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Murray • I've had an affinity for exotic spices for as long as I can recall. During my university days, I lived for several years in a Manchester area known as the "curry mile."
This neon-lit strip of the city housed more than 70 restaurants, so on my doorstep, I had access to cuisines ranging from Indian and Bangladeshi to Pakistani and Iraqi. As a result, I'm always in the market for a great curry.
That's why I was so delighted recently to discover the Khan Curry House. Pakistani cuisine is the specialty of husband-and-wife team Hamida and Mohammad Nawaz. All the dishes are cooked up by Hamida, while Mohammad tends the front of the house. The restaurant is named in memory of Hamida's father.
You might have already passed Khan Curry House and failed to spy it. It takes only a momentary glance in the wrong direction to miss the unassuming restaurant, perched on the edge of an equally nondescript strip mall. Inside, the couple have spiced up the atmosphere with colorful drapes and decorations. The restaurant's simple layout seats perhaps 20 or so people.
My preferred start to a curry meal is an order of chicken pakora ($3.99), morsels of battered, fried chicken. The exterior was enjoyably crispy, seasoned mildly and not at all soggy, mushy or overtly gluey. Like every appetizer here, it's served with a side of sweet tamarind sauce, with a dollop of puréed jalapeño dropped in the middle for good measure.
Samosa are a staple of menus all around town, but they differ here. Rather than weighty, fist-size examples, at Khan Curry House the much lighter and thinner phyllo wrapping is tucked around gently spiced fillings of ground chicken ($3.99), ground beef ($3.99) and mixed vegetables ($2.99). All come in orders of three.
The Khan sampler ($7.99) is a reasonable way to try one of each samosa, plus mushroom and vegetable pakoras. These come battered and fried, much like the chicken pakora. I recommend the mushroom version, because after the crunch of the batter comes the juicy explosion of a whole mushroom.
Entrées are offered on a spice level of one through five, mild through hold-onto-your-hat. I ordered level threes throughout my visits and ended meals by just breaking a gentle sweat. That said, I like to think of myself as a chile addict, so true spices lovers will want to head toward five.
A fairly unremarkable basmati rice is the standard side dish. Plain naan bread is $1.99, provided in a basket, already torn into pieces for sharing. The extra cost is almost trivial after casting your eye over the entrée pricing — every dish is a bargain.
During my visits, I honed in on the Pakistani cuisine. Nawaz explained how less cream is used, with coconut milk often taking its place. Moreover, there's also less focus on general spice blends, in favor of bold individual spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
That came through in spades after one bite of the wonderful lamb karahi gosht ($10.99), which left my palate sizzling in more ways than one. Copious chunks of well-butchered, fork-tender lamb arrived at the table in a traditional karahi, or cooking pot. The lamb was bathed in a splendidly spicy brown gravy, redolent in cardamom and cinnamon, and I tore through the dish.
Exploring more of the Pakistani dishes, my only complaint with the sabas mirchi ($9.99) — sliced beef, jalapeño, onion and tomato — was the ever-so-slightly chewy beef. Just a tad less cooking time, and this dish could have been a real winner.
Achar gosht ($8.99) hit all the right notes, a chicken curry using the pickle achar as its base. The condiment resulted in an interesting sauce — quite oily, acidic and spicy. I imagine it wouldn't be to everyone's taste — but I lapped it up, finishing every last bite with Khan's thin and crispy naan.
Among the Pakistani selections, you will find plenty of familiar names. One excellent example is the chicken tikka ($9.99), which utilizes the restaurant's imported clay tandoor oven to excellent effect. For less than $10, you receive a generous portion of marinated, seasoned and perfectly roasted moist chicken pieces. The chicken comes with an optional side sauce, too, that delivers a slightly nutty taste. Curiously, all the tandoor meat dishes come with a green side salad.
Chicken tikka masala ($8.99) might be one of the most recognizable of curries, and Khan Curry House's rendition will please fans. The crumbled cashew topping and coconut milk base made for a more complex, less creamy example than you might normally expect.
Vegetarians are well-catered to here, as they can select from six choices. The saag curry ($7.99) was the first I've encountered locally that used fresh, not frozen, spinach. Nawaz beamed with pride when I noted that, pointing out okra curry ($8.99), also uses completely fresh okra.
Which leads me to a note of caution: through several visits it became clear that dishes are cooked from scratch to order. That translates to the odd delay in service here and there, but nothing too dramatic.
Desserts are relatively limited and something of an afterthought. Even Nawaz didn't promote them with much vigor. You will find run-of-the-mill selections, such as mango ice cream ($2.99) and a thoroughly creamy kheer (spiced rice pudding, $3.99) but nothing is surprising. Instead, I'd rather finish with peshwari naan ($3.99), stuffed with pistachios, cashews, raisins, shredded coconut, then brushed with honey. Unconventional maybe, but a deliciously sweet treat — completely.
I enjoyed every visit to Khan Curry House — my only wish would be for an accompanying icy cold Taj Mahal beer, but Khan is a liquor-free restaurant. Options are limited to water, soda, chai and a few fun beverages, such as a super-creamy mango lassi ($3.99) or a cooling iced chai ($2.49).
Khan Curry House recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in business. With the mortality rate for fledgling businesses so high, I will be rooting for this family to make their humble restaurant a success. Their food deserves it, as does the owners' pleasant manner.
Salt Lake Tribune restaurant reviewer Stuart Melling blogs at gastronomicslc.com. Send comments to food@sltrib.com or post a response at facebook.com/tribremix. —
HH
Khan Curry House
Food • HHhj
Mood • Hhj
Service • HH
Noise • b
This small mom-and-pop restaurant offers unique Pakistani dishes, as well as more familiar selections, such as chicken tikka masala. Prices are almost guilt-inducingly low, so don't be afraid to explore the menu's more unusual selections.
Location • 6657 S. State St., Murray; 801-266-3203
Online • khancurryhouse.com
Hours • Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Children's menu • No
Prices • $
Liquor • None
Reservations • No
Takeout • Yes
Wheelchair access • Yes
Outdoor dining • No
On-site parking • Yes
Credit cards • Mastercard, Visa, Discover