Karahi Chicken
Karahi Chicken or Kadai Chicken is a popular restaurant favourite and a dish that hails from Lahore, Pakistan but is popular across Indian and Pakistan. It is a must try recipe, that is easy to make, incredibly aromatic and very flavourful.
Ingredients
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup Oil Adjust if this feels like too much
- 6 Cardamom Pods cracked open
- 1 inch Cassia Bark/Cinnamon
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 6 Peppercorns
- 6 Cloves
- 4 Green Chillies pierced
- 8 Chicken Legs/Thighs Mixed
- 1 ½ Inch Ginger crushed
- 4 - 8 cloves Garlic crushed
- 250 g Tomatoes Pureed or Chopped in half
- Salt
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground Coriander
- 1 ½ tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tbsp Dried Fenugreek slightly crushed between your fingers (Optional)
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
Instructions
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Heat oil in a wok over medium/high heat.
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Add Cardamom, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, Cloves and Green Chillie and allow to cook in the oil. Cook till fragrant. This will take about 1 - 2 minutes.
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Add Chicken. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
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Now add the Ginger and Garlic and stir in. Saute for 1 - 2 minutes.
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Add tomatoes and salt. Cover the wok with a lid and turn the heat down to low.
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Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. (If using tomatoes that have not been pureed, the skins should have lifted a little. Lift them off and discard).
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Add Turmeric, Chilli Powder, Ground Coriander and Ground Cumin. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
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Remove lid, add the Fenugreek and Garam Masala and cook for 5 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Tips for making the best Chicken Karahi
- Cooking whole spices in oil is really important in this recipe. It lends so much flavour. Try not to skip this bit.
- In this recipe, I use more oil then I usually would. Again, this adds a lot of flavour but you can reduce the quantity down if you prefer.
- In a traditional Lahori Chicken Karahi, whole tomatoes are added and cooked down and then the skins are lifted off. I have used pureed tomatoes for ease.
- Kasuri Methi in this quantity adds a very slight bitterness but it isn't essential.
- Always add Garam Masala towards the end of the cooking time. This is because the spices in it are usually already pre roasted.