Brian Slattery Photos
Khalid: Never gave up on his vision.
To make the lemon chicken at Ali Baba’s Kitchen, Jamshed Khalid started by cutting boneless chicken breasts into strips. He then marinated it, for at least 12 hours, in a blend of special spices.
I wondered what was in the blend.
“Should I tell you?” Khalid responded with a laugh. “No.”
After the chicken’s thorough marination, all that remained was to grill it up for Ali Baba’s steady customers, who, said Khalid (pictured above), seem to like it any way he offers it — from the protein in a pita sandwich to the centerpiece of a platter of rice and vegetables with salad, feta cheese, white sauce, and hot sauce.
“We cook right in front of the customers,” he said.
Take-out and delivery orders will prove crucial to the ability of local restaurants like Ali Baba’s Kitchen to weather the pandemic during the coming months as Covid-19 cases climb and cold weather sets in. Call (203) 535‑1164 or see the restaurant’s website to order the lemon chicken and other dishes for take-out at 986 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Chasing A Dream
Khalid was born in Pakistan. He got into the fishing business as a young man.
“My dream was to get into the food business,” he said.
He thought of opening a restaurant or a bakery, but was unable to. In 1989 he emigrated to the United States and worked for a vending machine business. He didn’t forget his dream. “I love cooking,” he said, and “I love to eat really good food.”
He recalled visiting his sister in Thailand. She took him to a temple where he was allowed to make a wish for himself, anything he wanted, “and I wished for a restaurant,” he said.
In 2000, he took the leap and got a food cart.
“I was selling Indian and Pakistani food,” Khalid said. In 2003 he became owner of Noor Mahal, an Indian restaurant on Boston Post Road in Orange, and kept running the food cart out of its parking lot. He sold it in 2006 but kept the food cart, which he rebranded as Ali Baba. He rented space in a restaurant kitchen on Route 80.
He had the idea of branching out beyond Indian and Pakistani food, looking further west toward Middle Eastern food, but also toward making dishes that “everyone can eat,” he said.
He got a spot among the food carts at Ingalls Rink on the corner of New Haven’s Prospect and Sachem, and began concocting new dishes.
“The first thing I came up with was the lemon chicken,” he said. “That clicked. People loved it.” He watched business at his food cart soar, and began to add other items to the menu. He reached back into Indian food to offer kati rolls, alongside pitas and rice platters, gyro and couscous.
In 2014, looking to develop his business further, Khalid bought the building at 986 Dixwell Ave. He developed a kitchen for what had become a small fleet of three food carts as well as a dining spot, serving the food to order.
He expanded the menu further; the current offerings feature chicken, fish, lamb, beef, paneer, and falafel, as well as a wide assortment of other vegetable options, available on rice, pita, pita wrap, kati roll, or as part of a platter. The kitchen also offers chicken biryani, chana masala, hummus dishes, and desserts such as baklava and basbousa.
Covid Pivot
Khalid has seen the focus of his business change during the pandemic.
“There’s no business for the food carts,” he said. He now sends out only one of them, to the collection of food carts on Cedar Street near Yale-New Haven Hospital.
But takeout and delivery from the restaurant location are keeping him busy. Some customers who used to frequent the food carts now stop by there for their Ali Baba meals. Khalid believes his owes his continued customer support during the pandemic to the fact that the food at Ali Baba is particularly suited for takeout and delivery — and that “it’s very healthy. That’s the most important thing. Everything is fresh,” he said.
Over the years, Ali Baba’s has become a family business. Khalid’s wife Sobia and two daughters Huda and Huma work along with him on everything from the decor and design of the restaurant and its menu to the business and marketing side. Khalid described his family as “my right and left hands. Without them, I’m nothing.” With the family working as a team, they are looking into the possibility of franchising. “Hopefully soon we’re going to open up another location,” he said, in another town or city in Connecticut.
But meanwhile, some things haven’t changed at all since he opened the first Ali Baba food cart 14 years ago.
“Right now,” Khalid said, “the lemon chicken is the best seller.” Still.
When I tasted the chicken, it was easy to understand why.
The chicken was tender and flavorful. I couldn’t tell what exactly was in that secret marinade, but I could tell where it came from.
The lemon gave it tang. The bed of spices, redolent of both South Asia and the Middle East, gave it a robust flavor that cut through the other strong, tangy flavors from the white sauce (which I asked for) and the hot sauce (which I also definitely asked for). It brightened the vegetables around it and made them a pleasure to eat.
It tasted like where Khalid was from, and the experiences he’d had along the way.
Previous coverage of recommended take-orders to help keep local businesses survive the pandemic:
• Today’s Special: Haci’s Napoletana Pie
• Today’s Special: Fred & Patty’s Brie On Baguette
• Today’s Special: Nieda’s Moist Falafel
• Today’s Special: Qulen’s Vegan “Wings”
• Today’s Special: Aaron’s Peruvian Rice Bowl
• Today’s Special: Singh Bros.’ Chana Kulcha
• Today’s Special: Grandma’s Chicken Soup
• Today’s Special: Woody’s Steak & Shrimp
• Today’s Special: Shilmat’s Yemisir Sambusa
• Today’s Special: Arjun’s Vegetarian Manchurian
• Today’s Special: Mohammed’s Bhel Poori
• Today’s Special: Francesco’s Tortelli
• Today’s Special: Seikichi’s Sushi
• Today’s Special: Ketkeo’s Khao Poon
• Today’s Special: Mike Fox’s French Toast
• Today’s Special: Zhang’s Squirrel Fish Dish
• Today’s Special: Jessica’s Gumbo
• Today’s Special: Kenny Kim’s Vegan Ramen
• Today’s Special: Ernesto’s Venezuelan Arepa
• Today’s Special: Corey’s “Prison Reformer” Frank
• Today’s Special: Bryan’s Butter Chicken Pie
• Today’s Special: Jared’s Super Supreme Baked Potato
• Today’s Special: Craig’s Breakfast Reuben
• Today’s Special: Sunny’s Mackerel Sashimi
Love the chicken biryani & kati rolls!