Curryspondent Neil made Hector aware of the opening of Hujra Restaurant (337 Paisley Rd W, Glasgow G51 1LU) towards the end of last year. Curry Houses at this locale have not done so well in the era of Curry-Huete. The adjacent Schawarma Grill, which occupies the former site of the The Clachan Bar, must dominate this stretch opposite Cessnock Subway Station, however they do not serve Curry. The signage at Hujra contains the magic words – Charsi Karahi.
After Monday’s dubious Afghani Cuisine at Jinnah (Harrogate), it was something of a self-fulfilling prophecy that Hector made his way to Hujra this afternoon. By my reckoning, Hujra is Glasgow’s fifth outlet for Afghan Karahi. Namak Mandi was due to move around the corner to larger premises, no sign of that yet.
Hector arrived at Hujra around 14.00, Qudrat, Mein Host, was sitting in the open kitchen beyond the serving counter. Ready Dishes were on display, featuring a mean looking tray of Spinach. I would later establish this as – Aloo Palak – also, Chana (Chickpeas), a choice of. Qudrat stood up to greet.
You do Karahi? – I asked, well if he didn’t there was a fallback, and a lengthy walk.
Is one kilo enough for you?
Having studied the modest menu some time back, I was concerned that Karahi would only be available by the kilo, today I would have taken that if necessary, or pay the premium for the half kilo.
The half kilo was offered and accepted. A Naan (£1.00) would accompany.
Qudrat was keen to let me know this would be Afghani Karahi, I hopefully expressed my appreciation of this (when done properly).
Spicy?
Above medium – was hopefully relayed. I was then put under a bit of pressure to have Rice, presumably the Qabali Rice (£3.50) which I must have had at some incarnation of The Khyber Pass Restaurant. I stuck to my guns, a Naan.
Qudrat pointed to the fridge – help yourself to juice, I will bring salad.
I took a can of Mango Rubicon (£1.00) and went through to the dining area.
Hujra exactly matches Sheerin Palace in scale and layout. With an unrestricted view on to Paisley Rd. West, Hujra is brighter. I chose my spot, and surveyed all. Hujra seats more than twenty, at eight tables. The comfy armchair remains a mystery.
Green Tea, anyone? The menu shows a list of – welcome – items, the Salad included. The laminated menu confirmed Charsi Karahi available by the kilo: Chicken (£18.00) and Lamb (26.00). This is great value for Lamb presently. I also note that some venues are, somewhat cheekily, not differentiating in price between Chicken and Lamb. At this point the price of the half kilo was unknown.
The Salad arrived and remained untouched until the arrival of the main course. An elderly chap took the window table, He had a Naan plus the Aloo Saag/Palak. Is the Hector being haunted by Spinach? I didn’t spot what his bonus component was.
I could hear the usual scraping noises coming from next door, Qudrat gave me a heads up, another five minutes. My Charsi Karahi was thankfully not coming in an instant as it seemed to in Harrogate. A one man show – was nearly the title of this post, but a second staff member arrived, bringing bottles of Water, not Sparkling.
In good time, all was assembled.
The Naan showed a mass of perforations. Not quite – Rogni – it hadn’t turned hard as they tend to do. A dense thickness was therefore achieved, it did the job. In terms of Naan per £, this makes one wonder at the prices charged elsewhere for dough and water.
Lamb Charsi Karahi
Lamb Chops stood proudly, protruding from the mass. Four or five Lamb Chops was a quick estimate. Then I spotted a Sucky Bone and some ribs. All cuts were here. A half kilo with bones, manageable, a half kilo without, madness.
I was going to eat directly from the karahi, however, this would not have revealed the Masala. A plate was provided, even some Salad eventually made its way on here.
The Masala was thin, runny, compared to the Lahori/Punjabi equivalent. What sat before me bore little resemblance to the photo on the menu (right). There was no doubting that the Masala was pulped Tomatoes, and no sign of skins. A quick comparison with the equivalent at Namak Mandi also confirmed this was thin. Unlike comparable venues, here there was no visible Oil collecting.
Unsurprisingly, Tomato was the first Flavour to register. The Seasoning impressed, the Spice Level built up slowly from – moderate, especially when the sliced Green Chillies were encountered. Hot food, I tentatively tackled a Chop … these had not been grilled, so cooked in the proper manner, in advance, then added to the Masala; the only way to produce this in the time permitted. The Meat varied in Texture from soft, through tender, a couple of bits were recorded as – tough. As the bones testified, all cuts here. I revised the Lamb Chop estimate down to two/three.
Dipping the Naan in the Tomato Sauce proved rewarding. A warming, intensity of Flavour, not depth of, was experienced. This was a simple Sauce, but oh so tasty, despite the hoped for Peppery Flavour being absent. If I had cooked a Tomato Sauce with this much Flavour, well … it was all about the Seasoning.
Qudrat checked on my progress. Tasty – was an early verdict. I had to demonstrate my knowledge:
Do you make Namkeen?
The answer was in the affirmative, however, Qudrat reckoned that he would be left with it in the fridge for some three days. Fresh food is the plan.
I ate on. Each mouthful felt like a reward for the mouth. Charsi – today’s was a minimalist interpretation. Original Khyber serve a similar Tomato Masala, Khyber Pass Restaurant has the much loved Pepperiness and a thicker Masala. Different Chefs, different styles, take your pick.
The Bill
£15.00 Fantastic value, no premium being charged for preparing the half kilo.
The Aftermath
Introductions were made, the Calling Card issued. We discussed the Afghan competitors, Qudrat is aware of these. Time will tell if this is a cursed location. To the west, Chilli Cottage is still going strong. Eight years since the one and only visit? Can I face Nihari? It’s that or Chicken. Maybe things have changed?
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2023 Menu
