The Katlama mystery
I've just finished eating the rest of the katlama we bought from Imran's restaurant in Birmingham over the weekend. 'What is this katlama?', I hear you ask. It's a savoury, meat-filled, pastry type-dish, a little slice of deep-fried heaven. And it's only £1.20. For some reason I can't find any decent images of the katlama on Google, other the image below that I took from an Uzbek food site!
For some unreasonable reason, the katlama is impossible to find in London. I have searched far and wide. I'm sure it's out there, somewhere ... this beautiful thing.
I often dream of opening up my own katlama shop in London but I know I would eat all the stock before the first customer came through the door.
21 comments:
i live in birmingham, and i know what restuarant you went to, i also ate katlama yesterday...but my stomach doesnt feel good! im looking for some decent katlama recipes!
Oh no, I would like to think your stomach got ill at the thought of having tasted something so wonderful that everything else would pale in comparison, but I feel this is a somewhat romanticised notion of what actually happened.
As for recipes, there are a few on the net, but they seem to be for a non-meat katlama, more of a bread snack really. I think filo pastry, squirrel meat and a vat full of oil is a good starting point, but beyond that it's anyone's guess : )
The best food ever! especially after a night out. Just make sure you're near a toilet in the morning.
Hah, I hear you on this...we went back to Imran's a week ago and had another katlama...the big discovery is that they are much tastier if grilled at home rather ordering and eating them in the restaurant, where they are (re?)fried.
on coventry road is a shop/restaurant called riaz's they do FRESH katlamas everyday but keep increasing price as of 25.5.08 it is £1.30
Good info anonymous. We should make plot all the places selling Katlummas in the UK using Google Maps, with quality and price ratings!
£1.30 seems a good price. If they are the same size as the ones I buy from Imran's in Ladypool Road, Birmingham, then it's still good value.
Hey Riz...I know of a place in East London, I dont remember the exact location/name but you can ask the guys around that area: It is near Aldgate East station, there will be lots of vendors selling stuff on the street, just ask any of the indian/pakistani guys there....I think you get these katlamas only on Fridays or Saturdays ....go and enjoy , they are really awesome....
good info Gee Man. I haven't been to East London in a long, long time...but now I have a reason to go! If I ever find the East London katlama, I'll report back!
I've never seen Katlamas outside Birmingham. They're a Balti/Pakistani thing, which might explain how localised they are. I used to eat them regularly when I lived in Brum and have just found a recipe for them at http://www.angelfire.com/country/fauziaspakistan/keemakatlama.html
Hi James, if you ever follow this recipe (which seems to be the only one around on the net, and I've tried about five different spellings!), please let me know how it goes!
Hi, we eat katlamas in Saleems restaurant in ladypool road. Sometimes lucky and they are fresh. We also take them home, but reheat them in the oven.
recipes on the net don't seem quite right to me.
long live the katlama!
Ah yes, the take them home and reheat them trick. They are lovely fresh from the grill or oven (we grill them back to life and they go deliciously crispy). A halaal savoury and sweet shop opened in Milton Keynes for the first time so I thought I'd pop in and ask for a katlama - they guy just looked at me as if I was an alien.
Right now I am doing an impression of the old yellow pages advert with JR Hartley ringing to see if anyone has a copy of his fly fishing book.
Only I am ringing restaurants/ kebab houses in East London asking if they have any katlama.
I have been fasting all day, am absolutley famished and only a katlama will do the trick.
Oh to be back in Birmingham.
You can get Katlamas anywhere in Birmingham! Why do I need the toilet every 5 minutes in the morning though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
That's right..rub it in (toilet issue not withstanding!). Over the long-run, either the Katlama goes nationwide or Birmingham experiences a surge in its population.
I used to work in a Balti Restaraunt in Telford called Mister Daves and he made Katlama fresh everyday , it was the best thing about working there getting a Free meal everyday including a "Lama" and I would often take a few home and they went really well with the Dip which I made myself but I have never seen anywhere else in the country do them and I have asked restaraunts the length and breadth of the Country unfortunately Mister Dave had to shut down due to health reasons so alas I have been lama less for a long time too !!
Shereen Kadah on Moseley Road, Bimingham serves fresh Katlama for breakfast ona Sunday morning, plus Channa & Puri... I am lucky enough to live round the corner.. :-)
Lahore Karahi in Tooting www.lahorekarahi.co.uk do a mean Katlama.
Shereen Kadah on Moseley Road in Birmingham have the BEST kathlamas in the UK... Second would be Saleems on Ladypool Rd...
Trust me.. I'm 34 years old and have been eating them since the age of 7!
I believe kathlamas were invented in Birmingham and Shereen Kadah & Saleems were the first to make them in the 60's
Regards
Special K
Interesting history...so the true home of the lumma may be very near where I had my first and best lummas (Imran's). Will have to try either Saleem's or Shereen Kadah next time I'm on town. Thanks for the update.
Went to the Lahore Karahi in Tooting last night, expressly because we'd heard they do katlamas.
Wasn't disappointed. They weren't fresh out of the fryer but were pretty good, and pretty much as we remembered them from Saleem's in Birmingham. They even came with the same red sauce that Saleem's give you (minus the raw onions). The only difference was they cut the katlama up into quarters rather than give you the whole thing in one big piece.
A good find - and the added bonus was that the bhunas we had were really really good. Would recommend it highly.
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