Always on the lookout for new Berlin Curry Houses, research revealed Khan Baba (Amsterdamer Str. 12, 13347 Berlin, Deutschland) up in Wedding, an area the Hector has been monitoring for years. There are plenty of Curry Houses in this part of north Berlin, but not seemingly serving – the real, stuff. Sources suggest Khan Baba serve authentic Punjabi Karahi, the Hector was on the case. Coincidentally, Khan Baba is a matter of metres from the new Vagabund outlet – Kesselhaus.
Authentic Punjabi Karahi? If one studies the online menus of Mainstream Curry Houses, the given descriptions have – Capsicum/Paprika included, i.e. not authentic. In other words, big blobs of Capsicum and usually Onion too, tending towards – stir fry, not a Karahi-Curry. Khan Baba is one of two found to date in Berlin which does not.
We took the U6 to Seestrasse, Kahn Baba is a block east. Arriving at 14.00, Saeed, Mein Host, directed us to the rear right of the restaurant, the tables on the window side being occupied. The menu was brought by a young chap. On studying the lengthy booklet, it was clear that all the Mainstream Dishes were here. Cocktails too, a feature of Mainstream Berlin Curry Houses is their attempt to act as – bar-lounges. To what extent this is ever achieved has never been studied. Who eats Curry at night, who would go for drinks in such an establishment?
In the bottom corner of one page was – Karahi Special. Two portion sizes were on offer commensurate with serious Curry Houses which serve Karahi by weight. Saeed came to take the Order.
I’ve come to try your Karahi Gosht.
Meat or Chicken?
Not the answer I expected, Lamm was verified, though on another day Fisch may well be the option. Fisch Karahi, Mmmmm.
Butter Naan (€2.00), Chicken Salat (€6.50) for Marg and a litre bottle of Sparkling Water (€4.90) were added.
One, two Naan?
One will do. Can I have the Karahi Desi-style, as your mother would cook it?
Saeed was charming, he returned a few minutes later to advise that the Lamm Karahi would take thirty minutes to prepare. A good sign, one does not turn this Curry out in ten minutes.
Photos were acquired as and when spaces were free. On our arrival, people were sitting outside and some stood in the doorway. There they remained, so Khan Baba appears to be quite a focal point in the community.
Chicken Salat
I will admit to be surprised at what was presented. Nine large pieces of skewered Chicken Tikka sat atop what, after the Greek leg of this trip, could only be described as a Modest Salad. The red coating only highlights how little of the white meat was actually – Spiced, ergo the repeated observation: there ain’t such a thing as a Chicken Curry. Marg enjoyed her Salad:
A reasonable plate of lettuce, onion, tomatoes and cucumber with about eight pieces of Chicken Tikka. The spices outside of the chicken gave a good blast of flavour to every mouthful. I enjoyed the salad as I have not had too many vegetables in Berlin so far.
German cuisine, vegetables, aye right.
*
Look at the Naan! The Butter Naan must be amongst the smallest ever encountered. The plus, I would manage all of it, a sensible size therefore. The risen, puffy edges were in marked contrast to the centre. Here, the Naan had been elaborately perforated, the method I would love to see, to prevent it rising. Sesame Seeds had been spread across the centre, a Rogni Naan.
Lamm Karahi
The presentation in the flat karahi impressed. The wedge of Lemon, Ginger Strips and threat of Coriander confirmed that they knew what this was meant to be. The Meat count, on-the-bone as this Karahi must surely be served, reached around a dozen, large pieces. There was a Sucky Bone, yay!
Then there was the Masala which featured no Whole Spices and was comparatively too abundant. I could see pieces of Tomato that were heading towards pulp. If one accepts that a Punjabi Karahi Masala is Tomato based, then why did this one look so – Creamy? The Texture here was simply – wrong. Yes, a spoonful of Yoghurt is a customary ingredient, was too much added? Else, and I wasn’t in the kitchen, it appears to me that Chef pulped some Tomatoes, and why were the skins not removed, then spooned in the House Base Masala. The result? A blend of authentic Karahi Masala and the Mainstream.
Yadgar (Glasgow), my favoured Punjabi Curry House, do not turn out their Goshat Karahi in less than forty five minutes. I would happily have waited.
The Spice hit the back of the throat, a decent – kick. The level of Seasoning was decidedly – low. Again I return to the inefficacy of the Masala. There was a decided lack of Flavour, little depth. The Meat, which was of a decent quality, with only the occasional fatty piece, was suitably Tender. However, it was not giving back Spice or Flavour other than its own – meatiness. The most pronounced Flavour came from the Naan, the Sesame Seeds!
The overall quantity of food before me was manageable. The karahi was almost wiped clean, Marg got in the act here.
I liked it, I thought it was quite sweet with lemon and ginger.
Sweet? That should never be.
The Bill
€29.30 (£24.52)
The Aftermath
I asked Saeed how long Khan Baba had been in business.
One year and forty days.
Precise.
Having introduced Curry-Heute, there was a brief chat about the difficulty in sourcing genuine Pakistani Curry in Berlin. Today, I’m not convinced I did.
Punjabi Zaiqa do serve a variety of Dishes which I regard as being authentic – Desi Curry. Their limitation is the lack of someone front of house. Some find their food to be over-seasoned. Given that comparisons are made when one makes a choice, if low seasoning and charm is what one seeks, then Khan Baba may suffice. If one wants the full-blown Punjabi experience, Punjabi Zaiqa is the only Berlin Curry House I have found which provides this.
2024 Menu
