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. The Chicken Karahi is finished with some herbs and butter or oil and is very enjoyable when it is served warm.
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: I’ve tried this recipe several times using blended tomatoes and chopped tomatoes and I have concluded that blended tomatoes do not cook as well as chopped tomatoes in this recipe. It’s such a noticeable difference that I can’t let it slide and have to tell you all. Please use finely chopped tomatoes for this recipe – this results are tastier and the texture is superior.
Cooking a Chicken Karahi with the lid on is a gunaah e kabeera (major sin). Sorry. It’s true. The only time you’re allowed to cook a Karahi with the lid on is if you’re cooking a meat Karahi OR if for some reason the chicken hasn’t cooked through.
A Chicken Karahi does not need any water. Do not add water, even if it’s against your own judgement! Please trust the chicken and tomatoes, they WILL release lots of their own beautifully delicious juices. I would like to call this a gunaah e kabeera too and only allowed for red meat Karahis!
Treat the Karahi like a stir-fry. It’s a very busy, active, happening dish. You will be stirring a lot, constantly doing something, adding in things at various points. My Mother always has everything chopped and ready before he started cooking his Karahis, therefore I do the same too and definitely recommends you do so too.
Finely chopping the tomatoes is important because it helps the tomatoes break down quickly and on the same time scale as the chicken. It also ensures you don’t have huge chunks of tomato skin in your curry. If you chop your tomatoes thick, it won’t work the same!
Instructions
1.Heat up your oil in a karahi dish, wok, cast iron skillet or any pan suitable for stir frying, keeping the flame on high for the entire duration
2.Add the chicken in. Fry this, stirring constantly until the chicken begins to take on a golden colour in some places.
3.Add in the minced ginger and garlic. Give this a fry alongside the chicken, again stirring constantly and ensuring nothing burns. Continue to fry this until the raw smell of the ginger and garlic begins to fade.
4.Add all the chopped tomatoes and spices. Stir in and allow this all to cook on high, stirring to ensure nothing catches at the bottom of the pan.
5.Continue to cook this for about 20 minutes, over a high heat. The oil will separate, the tomatoes will thicken and begin to coat the chicken, and you will see holes begin to bubble in the gravy. The chicken should be cooked through at this point once the oil rises to the top and you see the holes coming through.
6.Add the coriander and green chillies, stir in, turn the heat down to a low flame and allow everything to simmer together for 5 minutes with the lid still off.
7.Serve with the matchstick-cut ginger and additional coriander/green chilli if desired.
🧂 Notes about the spices
The paprika/Kasmiri red chilli only functions to add colour. I highly recommend you use this, otherwise your end result will look much more orange/brown than red.
I don’t recommend using black pepper powder if you don’t have coarsely crushed black pepper because it darkens the colour of the Karahi. If you can’t get hold of coarsely crushed black pepper, use whole peppercorns, otherwise omit it.
Notes
If your chicken hasn’t cooked through, you can put the lid on and simmer everything on low for a few additional minutes. Avoid adding water unless absolutely necessary.
If for any reason you have to or want to use onions, I would recommend you add 1 medium onion very finely chopped into the oil before the chicken and allow this to cook until lightly golden before adding the chicken.
I use Himalayan pink salt at home. It is milder than sea salt. Please adjust the salt according to your own preference.