A Food Adventure Through Alberta's Mid-January Deep Freeze: Khan Kebabs and Tokiwa Ramen

Khan Kebabs
It was the 12th, a Sunday, and the Deep Freeze of Alberta was upon us. To be clear, I thought the weather would be so frigid we could not leave at all. I had not yet seen this level of cold -- how can -30 degrees exist? But my mom, who was still visiting through the 13th of January, gave an indication that maybe we should go out and eat.

In particular, she had Khan Kebabs in mind -- back in August, when I was getting settled into Alberta, my mom had gotten this flyer. So we took a chance and decided to head out to this restaurant, taking an Uber. Lo and behold, the weather, despite being frigid, was manageable! We realized that we had made a great choice in coming here; we ended up getting very authentic food that more than made up for coming out in the cold!
Lamb:

This was mainly my mom's idea to order, but I ate some too! My mom, mentioning how it was a rare treat to eat a 'proper' lamb dish, was overjoyed by it. On the other hand, I am still unused to the meat's texture, but I enjoyed myself as well! (Still not nearly as weird as brain curry, involving literal goat brain.)

 Seekh kebab:

Seekh kebab was the main dish I ordered, something of a comfort treat for me. Kebab, rice, and mint chutney is a very classic combination that can be hard to beat! I especially appreciated how the kebab was not drying.

Chapli Kebab

The chapli kebab, prepared in the North Pakistani style, also surprisingly avoided drying my mouth, despite easily being the meatiest dish. Once again, mint chutney, the savior of dry mouths, came in handy in preserving the flavor!

Below is my food review that I shared on the restaurant's Facebook page:

"An excellent experience in Pakistani cuisine, in Edmonton and in general, housed in an unassuming diner space yet also very professional in service. The chef being from Peshawar (in northern Pakistan) added a strong sense of regional flavor to the food. Our server, who doubled as the cashier, also thoughtfully asked for our full impressions. Very flavorful seekh and Chapli kebab that does not feel drying in feel. When paired with mint chutney, the flavor comes out even more powerfully. The food coming with naan and biryani rice also kept the meal very engaging. Furthermore the spice levels left a moderate yet very refined fiery aftertaste. It inspired me to buy a bottle of coke, which I rarely do, so I could savor that lingering flavor. Truly a wonderful experience! Khan Kebabs has only been around for 5 months but already demonstrated itself as a key member of the city's food scene.

Highly recommended!"


Tokiwa RamenThe *next* Sunday, on the 19th of Jan, I was actually planning to head to Nando's again. The Deep Freeze was still ongoing because of course. But I realized that Tokiwa Ramen, a popular place recommended to me by friends, was both nearby and somehow not completely stuffed with people! Beyond that, there was a greater fear: that the restaurant was closed (as it often does in the afternoon due to its popularity).

 I must say, though, that the (minuscule) hallway leading into the place was narrow, making the few people present seem like a large crowd. And it was cold, so any time the front door opened felt so chilly! Speaking honestly, being a party of one felt especially lonely in such a bustling place.

That said, the staff was kind enough to pass around menus to those waiting!

 Being of South Asian descent, I of course was quite intrigued by the Spicy Miso and the Aka Kara. (Admittedly the yuzu shio caught my attention as I had eaten that ramen just a few weeks prior!) Seeing "3 kinds of chili peppers" absolutely drew me in.

But first, given that I felt charitable towards myself, I ordered the chicken rice bowl, which is smaller than it appears below. A rather simple dish, but it was an excellent serving for only $4 CAD! It propped up my energy, even as I still felt a bit anxious about being alone at a place like this, so that I could dig into my main course.

 This main course, of course, was the Aka Kara. True to its name -- with Aka meaning red in japanese -- the ramen appeared volcanic, threatening an attack on my tongue. The spicy level was comfortingly warm -- intense, but not enough to overwhelm me. Given the powerful flavor, I found myself picking off items, such as the boiled egg, between making an approach for the ramen itself. Water helped soothe my throat as well. This wait helped me savor the taste of the ramen more -- before I knew it, the ramen was largely gone, leaving behind immense amounts of broth. This broth I decided to take home, so that I could use it in further cooking.

Tokiwa is well worth the acclaim it has received, though the setup may be rather small, and it was a worthy substitution for Nando's. Unfortunately, now I have to do more searching to find exquisite food places in Edmonton! 

An aside from yesterday, Jan 20th: I learned that "Aka" refers to the color red, whereas "akai" refers to a red object. As I understand, "kara" simply means spice....which disappoints me a lot. There were so many potentially better names! Even more shocking, ramen broth is not meant to be completely consumed. From my mom, I learned the art of taking home leftovers to repurpose for dinner, so I had of course gotten the broth to go home.


And then I just rode the (heated) bus to the northernmost train station....and getting to see these views of the river absolutely made it worthwhile. Without even walking outside, I got to see much of the northern part of the city!

Last but not least, I repurposed the ramen broth into a chicken curry! As mentioned, the usual Japanese approach is leaving the ramen broth in the bowl at the restaurant. So, by reusing the broth, itself perhaps a Pakistani idea, and adding some Pakistani spices, I inadvertently created a multicultural dish.

It was good!