Table talk: For the love of broast

KARACHI:

There is nothing more mouthwatering than a perfectly crispy and moist chicken broast. If you’re a broast buff like me and enjoy variations like double fried, masala or garlic mayo — champ it up with these flavour explosions at places you whirl by on a daily basis, but never really think about trying.

This may not be the broast you are accustomed to, but it may easily be an out-of-ordinary broast you’ve never had in Karachi. Our city boasts some of the best chicken broast around served up with classic fries and doughy buns. Here are a few of my palatable favorites, all priced between Rs145 to Rs170 for a quarter.

Bilal Broast

When you think of chicken broast, Bilal Broast (BB) may not be the first that comes to mind, but their chatpata broast might change that. Located at 12 New Town, Gurumandir, BB’s chicken is moist, tender and juicy with generous lemony masala stuffed neatly into a cavity that lends your taste buds a fiery combination of cumin, coriander and red chili. Served with fries, a bun and two kinds of sauces (the white one tastes like peppery-garlicky mayonnaise). When you do get back to your car, with the chatpata chicken in hand, the aroma wafting from the container will totally lure you to gobble it all before driving home! Do try some of the other delicious varieties on offer like the green chicken broast and fish broast. They also make fried quail, pigeon and rabbit on order!

Jan’s Broast

Jan’s started operations in 1982 from Saddar and later opened an outlet at Clifton in 2004. To be honest, the fried chicken at Jan’s is nothing to write home about and only good enough to make the list because it has been around for ages. The chicken used to be crispy and perfectly seasoned with splendid accompaniments that it alone was worth the wait in line. However, the one we consumed recently was lukewarm and bland, served with rock-hard fries.

Kundan Broast

Kundan Broast at Main Karsaz is an unassuming outdoor eatery which has awesome broast, double-fried to joyful crispness. This restaurant serving fast food is quickly making a mark with broast fanatics from all over Karachi as the chicken is anything but ordinary. Spiced with an abundance of black pepper and zesty masala, it is wonderfully tasty and meaty. Perched atop a mound of golden fries with a side of a bun and sauces, it should be on the list of your must-haves.

Karachi Broast

There is something about the finger lickin’ white garlic sauce and the crispy fries at Karachi Broast, that I am biased to give it a 5/5. Despite its small size, Karachi Broast has made a name for itself over the years, mostly for chicken broast and dry chicken chili. The broasted chicken at Karachi Broast comes high in stature because of obvious reasons. The chicken has a good crust, the skin is savory in flavor, and the meat is succulent. You can taste a blend of pepper and seasoning that would make the bird proud. What sets apart this bird from the rest of the flock are the accompaniments that make sure that every mouthful is a burst of flavor and texture. This cheap dinner is certainly worthy of a spot in the top, which apparently is no secret as patrons all around us were going crazy over it.

KFC

Lastly, KFC, when all else fails, two thigh pieces of tender chicken encased in a satisfyingly crisp skin, with just the right amount of spice would do it for you. Their secret recipe comprises of 11 herbs and spices and has come a long way with our chicken loving nation. I only wish they would bring back their coleslaw which was a great supplement with their chicken.

Author’s note: Do let me know your favourites in the comments section.

Shafia Agha works as a PR consultant and runs a food blog: gobblemywords.wordpress.com. She loves trying out new recipes. Follow her on facebook.com/GobbleMyWords and @shafiaagha on Twitter.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2013.

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