Chicken Karahi is one of the most popular South Asian dishes in terms of its unique and exotic flavour and its unique method of preparation. Chicken Karahi is made in a wok-like pan referred to as a karahi and is made from marinated chicken cooked along with tomatoes, green chilies, garlic, and ginger.
The dish is simmered for a long time so that the flavors are able to mix so nicely, creating a thick gravy with the perfect combination of spice and freshness. Served warm, the Chicken Karahi is enhanced with butter or oil and a few herbs.
Paired with Naan, roti, and rice, Chicken Karahi is always the preferable choice of the masses, as well as the elite.
Prep Time: 10minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25minutes minutes
Total Time: 35minutes minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients
120 ml (120 ml) oil
1 small chicken, bone in and cut into curry pieces (approx 700-800g or 1.3-1.7lb
5 medium sized (600 g) tomatoes, very finely diced (do NOT blend or purée)
1 bulb garlic, minced approximately 2.5 tbsp
2 tablespoon ginger, minced
1-2 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 teaspoon paprika/kashmiri red chilli (essential for a red colour)
1.5 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
0.5 teaspoon cumin powder
0.5 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon kalonji onion seed, optional
2 green chillies slit in half lengthwise
0.5 bunch coriander chopped
¼ cup (25 g) ginger cut into matchstick pieces
⭐ Top Tips
Important: After trying this recipe multiple times with both chopped and blended tomatoes, I’ve come to the conclusion that chopped tomatoes cook better in this recipe than blended tomatoes. I must inform you all since the difference is so obvious that I can’t ignore it. For this dish, please use finely chopped tomatoes; the texture and flavor are better.
It is a gunaah e kabeera (serious offense) to cook a chicken karahi with the cover on. I apologize. It’s accurate. You can only cook a Karahi with the lid on if you’re preparing meat or if the chicken hasn’t cooked all the way through.
Water is not necessary for a Chicken Karahi. Even if it goes against your personal judgment, don’t add water! The chicken and tomatoes will release a lot of their own exquisitely tasty liquids, so trust them. Only red meat Karahis are permitted, and I would want to refer to this as a gunaah e kabeera as well!
Treat the Karahi like a stir-fry. It’s a very busy, active, happening dish. You’ll be adding ingredients at different times, stirring a lot, and doing something all the time. Before dad begins preparing his Karahis, my mother usually has everything chopped and ready, so I follow suit and strongly advise you to do the same.
The tomatoes must be finely chopped in order for them to decompose rapidly and on the same time scale as the chicken. Additionally, it guarantees that your curry won’t contain large pieces of tomato skin. You won’t get the same results if you chop your tomatoes thickly!
Instructions
1.In a karahi dish, wok, cast iron skillet, or any other stir-frying pan, heat up your oil and keep the flame on high throughout the whole time.
2.Add the chicken in. Stirring continuously, fry this until the chicken starts to become golden in some spots.
3.Add in the minced ginger and garlic. Fry this with the chicken, making sure nothing burns and stirring continuously. Fry this until the garlic and ginger start to lose their raw fragrance.
4.Add all the chopped tomatoes and spices. Add everything and cook on high, stirring to make sure nothing gets trapped at the bottom of the pan.
5.Keep cooking this over high heat for another twenty minutes or so. The gravy will start to bubble holes, the oil will separate, and the tomatoes will thicken and start to coat the chicken. When the oil rises to the top and the holes start to show, the chicken should be cooked thoroughly.
6.Stir in the coriander and green chilies, reduce the heat to a low flame, and simmer for five minutes with the lid off.
7.If preferred, top with extra coriander or green chili and serve with the matchstick-cut ginger.
🧂 Notes about the spices
The only purpose of the paprika/Kasmiri red chilli is to add color. If you don’t use this, your final product will appear much more orange or brown than red.
If you don’t have coarsely ground black pepper, I don’t advise using black pepper powder because it darkens the Karahi’s color. Use whole peppercorns if you can’t get roughly ground black pepper; otherwise, leave it out.
Notes
You can boil everything on low for a few more minutes if your chicken isn’t cooked through. Don’t add water unless it’s absolutely required.
If you must or like to use onions, I suggest putting one medium onion, diced very finely, to the oil before the chicken and letting it simmer until it is just beginning to turn golden.
At home, I use Himalayan pink salt. Compared to sea salt, it is softer. Please adjust the salt to suit your personal taste.