If hot food is what one is after, then one Glasgow Curry House guarantees it: Karahi Palace (51-53 Nelson Street, Tradeston, Glasgow, G5 8DZ). Hopefully, the proprietors of the Berlin Curry Houses featured in the past week might come upon this post.
Arriving at 14.10, the plan was to have the usual Karahi Lamb (£9.00) and get to the Subway before the masses spilled out of Hampden Park. Any buses back across the river would surely be as wedged as our TransPennine train yesterday from Manchester.
Shery, Ayaz and the new Chef were present today. The now customary – Boss – greeting was uttered by Shery. Instead of the usual Chapatti (£0.80), a repeat of the recent Coriander Naan (£3.00) was ordered, without Garlic. He brought a welcome jug of tap water, Salad and Sauce were declined.
Ayaz, who normally cooks my Karahi when Chef Rashid is not present, supervised the new chap. Consistency is the name of the game.
When the food arrived, the Naan looked strange. Cut into five pieces, at least the pan-handle remained intact. With only the edges risen, this looked a fairly peely-wally Naan. There was a buttery sheen, not Garlic, and the Coriander topping was minimal. However, the Herb had been rolled inside. There was plenty of Coriander, and somehow, I would eat every piece of this Naan.
Karahi Lamb
Not burning the roof of one’s mouth was objective #1. One has to let the sizzling Oil calm down before the first, all important dip of the Bread.
The Seasoning grabbed my attention, no Curry had in the Deutschland trip came close to this. I risked a hot piece of Meat, beautiful! Lamb that gave off its own Flavour and that of the Spices in which it had been cooked. I never count the Meat at Karahi Palace, there’s always enough, even acknowledging the presence of the Bones.
The Bread and Tomato-rich Masala was an amazing combination. Perhaps it was the thinness of the Naan which let me eat so much, or was it that I was not being bagged up with Rice?
I alternated between pieces of Lamb and Naan/Masala, a Curry I did not want to end. As I dug down into the Masala to fetch another piece of Meat, so I marvelled that the intensity of the heat had been maintained by the hot Oil. Towards the base of the karahi, some of the Ginger Strips were encountered once more, a huge blast of Flavour. Spice, Seasoning, full on Flavour and heat, for me, the four elements which define a truly excellent Curry. … not the Spanish Inquisition.
Ayaz observed my progress, Shery enquired if I needed anything more. What more could I require? The perfect Karahi Gosht in one of my favourite Glasgow Curry Houses.
The Bill
£13.00 I don’t know if the extra £ was due to random pricing of the Naan.
The Aftermath
Farewells, that’s it for another month.