Karahi Chicken

In India and Pakistan some of the dishes are cooked and served in a  ‘karahi’ (also spelled karai, kadai, kadahi or kadhai). For those who do not know a  karahi is a circular, deep, bowled dish and is similar in shape to a wok.It is usually made of cast iron but stainless steel, copper and non-stick versions are also available.

Karahi chicken is a popular dish all across Pakistan . Whether you dine in an upscale fancy restaurant or visit a road side vendor, this chicken dish is always on the menu.Karahi chicken is the only dish ( I know of ) that has countless versions .Basically it’s a tomato based clingy gravy dish but it is cooked in a number of ways with slightly different taste according to the ingredients added other than tomatoes.

I am sharing my version of karahi chicken that is easy , quick , robust , tangy  and off course spicy .With its exotic aromas of fresh ginger,freshly ground whole black pepper , red chilies , coriander and bountiful of tomatoes …this is one dish sure to tingle your taste buds !!

What you need :

• Chicken : 12oo gms ( skinned ,cut and washed )
• Onion : 2 – 3 ( medium , finely chopped )
• GG paste : 1 tbsp
• Tomatoes : 500 gms ( chopped )
• Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder : 1/2 tsp ( up to your tolerance level )
• salt : 1.5 tsp ( up to taste)
• Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
• Oil : 1/2 cup

Karahi Masala :

• Whole Coriander : 2 tbsp
• Whole Black pepper : 3/4 tbsp
• Dried Red chili : 6-7 
• Whole Cumin : 3/4 tbsp

Crush or pound all the ingredients using mortal / pastel .

Garnish :

• Ginger : 1 inch piece ( chopped finely )
• Fresh coriander : 2 tbsp ( chopped)

How To :

1. Heat oil in a wide pan . Add onions and fry till they are lightly browned.
2. Add in the GG paste and fry a little .
3. Throw in the chicken and fry till its no longer pink .
4. Add in salt , turmeric , chili and garam masala , stir and cook for 2 minutes .
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook (stirring in-between|) till most of the water ( tomato water ) dries out and the oil starts to ooze out a bit.
6. Now add in your karahi masala , mix in and adjust seasoning .
7. Reduce flame to very low , cover the pot and let gently simmer for about 10 minutes .
8. Karahi chicken is ready . Garnish with Ginger and coriander.
9. Serve with naan , chapati or boiled rice .

Note :

• Instead of chicken you can use boiled mutton/lamb .
• Vegans can try this with paneer(cottage cheese)/tofu/gobi(cauliflower).

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Everyday Chicken

Its hard to confess but the truth is that I have been bitten by the “Blogging Bug” for sure. A few months back my shopping interest was all girlish bags ,shoes , make up ,perfumes and stuff but the day I  entered into the blogging world that has changed. To my surprise ( and the rest  ) now my shopping mainly consists of  what I say  “blog appropriate” crockery .

My friends are so fed up with this that they even wont let me go to the crockery section if they are with me but I cant help to sneak :).This craze of mine is so obvious that recently I went shopping with my Abbo Jee and to my surprise he came to me with a bowl which was on display and he thought I might like it for my Blog appropriate crockery collection.I really liked the lovely black bowl and he bought it for me. 

For the “official inauguration” of the black bowl I cooked simple everyday Chicken curry ( my abbo jee’s fav ) which i am sharing with you.

What you Need:

• Chicken : 12oo gms ( cut into curry pieces)
• Onions : 2 medium ( Sliced finely )
• Tomatoes : 2 medium ( chopped finely )
• Yogurt : 1/2 cup
• GG paste : 1 tbsp
• Salt : 1 tsp ( up to taste )
• Red chili : 1 tsp ( up to your tolerance level )
• Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder : 1 tsp
• Cumin powder : 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder : 1/2 tsp
• Fresh green chili : 2 – 3
• Oil : 1/2 cup
• Hot water : 3 glasses ( depends how much gravy or shorva you prefer)

How to :

1. Mix in the salt,chili,coriander,turmeric,cumin and garam masala powder into to the yogurt , mix well and keep aside.
2. Heat oil and fry chicken pieces till they are light brown .Take out the chicken and keep aside.
3. In the same oil fry sliced onions till golden brown. Add GG paste and sauté for a minute.
4. Throw in the chopped tomatoes ,sauté till they become mushy .
5. Now put the yogurt  + masala mix and the onion tomato mixture from the pan in a blender and blend  into a smooth paste . Return to the pan and continue cook on medium flame till it is no longer raw and you can see the oil floating .
6. Now its fried chicken’s turn to join the rest in the pan.Sauté chicken along the masala paste till the chicken is thoroughly cooked . At this stage you should have nicely brown chicken with clingy masala paste.
7. Add in 3 glasses of hot water and fresh green chili  , let it boil on high heat once and then reduce flame, cover and let it simmer gently for about 2o minutes.
8. Everyday chicken is ready .. serve.

Notes:

• Add a teaspoon of vinegar to a pan full of water and keep cut chicken in it for 20 minutes to get rid of the raw chicken smell.Throw the water and wash chicken before use.
• This is the basic chicken shorva curry .You can build many combinations from it. Add vegetables like potato, okra,lauki , cauliflower with water if you do not want plain chicken shorva or you can add spinach ,fenugreek to make palak chicken etc.
• Always use hot water for the gravy or shorva instead of cold water for a smooth gravy.

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