Khausay: The Weekend-Only Chef’s Special You Won’t Find on Every Pakistani Menu

Some dishes are easy to find on every Pakistani or Indian menu — biryani, nihari, karahi. Khausay is not one of them. It’s a Chef’s Special at OMG Nafisa’s Kitchen in Morton Grove, IL, served only on weekends, and it’s the kind of dish regulars specifically plan their visit around. If you’ve never had it, here’s everything you need to know before you order.

What Is Khausay?

Khausay (also spelled Khausa, Khao Suey, or Memoni Khausa) is a noodle dish built around a coconut milk curry, thickened with gram flour (besan) and layered over noodles with a rich meat curry. At OMG Nafisa’s Kitchen, the dish is made with beef boti curry in a delicately spiced coconut milk sauce, then finished with an array of contrasting condiments — crispy fried onions, crunchy noodles, fresh herbs, and other garnishes — so every bite hits a different texture and flavor note.

It’s priced at $22.99 and is only available on Saturdays and Sundays as part of the Chef’s Specials menu.

Where Does Khausay Come From?

Khausay’s roots trace back to Burma’s khao suey (also called ohn no khao swè), a coconut curry noodle soup. When Memon trading communities migrated from Burma to South Asia, they brought the dish with them and adapted it into what’s now known as Memoni Khausa — a Pakistani staple, especially within Memon households, built on a coconut-yogurt curry base with beef or chicken, poured over noodles and topped with crispy, tangy, and herbaceous garnishes.

At OMG Nafisa’s Kitchen, Chef Nafisa Mohammad — who has been cooking Pakistani food in Morton Grove since 1997 — has spent decades refining her version of Khausay, treating it as a dish that carries her own journey from Karachi to the Chicago suburbs.

What Makes Khausay Different From Other Curry Dishes?

If you’re used to karahi, nihari, or biryani, Khausay stands apart for a few reasons:

• It’s a noodle dish, not a rice dish. The curry is served over noodles rather than rice, giving it a completely different texture and eating experience.
• The sauce is coconut-based. Most Pakistani curries lean on tomato, onion, and yogurt bases. Khausay’s coconut milk sauce gives it a richer, slightly sweet undertone balanced by tang and spice.
• It’s a build-your-own bowl. Khausay is traditionally served with a spread of condiments — crispy fried noodles, fried onions, boiled egg, lemon wedges, chopped cilantro, and green chilies — so you customize the crunch, heat, and acidity to your taste as you eat.
• It’s genuinely hard to find. Because Khausay takes time and a specific set of components to prepare properly, many restaurants skip it entirely. That’s part of why it’s treated as a weekend-only Chef’s Special rather than an everyday menu item.

Why Only on Weekends?

Khausay’s coconut curry and beef boti take time to prepare properly — the curry needs to be built in layers, and the toppings need to be fresh, not pre-made. Rather than rush the dish or serve a shortcut version daily, OMG Nafisa’s Kitchen reserves Khausay for weekends, when the kitchen can prepare it the way Chef Nafisa intends. It’s the same approach behind other limited-availability specials on the menu, like Taco Tuesdays and Nihari Wednesdays — dishes built around a schedule instead of mass availability.