46639 Mon Jun 12 14:45:55 -0700 2006 10 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 231645 Going to Lahore Karahi tonight. I'm interested in trying their more interesting Pakistsani dishes, rather than the more everyday Indian fare (chicken tikka, etc.). From browsing old threads, it seems like the chicken jalfrezi, the okra masala, and the tandoori fish are the most distinctive dishes. Anyone have any suggestions to add? Mon Jun 12 14:45:55 -0700 2006 0 OakTownHound 1 231647 tandoori fish is as good as the chef always says... i think he does the best spinach dishes in the city. i get saag gosht every time i go. vindaloo and korma both very very good. mattar paneer is one of the best ive had. get the food spicy if you can, he spices dishes the right way, adding depth to spice instead of tossing in a ton of chili flakes. Mon Jun 12 14:54:16 -0700 2006 231645 0 Lord Griffin 1 231679 yes, yes to to the fish tandori. and the rice pudding is amazing. they will also put together things that are not on the menu like lamb stuffed nan. i love this place. and the people running it are extremely cordial and helpful. Mon Jun 12 16:59:17 -0700 2006 231645 0 janeabby 2 231684 what other "off menu" items are available? The lamb stuffed naan sounds awesome. Mon Jun 12 17:09:29 -0700 2006 231679 0 brian j 1 231680 I haven't been to Lahori Karahi but intend to go soon. My guess, given the name, is that it serves Punjabi food, so the dishes aren't any more Pakistani than Indian or vice versa. Punjab was split in 1947 with the partition of the country, so a piece lies in each. Most of the "Indian" food we get in this country is, more specifically, Punjabi -- the rich curries, naan, etc. comes from the north generally and Punjab in particular. So the long and the short of it is that I'm not sure how to answer your question. Mon Jun 12 17:02:04 -0700 2006 231645 0 Charlie 2 231697 Charlie, thanks for the clarification on South Asian culinary regions vs. political boundaries. The reason I phrased my question the way I did is because Lahore Karahi self-identifies as a "Pakistani-Indian" restaurant, while it's more common to see restaurants identify themselves as simply Indian. Therefore, I'm interested in trying the dishes that set this restaurant apart from the standard fare available at most Indian restaurants in the United States. It seems that asking about "Pakistani" dishes wasn't the right way to phrase this question. Mon Jun 12 17:49:07 -0700 2006 231680 0 OakTownHound 3 231698 Most of the Indian restaurants in SF are Pakistani. Dosa and Ganges (bad last I heard) are two exceptions. Mon Jun 12 17:53:35 -0700 2006 231697 0 Robert Lauriston 4 233048 The Indian recipes tasted good, the Pakistani recipes were a knock off.. Tue Jun 20 20:09:40 -0700 2006 231698 0 Ra Da 3 231699 Karahi dishes are a specialty here, cooked in a wok-like karahi aka kadai. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/45613#225816 Mon Jun 12 18:02:53 -0700 2006 231697 0 Melanie Wong 1 231836 Thanks for all the advice. We had a wonderful meal. Tandoori fish was as great as everyone said. The Karahi Chicken was unlike any Indian dish I've ever had -- a great recommendation, since it doesn't really stand out on the menu ("Chicken sauteed with tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper"). We had bengan bartha, which was different than any other version I've had of this common dish -- it was sweeter, more aromatic, and less dark and rich. We asked for the food spicy, and spicy it was -- not overpowering, but some serious, solid heat. A nice change from most Indian restaurants that are mild by default. We enjoyed the kheer for dessert, which thicker and much less sweet than the typical version. Tue Jun 13 15:09:59 -0700 2006 231645 0 OakTownHound 2 233051 Glad you liked the karahi chicken. Karahi style dishes are one of the specialties of Lahore. They need to be cooked to order to turn out right, unlike some other styles of curries that are made ahead and reheated, so you get fresher taste. Tue Jun 20 20:24:28 -0700 2006 231836 0 Melanie Wong