Chicken Karahi in the Pakistani Manner- Lahore’s Star Culinary Attraction?
Lahore, my birthplace, is a city of ornate derelict Mughal buildings and the place where Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh lays at rest; a true cultural crossroads.
It is also the setting for Kipling’s stories, where you will find Kim’s Gun on the Mall; the main artery where the rickshaws, cars and motorbikes weave in and out of the lanes like tiny insects.
Lahore is also well-known for it’s gastronomic treats, and is considered one of the culinary heavyweights of Pakistan.
Drive past the Regal cinema near the Liberty Market and you’ll see round, concave, steel woks, called karahis, filled with pakoras; vegetables dredged in chickpea-flour bobbing up and down in the golden, musky oil.
They are eaten hot and steaming, straight out of the newspaper cones they are served in.
Others will tell you about the famous fragrant, spice-rubbed river fish sold in Mozang Chungi.
Or the legendary chicken broast made on hot coals in Lahore Canttonment.
Everyone has some sort of food-related memory associated with Lahore, the chicken karahi from Food Street in the Gawalmandi quarter is mine.
I hear that recently, Food Street was shut down by the Government this summer.
I so do hope this is temporary.
Upon entering the cacophony of Food Street, you notice the atmosphere becomes thick with steam, oil and smoke from the karahis laden with chicken and lacquered kebabs on a charcoal grill.
In the corner, you see a man preparing taka tak, an onomatopoeic name for the sound of the spatula hitting the griddle.
The taka tak-walla’s arms a blur: like scissor blades coming together, beating the spatulas on the griddle to mince a medley of brain, liver, heart, kidneys, sweetbreads and gizzard.
Not a dish for the meek.
Left right, left right, taka tak, taka tak, taka tak.
Each hit mincing it further into an amalgamous mass of layered flavors and spice.
Lahoris often dispute over whether the dish is rightfully called taka tak or kata kat.
We like to argue about our food.
The chicken karahi-walla stands at his kiosk, in a swirl of heat and smoke.
You watch him as he adds chopped chunks of green chili to make the dish smolderingly hot.
As soon as the karahi is placed in front of you, you ravenously tear off soft, chewy, white pieces of tandoori naan, to mop up that unctuous juice of the karahi-spiced oil running away from the tomatoes.
For all the food found on Food Street, the chicken karahi, to me, is Lahore’s Star Culinary Attraction.
To make chicken karahi, I learnt that one must be very quick, it’s an act of rigorous stir-frying.
One must take care that the garlic does not ‘over-brown’, and that the ginger is added later, as it burns quickly.
When the chicken karahi is almost ready, add the chopped coriander/cilantro stems and julienned ginger and give it a whirl.
I don’t add tomato paste to the dish because I feel it works better with just a few natural ingredients.
If you want to add more color to the dish, add one teaspoon of tomato paste with the tomatoes.
You may have to play around a bit with the chili heat- I find 4 chilies do the trick, my mum always adds 6-8.
Perhaps one could start with 2 for a taste-test.
Years ago, I cut chilies with my bare hands, then touched my ears, burning them.
Since then, I have made sure to cut the chilies with kitchen shears straight into the dish, or coat my fingers with oil while slicing.
The latter can be a bit tricky though, as there is danger of cutting your fingers.
Before serving, garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and a few slim sticks of ginger.
I always add a heaped teaspoon of tart and spicy mango pickle to my plate.
Mausoleum (Samadhi) of Maharajah Ranjit Singh photo credit: Wikipedia
Lahore Food Street photo used with permission from Kamran Ali, from www.nightbirdpro.com
Chicken Karahi in the Pakistani Manner- Lahore’s Star Culinary Attraction?
Ingredients
- 3-5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 lbs chicken with bone, cut into 1½-2 in pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 + 2 in knob of ginger root, minced + julienned
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 + 2 green thai-bird chilies, chopped into discs
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Handful fresh coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves reserved and set aside
- Karahi or wok (preferably 12-14 in)
Instructions
- Place karahi on medium heat and add 3-5 tablespoons of oil;
- To the hot oil, add the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute till it turns golden;
- Add ginger and fry for another minute or two;
- Turn the heat to high and add the chopped tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder;
- Stir fry the tomatoes till the water evaporates and the mixture looks jammy. This should take around ten minutes. If the tomatoes start to scorch, turn the heat down a bit;
- When the mixture has thickened and reduced by more than half, add the chicken and chopped chilies and continue to stir fry for another 10 minutes;
- Add the stems of the coriander/cilantro, remaining chopped chilies, and julienned ginger (reserving some for garnish);
- Before serving, add coriander/cilantro leaves, chilies and slim sticks of raw ginger;
- Serve with naan or chapati. Or if you’re a rice nut like me, have it with some Basmati, even if unconventional.
very nice and easy recipe i will try this insha Allaha it will b very tasty
Do you have to pre boil the chicken in water
@Sam No, I never pre-boil the chicken. Thank you for visiting my blog.
This is M writing from London UK
Your recipe is excellent – the result is absolutely delicious. It was obvious from the word go that your recipe would deliver – it is clear, simple and perfectly set out. The photos and the back story are great and put the dish in to its context.
I was between homes a couple of weeks ago when I came across the recipe and couldn’t wait to have a kitchen again to try it. I’ve just moved in to a new place and this is the first thing I cooked – and, of course, I wasn’t disappointed.
I do have a wok but because the kitchen and the gas flame was still unfamiliar to me (you know what it’s like cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen and you don’t know where things are and everything takes twice as long to do because of that) I used a French sauteuse pan (thick bottomed, non-stick with a medium high side and a glass lid with a controllable vent in it). The pan I used worked very well for this dish as it helped develop the flavours – especially as I faffed around looking for everything!
Thank you!
And best and kindest regards from London!
M
@Mostyn Yes, I know what it feels like when you are in an unfamiliar kitchen – I was in Paris this summer and made a simple pasta in a new kitchen – even that was a bit of a challenge. Thank you for sharing the story about your experience with me. I love sauteuse pans, hope the dish turned out lovely. All best, Shayma
How long do I have to braise my chicken until it is tender?
I attempted to make a slightly different version of this dish a few months ago (the recipe came from my Pakistani friend), but he didn’t specify how long I should simmer the chicken until the meat is fork tender. I tried to braise the chickens for 10-15 minutes, and the results were quite tough, not what I had in mind. Another attempt was done with the help of pressure cooker, and it yielded nice results.
@Bob I love using a pressure cooker. If you want to braise the chicken for longer (in a regular pot), try it for 45 minutes, with the lid on. Do let me know how it turns out. All best, Shayma
This method is very much similar to the chicken karahi of namak mandi Peshawar I always cook karahi in similar way and always been appreciated by guests.
I tried this recipe and it has been a hit with my family! mom and dad were over and my mom is an amazing cook herself! we were all raving about the simplicity of the dish, yet it was so incredibly flavourful! My husband finished his serving yet he continued nibling from the serving dish until I had to take it away! 🙂
i used a whole chicken, bone-in and i found it took me about 1 hour from start to finish to make.
i will be trying more of your recipes! and so nice to see such a successful woman! 🙂
keep up the good work!
This is my go-to chicken karhai recipe now. I’ve made it multiple times and it always turns out perfect! Glad I stumbled across it — thanks so much!
Happy New Year! Was wondering if you’ve experimented with the Instant Pot yet. Please post recipes if you have! Thanks 🙂