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Karahi & handi

Mutton Karahi Recipe

مٹن کڑاہی بنانے کا طریقہ

Tender goat meat cooked covered in its own juices, then fried hard with tomatoes, ginger and green chillies until the oil separates and the masala clings.
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Illustration of Mutton Karahi

Prep

15 min

Cook

1 hr 15 min

Total

1 hr 30 min

Serves

5

Difficulty

Medium

Spice

Medium hot

Mutton karahi is the dish people order at highway dhabas and make at home the day after Eid qurbani. Goat meat needs time, so it is first cooked covered with garlic, ginger and salt until tender, and only then fried with tomatoes on high heat. That two-stage method gives soft meat and a thick, glossy masala with no yogurt or onion.

Ingredients

5 servings

For 5 servings

Measures

To finish

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a karahi or heavy wide pan on high heat. Add the mutton and fry, stirring, until the pieces lose their pink colour and start to brown.

    ⏱ 8 min

  2. Add the crushed garlic, crushed ginger and salt and fry for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes.

    ⏱ 2 min

  3. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook on low heat until the meat is tender and comes away from the bone easily. Check halfway and add a little hot water if it runs dry.

    ⏱ 45 min

  4. Uncover and turn the heat to high. Add the tomatoes, red chilli powder, chilli flakes, turmeric, crushed coriander and cumin.

  5. Bhunai: keep stirring and pressing the tomatoes into the meat on high heat until they melt completely, the masala thickens and the oil separates and shines on top. Add a splash of water whenever it sticks.

    ⏱ 15 min

  6. Add the ginger matchsticks, green chillies, black pepper and garam masala. Cover and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes (dum) so the chillies soften and the flavours settle.

    ⏱ 5 min

  7. Scatter the coriander and serve straight from the karahi.

Tips for the best result

  • Ask for meat from the shoulder and ribs (dasti and pasliyan) of a young goat. It has enough fat to stay juicy and cooks in under an hour.
  • In a pressure cooker, step 3 takes about 15 minutes after the whistle. Then move everything to a karahi for the bhunai; do not skip the high-heat frying.
  • If the tomatoes are sour, add half a teaspoon of sugar during the bhunai.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the tomatoes before the meat is tender. Acid slows down softening, so the mutton stays chewy however long you cook it.
  • Leaving too much water in the pot before the bhunai. Dry off the liquid first or the karahi turns into a thin salan.

How to serve

Serve hot with tandoori naan or roti, sliced onions with lemon, and a bowl of raita.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water.

Nutrition and cost

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

Per serving Estimate

Calories
760kcal
Protein
35g
Fat
65g
Carbs
9g
Fibre
2.6g
Sodium
830mg

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 510

Whole dish ≈ Rs 2,560 · 96% 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

Mutton Karahi: questions people ask

Why is my mutton karahi meat tough?

Usually the meat was not fully tender before the tomatoes went in, or it came from an older animal. Cook it covered until a piece breaks easily, then add the tomatoes.

Can I make mutton karahi with beef?

Yes. Beef takes longer to soften, so give it about 75 minutes covered (or 25 minutes in a pressure cooker) before the tomatoes.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

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Read this recipe in Urdu: مٹن کڑاہی بنانے کا طریقہ

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