously been slow cooked for hours and there were flakes of lamb in the sauce along with some really soft chunks in the dish. It may sound silly, but I was enjoying the curry so much that I didn't want it to end, so I ate it slowly.
This was a proper curry, not a fancy dun curry, served in a run-of-the-mill curry restaurant that had been converted into a former pub, with expensive decorations and expensive, bland food, with every dish tasting the same. Dining in Karachi is an authentic experience where you can see your food being prepared in the open kitchen while interacting directly with the owners and chefs.
It didn't cost an arm and a leg. It was £45 for 4 starters and 3 main courses (I also took a vegetable and lentil curry home for my wife). It won't take long to go back there again next time.
Karachi's Mumrez Khan's Lamb and Spinach Karahi Curry Recipe
3 tablespoons fresh coriander (chopped)
1 tablespoon powdered turmeric
1 tablespoon red chili powder
350g (12oz) fresh spinach, washed and large stems removed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
4 medium-sized green chiles, stems removed
1/2 tablespoon garam masala
550g (1 1/4 lb) chopped onions
1 x 400g (140z) can chopped tom
50g (2oz) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
900g (2 lb) boneless lamb leg or shoulder (1 1/2 inch) cubed
1 tablespoon ground coriander
Serve with a pinch of ground cumin and freshly ground black pepper.
1. Heat the ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and light brown, 20 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, water, ginger, and garlic to a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon and add to the paste, stirring briefly until smooth.
3. Return the puree to the remaining ghee in the pot and add the lamb and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes. By that time the lamb will be half cooked and the sauce will have reduced enough. Stir in the turmeric, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and coriander powder and continue to simmer until the lamb is tender, 30 to 45 minutes for shoulders and 45 to 1 hour for legs. Add a little water from time to time if the sauce starts to stick together.
4. Meanwhile, add 6 oz (175 g) of spinach leaves to a large pot and cook until they wilt and fall to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1 minute, transfer to a rinsed liquefier and blend until a smooth puree. Let's set it aside. Rinse the liquefier again and add the green chilies and 2-3 tablespoons of water and mix until smooth. Let's set it aside.
5. Once the lamb is cooked, there should be a layer of ghee floating on top of the curry. You can scoop it out or leave it there, whichever you prefer. Then add the spinach puree and remaining spinach leaves, mix and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Taste the curry and add desired amount of green chilli puree depending on how spicy you like the curry. Cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Add fresh coriander and garam masala and mix. Transfer the curry to a plate and sprinkle with a little more ground cumin and a little freshly ground black pepper just before serving.
Enjoy with your favorite rice, naan, papadum, or chapati.
