Chicken Karahi is one of those dishes that seems simple on paper — chicken, tomatoes, oil, spices — but genuinely takes practice to master. This is the traditional Lahori-style karahi recipe as our kitchen makes it every morning, for anyone who wants to try cooking it at home on a weekend.
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
- 1 kg halal chicken (bone-in, cut into karahi-size pieces)
- 750 g fresh ripe tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 4 tbsp desi ghee (or good oil)
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 6-8 whole green chillies (slit)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (Kashmiri preferred for colour)
- 1 tsp black pepper (freshly crushed)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt (adjust)
- 2 tbsp ginger julienne (for finish)
- Fresh coriander (chopped, for finish)
Step 1 — Sear the chicken
Heat the ghee in a heavy karahi (wok) on high heat. Add cumin seeds — they'll bloom within 10 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and sear for 5-6 minutes until the outside starts browning. Don't stir constantly — let each side hit the metal.
Step 2 — Add tomatoes and ginger-garlic
Drop in all the tomatoes and the ginger-garlic paste. Stir, cover, and reduce to medium heat. Let the tomatoes break down completely — this takes about 15 minutes. Don't add water; the tomatoes release their own.
Step 3 — Bhunai (the critical step)
Uncover the karahi. Now comes the "bhunai" — stir-fry on high heat until the tomato water evaporates and the oil separates and rises to the surface. This step defines a real Lahori karahi. Takes 8-10 minutes of active stirring. When you see oil pooling clearly at the edges, you're there.
Step 4 — Add powdered spices
Stir in the red chilli powder, coriander powder, black pepper, and salt. Add the slit green chillies. Cook another 3-4 minutes on medium-high, still stirring frequently.
Step 5 — Finishing
Sprinkle the ginger julienne on top, cover for 2 minutes to soften. Kill the heat. Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve immediately with hot naan or roti.
What makes it "Lahori" specifically
Three things:
- No garam masala. Traditional Lahori karahi is finished with black pepper and green chillies, not the ground garam masala mix that Punjab-outside styles use.
- Fresh tomatoes only. No tomato purée, no ketchup, no shortcuts.
- Ginger julienne on top. Not chopped, not paste — julienne strips that stay slightly crunchy.
Don't feel like cooking?
Cooking karahi properly at home takes about 45 minutes plus the cleanup. If you want the exact same recipe delivered to your Lahore office instead, we cook it every morning — order our Chicken Karahi for Rs 340 with 2 rotis. WhatsApp 0324-7619376.
