I first went to the Karachi over 25 years ago, as part of an un-official lunchtime curry club we had at a marketing agency I worked at way before my tour guiding days. I always remember small metal baths of cooked papadums in the kitchen behind the counter, formica tables, no cutlery and no menus, just a board on the wall with letters and numbers which could be changed as prices went up or down or as the menu changed.
The restaurant was founded back in 1963 on Neal Street, making it the oldest Indian restaurant in Bradford. In April 2002 the celebrity chef Rick Stein pitched up at the restaurant with a film crew as part of filming for his TV show – Rick Stein’s Food Heroes. In the show Rick Stein was shown how to make the house speciality – a lamb and spinach Karahi curry and then was seen tucking into the dish which later featured in one of his best selling cook books.
Not long after the TV show broadcast, like a rolling stone, I visited the Karachi to find the Lamb and Spinach Karahi had been taken off the menu board in its original form and replaced with a dish called The Rick Stein (and it was £1 more than all the other dishes). Now there is marketing for you!
I have a copy of the cook book and have tried making the recipe which whilst quite complicated, blending chilli and spinach, produces a great dish. But having tried making it a few times I have never quite managed to make it taste quite as special as it does at the Karachi. (see end of blog for the menu).
I’d seen in the papers that last year that Rick had returned to the Karachi unannounced without a film crew, to grab his tea before a show he was hosting “An evening with Rick Stein” at Bradford St. George’s Hall. It made me realise I hadn’t been for ages either and so made a mental log to revisit.
Fast forward to last week and a hip replacement. I was let home after an overnight a stay and making good progress 8 days later, but was finding myself subject to a bit of cabin fever by not being able to drive for the next 6 weeks. My good friend Dave (or Digger to his mates), took pity on me and rescued me from home for an afternoon visit to the cinema to see A Complete Unknown, a biopic about Bob Dylan followed by a curry.
We decided a visit to the Karachi was in order so arrived for an early tea. We were greeted by the owner Mumrez Khan, and as it was early we had a choice of tables. The first thing I noticed that whilst it hadn’t gone posh or dramatically changed, there were a few small changes such as menus and cutlery!
My friend had a shami and a sikh kebab for starters and I went for a mushroom and an onion bahji. Both were cooked in a large cast iron cauldron/wok by Mumrez himself whilst his chef was prepping. It was great, the bhajis crisp and flavoursome, properly made rather than some of these huge golf ball type bhajis which are uncooked in the centre that you find at some curry houses.
We had chance to ask about Rick Stein’s recent visit last year and he confirmed that the dish Rick tucked into was indeed the same Lamb & Spinach Karahi he had eaten there 22 years earlier. He also added that Rick said “it was as good as last time and hadn’t changed”. Unlike in the Dylan movie – the times they weren’t a changing! Mumrez added “he finished the whole lot”.
When it came to ordering mains, Dave plumped for the keema pea also one of my favourite dishes. For me there was no choice I had to go for the special Lamb and Spinach Karahi. We ordered a plain naan, rice and a couple of chapatis as sides.
The mains arrived. Dave likes his food and had mixed his with rice and tucked in before I could get a decent picture. It looked great and Dave confirmed he was enjoying the dish between mouthfuls.
My Rick Stein was served in a black cast iron serving dish and topped with fresh coriander. It was like returning to Mum’s home cooking, delicious. Not massively spicy hot but with fresh green chilis there was a good background heat to each mouthful. The dish had a green tinge where the blended spinach had mixed with the sauce.
The lamb had obviously been slow cooked for hours, there were flakes of the lamb in the sauce along with really tender chunks within the dish. I made my way slowly through the curry because as silly as it sounds I was enjoying it so much that I didn’t want it to end!
This was a proper curry, not your fancy Dan curries, served at out of town curry restaurants in converted former pubs, with expensive décor and over-priced bland food, where every dish tastes the same. Eating at the Karachi is an authentic experience where you get to see the dishes prepared in an open kitchen whilst chatting directly to the owner and the chef.
It also didn’t cost and arm and a leg. 4 starters, 3 main courses (we took a Vegetable and Lentil curry home to my wife as well) cost £45. I won’t take as long to get back there again next time.
Mumrez Khan’s Lamb and Spinach Karahi curry recipe from the Karachi
The Ingredients
250g (9oz) Ghee
3 tablespoons Fresh Coriander (chopped)
65g (2 1/2oz) Garlic
1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric
1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
350g (12oz) Fresh Spinach washed with large stalks removed
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
4 medium sized Green Chillies with stalks removed
1 tablespoon Paprika
½ tablespoon Garam Masala
550g (1 1/4lb) Onions Chopped
1 x 400g (140z) Can Chopped Toms
50g (2oz) Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Salt
900g (2lb) Boneless leg or shoulder of Lamb (1½ in) cubes
1 tablespoon Ground Coriander
120ml (4fl oz) water
A pinch of ground cumin and freshly ground black pepper to serve
How to Cook
1. Heat the ghee in a large, heavy based pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 20 minutes until they are soft and a light brown
2. Put the tomatoes, water, ginger and garlic into a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon, add them to the paste and blend briefly until smooth.
3. Return the puree to the ghee left in the pan and add the lamb and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, by which time the lamb will be half cooked and the sauce will be well reduced. Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, paprika and ground coriander and continue to cook for 30-45 minutes for shoulder or 45-1 hour for leg, until the lamb is tender, adding a little water now and then if the sauce starts to stick.
4. Meanwhile, put 175g (6oz) of the spinach leaves into a large pan and cook until it has wilted down into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer to the rinsed out liquidizer and blend to a smooth puree. Set aside. Rinse out the liquidiser again and add the green chillies and 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
5. When the lamb is cooked, there should be a layer of ghee floating on the top of the curry. You can either skim it off or leave it there, whichever you prefer. Then stir in the spinach puree and the remaining spinach leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Now taste the curry and add as much green chilli puree as you wish, according to how hot you like your curries . Simmer for 2 minutes more.
7. Stir in the fresh coriander and garam masala. Transfer the curry to a serving dish and sprinkle with a little more ground cumin and some freshly ground black pepper just before you take it to the table.
Serve with your choice of rice, naan breads, pappadoms or chappatis.
Comments