Hector and Lord Clive of Crawley, two of – The Company – assembled in Manchester, descended upon Kabana (22 Back Turner St., Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1LQ England) at 13.50 for Kofta, or more precisely – Kofta Anda (£5.30). Mags would follow a few minutes later, meanwhile Marg was off pursuing sources of non-Indian fayre.
Rizwan, Mein Host, was expecting us. He instructed his colleague to wipe the table nearest the serving hatch. There, the end bench is movable.
Ah, the fat man’s table – I proffered.
Rizwan may have agreed, he couldn’t possibly comment.
With a Chapatti (£0.80) ordered for Hector, and an indulgent Keema Naan (£3.00) for Clive, we took our seats. The food would come, as would – the foliage.
The substantial Chapatti was of the wholemeal variety. Risen, with a pocket, one asks again, when does a Chapatti become a Roti? There was no dubiety with regards to the Keema Naan. Again, huge, and with the customary Manchester-style perforations, this would prove to be a meal in itself. With more than enough food of my own to eat, I did not purloin a sample, however, I was happy to record the visible – brown mince – which is the Curry-Heute yardstick for a true Keema Naan. No pink – Donner-like – Meat here. Clive did well, but the quantity would defeat him.
Kofta Anda
Four good-sized Meatballs and one hard boiled Egg sat in the Blended Masala. There was enough viscosity in the Masala to not class it as a Shorva. There was Oil separating on the periphery as is the norm in Desi cuisine.
Mags arrived in time to record the moment, she repeated my Order.
There’s a bit of heat in the Koftas – was her opening remark. Should I present a theorem that this is a gender driven comment?
The light colour of the Meatballs forced the conclusion – Chicken. Whilst Lamb is always Hector’s preference, Chicken here is never an issue, the Herbs and Spices are what it’s all about. I’m still waiting to discover Kofta Anda with Vegetable “Meatballs”.
The Masala was significantly different from that served with the Lamb Karahi, Hector’s regular choice at Kabana. No Peppercorns or Cloves were encountered here, the Seasoning was below that in the Karahi. Alternating the Chapatti and Masala with the Kofta, this was proving to be a suitable tasty combination. When the Egg was brought into play, the Curry was transformed. Both the Flavour from the Egg, the yolk in particular, and the Texture adding another dimension. Egg in a Curry, simple, but effective. Aloo Anda? Nobody has ever served this, a Potato and Egg Curry must be worth trying.
A different Curry experience is what I sought today. Man cannot live by Karahi Gosht alone, though a Hector possibly could. My fellow diners also enjoyed what was their first Kofta Anda. Tuesdays at Kabana, Kofta Day, Rizwan should really disclose the pattern for all of his Today’s Specials. We know that at his brother’s Kabana on Cheetham Hill Rd., Wednesday is Bateera Day. Rizwan said he would contact Mani and hold back three portions of Quail for us tomorrow.
*
The Bill
£6.10 My share, paid separately.
The Aftermath
I normally post some photos live here as we eat on another medium, not today. Has someone hacked Kabana’s page, jealous of their ongoing success?