Pakistani Chicken Karahi
A real karahi has no onions and no curry powder. The sauce comes from tomatoes collapsing over high heat, and the flavour from garlic, ginger, coarsely crushed coriander seed and black pepper. That plainness is the recipe.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 28 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Calories
- 420
Karahi is named after the pan it's cooked in — a deep two-handled iron wok. It's a restaurant dish in Lahore and Karachi, cooked fast over very high heat, which makes it the quickest curry you can put together.
Method
-
1
Brown the chicken
Heat the oil over the highest heat in a wide pan and brown the chicken for 6 minutes until coloured on the outside.
⏱ 6 min -
2
Garlic and ginger
Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir for two minutes until the raw smell goes.
⏱ 2 min -
3
The tomatoes
Add the tomatoes and salt, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 12 minutes. The tomatoes collapse on their own into the sauce — with no onion at all.
⏱ 12 min -
4
The spices
Uncover and add the crushed coriander, cumin, black pepper, chilli and turmeric, and stir over high heat for 6 minutes until the oil rises to the surface. That's the sign the karahi is ready.
⏱ 6 min -
5
Finish
Add the ginger strips and green chillies and stir for two minutes. Off the heat, add the fresh coriander and lemon.
⏱ 3 min -
6
Serve
Serve in the same pan with naan or flatbread, and an onion and lemon salad.
Cooked it? Rate it
Your rating tells the next cook whether this recipe is worth their time.
✓ Thanks — your rating is in.
Tips that actually matter
- No onions — that isn't an omission. A real karahi's sauce is tomato alone; onion turns it into a different curry.
- Coriander seeds coarsely crushed, not ground — the texture and the sharper flavour are part of the dish's identity.
- Oil rising to the surface is the doneness cue. Before that the flavour hasn't come together.
- High heat throughout. Karahi is a fast dish; a low flame turns it into an ordinary curry.
People also ask
Why no curry powder?
Curry powder is a British invention and isn't used in Pakistani kitchens. Here the spices go in individually and at the right moment, which is what gives the clean flavour.
Can I make it with lamb?
Yes — lamb karahi is very popular. Lamb needs longer: add a cup of water after the tomatoes and give it an hour before the spice stage.
Do I need a karahi pan?
No — any wide, heavy pan works. What matters is that it's wide, so the liquid evaporates fast and the heat stays high.
Cook mode
Pakistani Chicken Karahi
-
1
Brown the chicken
Heat the oil over the highest heat in a wide pan and brown the chicken for 6 minutes until coloured on the outside.
-
2
Garlic and ginger
Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir for two minutes until the raw smell goes.
-
3
The tomatoes
Add the tomatoes and salt, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 12 minutes. The tomatoes collapse on their own into the sauce — with no onion at all.
-
4
The spices
Uncover and add the crushed coriander, cumin, black pepper, chilli and turmeric, and stir over high heat for 6 minutes until the oil rises to the surface. That's the sign the karahi is ready.
-
5
Finish
Add the ginger strips and green chillies and stir for two minutes. Off the heat, add the fresh coriander and lemon.
-
6
Serve
Serve in the same pan with naan or flatbread, and an onion and lemon salad.
Comments
Cooked it? Tell us how it went, or ask a question — we read every comment.