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Karahi & handi

Chicken Karahi Recipe

چکن کڑاہی بنانے کا طریقہ

Restaurant-style chicken karahi at home: chicken cooked fast in tomatoes, ginger and green chillies, with no onion and a glossy, clinging masala.
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Illustration of Chicken Karahi

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Medium hot

Karahi is named after the deep iron wok it is cooked and served in. The classic roadside version uses no onion and no yogurt: the chicken is seared hard, then cooked down in its own juices with a lot of tomato until the oil separates. Fresh ginger, green chillies and black pepper go in at the end, so the dish tastes bright rather than heavy. It is quick enough for a weeknight and good enough for guests.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

To finish

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a karahi or wide heavy pan on high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the pieces turn white and start to brown at the edges.

    ⏱ 6 min

  2. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and fry for a minute until the raw smell goes.

    ⏱ 1 min

  3. Add the tomatoes, salt, red chilli powder, chilli flakes, turmeric, crushed coriander seeds and cumin. Stir, cover and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are completely soft.

    ⏱ 10 min

  4. Uncover and pull out the tomato skins with tongs if you like a smooth masala. Turn the heat up and keep stirring and pressing the tomatoes into the chicken (this is the bhunai).

    ⏱ 10 min

  5. Keep cooking until the masala is thick, clings to the chicken and oil shines on the surface. If it catches, add a splash of water and scrape the bottom.

    ⏱ 5 min

  6. Add the ginger matchsticks, green chillies, black pepper and garam masala. Cover and leave on the lowest heat for a few minutes so the chillies soften (this is the dum).

    ⏱ 3 min

  7. Stir in the butter if using, scatter the coriander and serve straight from the karahi.

Tips for the best result

  • Use ripe, red tomatoes. Pale tomatoes make a sour, watery karahi; if yours are pale, add a pinch of sugar.
  • Small pieces from a young bird cook fastest and stay juicy. Ask the butcher for karahi cut.
  • Crushing whole coriander seeds just before cooking gives the karahi its typical dhaba flavour.

Common mistakes

  • Adding water early. The chicken and tomatoes release plenty of liquid; extra water turns the karahi into a curry.
  • Cooking on low heat throughout. Karahi needs high heat for the first sear and the final bhunai, or it tastes stewed.

How to serve

Serve hot with naan or roti, a plate of sliced onion with lemon, and raita.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water; the flavour is often better the next day.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
815kcal
Protein
48g
Fat
66g
Carbs
8g
Fibre
2.4g
Sodium
1060mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 190

Whole dish ≈ Rs 760 · 97% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Chicken Karahi: questions people ask

Do you put onions in chicken karahi?

The classic dhaba karahi has no onion: tomatoes give the body. Some home cooks add one sliced onion with the chicken for a sweeter, thicker masala; it works, but it is a different style.

What is the difference between karahi and handi?

Karahi is cooked fast on high heat in tomatoes and stays fairly dry. Handi is cooked more slowly, usually with onion, yogurt or cream, and has a richer, creamier gravy.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All karahi and handi recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: چکن کڑاہی بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/chicken-karahi · Handi, DanixSoft