We pulled up to Allerton Ave looking like Bronx excellence. Like Bronx royalty. We had a few reasons for choosing Allerton. One, nostalgia. As a kid, I used to go to Allerton all the time. I went to Skate Key over there. If you know you know.
Two, Pakistani food. For some chicken biryani from Karahi King, a halal establishment that serves up South Asian, Pakistani and Indian cuisine. We wanted to highlight a local Bronx business owned by a man of color doing his thing. Holding it down for real.
And three, Onijah Ahmed. She had just gotten back from Pakistan and she’s familiar with the cuisine. She was the perfect person to break bread with, very down to earth. Very Bronx, very outspoken, a gem to be around. We had some amazing conversation and amazing food.
This is the first time I’ve had chicken biryani in a restaurant. Growing up in New York, you get familiar with the stands that have chicken over rice with the white sauce and hot sauce. You might grab a plate once in a blue but it’s not the same as them cooking it in a restaurant.
We wanted to see how Onijah would compare the Bronx white sauce to what’s eaten in Pakistan.
by Lester Walker
featuring Onijah Ahmed
Karahi King
Karahi King: South Asian, Pakistani & Indian cuisine on Allerton Ave
Respect for the law, Les is more. Ghetto Gastro’s profiling the slept-on, underrated eateries around the world with host Lester Walker. New episodes on YouTube every Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter and get early episode access. First up: Karahi King on Allerton Ave.
Karahi King
We got garlic naan cooked in the tandoor. For those who don’t know what a tandoor is, it’s a ceramic setup that sits inside another device. Wrapped in a metal sheath. The ceramic’s what conducts the heat and I’m talkin’ real heat. Up to 1000 degrees, easy. You need that kind of fire for the real deal, blistered garlic naan, tandoori chicken, lamb that’s got that smoky edge to it. That flavor don’t hit the same without the burn.
I’ve used a tandoor before working in Indian-American restaurants in NYC. My amazing mentor, Floyd Cardoz — rest in peace to him — was from Goa, on India’s southwestern coast, right along the Arabian Sea. He passed during COVID, but his impact stays with me. A lot of those dishes are similar to the dishes that I grew up eating, the curries, the naan with cheese inside that lowkey feels like pizza to me. Lots of nostalgia at Karahi King. Feels like a home away from home.
We had some delightful dishes man. It was a gem to be with Onijah at Karahi King and she was a very interesting individual. I’m looking forward to everyone catching our conversation. After we wrapped, it was back to back to back foreign cars. And we kept it pushing. Next stop. Cha-ching. Money in the bank. You’ll catch that next week.
I showed them how I got down on that tandoor too. They didn’t know what time it was. They weren’t expecting for me to know how to use the tandoor but I showed ‘em and I upped that score.
Pull up: 1075 Allerton Ave, Bronx, NY 10469
