Chicken Karahi - Homestyle

I will never say that my recipe for chicken karahi -ok I have to admit spelling karahi like this is so weird for me. I spell as I pronounce which is Karhai. But then I get told that I’m spelling it wrong hahah

Ok. So where was I… yes Chicken Karahi. So I won’t ever say this is just like the one you would get in a restaurant. Because frankly I don’t think we can replicate a BBQ tonight or kolachi karahi.

But…mine is an absolutely delicious homestyle one. Its got loads of flavor and it’s a crowd pleaser. It freezes great too. Great on its own or with a masala daal. I’ve also added some notes for this recipe if you scroll down which will explain some of the ingredients and cooking methods

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⁣Total Time:

• Prep time: 30 minutes

• Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients for Chicken Karahi:

• 1/2 cup of oil

• 4 tbsp of butter

• 1 chicken cut into 12 pieces

• 6-8 cloves of garlic ground with 1/4th cup of water

• 3 chopped chilies

• 3 tbsp of full fat yogurt mixed with 2 tbsp of heavy cream

• 5 chopped tomatoes

• 1st set of Spice Mix: 1 tbsp each

• Salt (or to taste)

• Red chili powder

• Kashmiri lal mirch or paprika for color

• Any brand karahi powder

• Roasted and ground cumin

• Roasted and ground coriander

• 2 inches of julienned ginger

• 1/2 a bunch of chopped cilantro

• 2nd set of spice mix:

• 1 tsp of garam masala

• 1/2 tsp of kala namak

• 1 tsp of crushed fenugreek leaves ( kasuri methi)

• 1 tsp of black ppper (or according to taste)

Method:

1. Place a big thick bottom pan over medium high heat to preheat.

2. Once the pan is hot, add in the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter. Now place the chicken in along with the garlic water and green chilies. Mix till the chicken turns white.

3. Now add in the yogurt. And mix on high heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add in the tomatoes and the spices (set 1).

5. At this point also add in 1/2 of the chopped cilantro and 1/2 of the julienned ginger.

6. Give everything a good mix. Heat is still on high. And let this mixture cook for 10-15 minutes or till the mixture starts coming together secreting the oil. Mix intermittently but not too much as you don’t want the chicken to break.

7. Once the gravy is to your liking (see notes), add in the remaining 2 tbsp of the butter and the 2nd set of spices.

8. Turn the heat down to low.

9. Cover and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. Garnish with the remaining ginger and cilantro. Serve hot with naan

Notes:

• The butter in this recipe is used twice, once for cooking and the second time to give the gravy a richness.

• My nani (grandmother) always cooked Karahi’s with a double set of cilantro and ginger. Once for cooking and the second for garnishing. Which is why the recipes calls for both ingredients to be used twice.

• This recipe makes a lot of gravy, which my family loves. However if you’d like less gravy then make sure to dry out the mixture more and cook for about 20 minutes.

• When adding the Kasuri methi always make sure to crush it in your plans before sprinkling it, all dried herbs need to be activated for maximum flavor