Chicken Curry in a Wok - Punjabi Karahi Murgh

Karahi Chicken Curry

Karahi Chicken is popular chicken dish with a history that is said to dates to 1800s. It is said to have originated in the northwestern Punjab region of the pre-partition India, which now falls under the country of Pakistan and its current Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In present day, it is one of the most popular dishes in the state of Punjab in India as well as most parts of North India, served at local highway eateries and world class restaurants in metros, alike.

Indian cuisine has a unique tradition of naming dishes after the cookware they are prepared in, like tandoori (comes from the word tandoor), tawa (comes from griddle), handi (come from clay pot), and then there is karahi. The karahi is a deep, wide-mouthed cooking pot like a wok. Traditionally made of cast iron, it’s now also available in aluminium and stainless steel. The properties of a karahi significantly influence the cooking process. Its wide shape and heat-retentive metal help cook dishes quickly and evenly, providing a distinctive texture and flavour that other vessels may not achieve.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Type: Main

Cooks for 3-4 people

Ingredients

For the Karahi spice mix

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tbsp coriander seeds

½ tsp black peppercorn

½ tsp fennel seeds

2 dried red chilli

For the chicken marination

600 g of chicken breast pieces, cut into medium cubes  

1 tsp ginger and garlic paste

½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (optional)

½ tsp salt

Other ingredients 

2-3 tbsp oil 

1 tsp cumin seeds, dry roasted and pounded

1 tsp coriander seeds, dry roasted and pounded

1 black cardamom pod

1 in cinnamon

1 bay leaf

4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed 

3-4 tomatoes, roughly chopped or 400 g tinned plump tomatoes 

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala 

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, slightly dry roasted and crushed 

1 small white onion, chopped into bulbs

1 green peppers, roughly chopped 

2 green chillies, slit (optional)

1 tbsp yogurt 

Salt

1 inch ginger julienned, cut inti thin strips, like match sticks

Few fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Karahi Chicken Curry

Method 

To marinate the chicken, add the chicken pieces and the ingredients listed under the heading ‘For the chicken marination’ and mix well. Keep in the fridge for half an hour.

In the meanwhile, make the karahi masala. In a pan, add all the spices sited under the heading ‘For the karahi spice mix.’ Dry roast the spices for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, while stirring frequently and grind into a powder. Use 1 tbsp for this recipe. Keep the rest away in an airtight jar in your pantry or spice drawer.

To make the chicken curry, in a deep bottom pan or karahi, heat oil on medium heat and add the roasted cumin and coriander seeds. Once the seeds sizzle, add the black cardamom pod, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Cardamom will provide the smoky fragrance to the oil. Stir for a few seconds and then the crushed garlic and stir until raw smell goes away and they turn translucent, which can take less than a minute.

Now, add the marinated chicken -pieces on high heat. Stir well until the chicken pieces changes colour which can take up to 3-4 minutes.

Add salt and the plump or chopped tomatoes, cover the pan with a lid and cook the sauce on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes or so. Remove the lid, add the powdered spices, namely coriander powder, cumin powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and grama masala and cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Look out for the water should have evaporated and there should be oil on the sides of the pan.

While the chicken is cooking, make the tempering in another pan. Add a teaspoon on oil in the pan, and once hot, add the onion bulbs, slit chillies, and chopped peppers and mix well. Sprinkle a generous pinch of homemade karahi masala over the vegetables and fry these ingredients for a couple of minutes.

The chicken should have cooked within 10-12 minutes. Once its cooked and you see there is oil on the sides of the pan, add yogurt and the dried fenugreek leaves and karahi masala and mix well.

Now pour the tempered ingredients from the other pan over the chicken curry and mix well.

Switch off the burner.

Garnish with ginger juliennes and coriander leaves.

Note

I pound the coriander seeds coarsely to get that enhanced flavour in the sauce. However, if you are not keen on pounding seeds or wanting bits of the seeds in a mouthful of curry, please only the powder form and omit the seeds.

Goes best with

Garlic naan, potatoes Katli, Urad daal fry and mixed veg raita. You can add a raita if you want!

About my cookbook, No Worries, Just Chicken Curries  

This recipe is from my cookbook and you can find it on page 225.

Recioe on page 225 of Suki's Cookbook, No Worries, Just Chicken Curries

You will find my love for chicken recipes from various corners of India is boundless! Indian food culture is shaped by its culinary history, back stories, and traditions. Finding these niche gems (recipes) and putting them together in my latest cookbook for my readers worldwide has been such a honour and privilege.

My latest cookbook, No Worries, Just Chicken Curries is available on Amazon for £14.25.

Suki's latest cookbook, No Worries, Just Chicken Curries