Food Tripping in Ajax – Karahi Boys and Kunafa’s

Family Naan @KarahiBoys

 Meeting up with a friend in Ajax, hubby and I did not realize we would end up on an amazing food trip! I was happy to find a branch of Karahi Boys which a Pakistani native recommended to me. With branches in downtown and GTA, it turned out great that we can try this place out where we were going to be. It was our first time trying Pakistani cuisine and we loved it!

We ordered half Potohari Goat Karahi which was cooked in whole tomatoes, cream and aromatic spices. We asked for the dish to be served with medium heat as I was warned that Pakistani cuisine tends to be really spicy. However, hubby and I think we could have handled a bit more heat. Next time! The karahi was deliciously hearty with a bit of tang and sweet from the methi (fenugreek) and other spices. The goat was tender and the tomato cream spice sauce was so flavourful. It went perfectly well with the family naan we ordered (with butter, of course!).

Potohari Goat Karahi @KarahiBoys

The naan was simply the best! It was baked to perfection and served on a stand for that wow-effect. This soft and buttery naan was perfect for sharing and scooping up the karahi sauce!

Apart from the Family Naan, we also got some Garlic Naan and paired that with our dish with no sauce, Chapli Kabab. 

Garlic naan @KarahiBoys

The juicy fried Chapli Kabab came in 2 pieces of patties made of minced beef and a blend of spices. It was crispy outside and juicy inside. It came with sauce on the side and on a bed of onions. In my opinion, this was spicier than the karahi we got. It was yummy but I will try something else next time.

Chapli Kabab with Family Naan @Karahi Boys

For dessert, we tried the Khoya Kheer which is a traditional rice pudding made in house which was nicely presented in a clay dish. It was a light palate cleanser with a smooth yet gummy texture. This one was just ok for me.

Khoya Kheer (pudding) @KarahiBoys

We were so delighted to have tried Pakistani cuisine! We will definitely be back with the girls!

Another treat we discovered in Ajax was Kunafa’s. I had not heard of kunafa before but as I was looking for a treat to bring home to the fam, I chanced upon Kunafa’s, tucked away in one of the shopping complexes in Ajax.

Kunafa, which can also be searched up online as kanafeh, kunafeh or knafeh, is a Middle Eastern cheese and dough pastry drizzled in a sugar-based syrup and topped with pistachios. They had Crispy Kunafa (topped with crispy shredded phyllo) 

Crispy Kunafa @Kunafa's

and the Kunafa Nabulsi (the original, traditional kunafa). We tried it first to decide which one to get and as we bit into the warm, gooey cheese pastry, we decided we had to get both. It was just melt-in-your-mouth creamy and the cheesy goodness had just the right sweetness. Alternating the crispy one and the original one was even better!

Kunafa Nabulsi @Kunafa's

We also got their Pistachio and Hazelnut baklava. Grandma and Hubby claimed it was the best baklava they had. I agree, but only outside of the one we had in Mykonos. DD#2 prefers those made by the Greek Orthodox Sisters in Stouffville.

Pistachio and Hazelnut Baklava @Kunafa's

Baklava cups @Kunafa's

There were many other places to discover in Ajax. Cannot wait for our next trip to check out what other goodies they had instore!