Karahi Chicken

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A luscious yet healthy spicy tomato and chicken curry packing a huge punch with layers of flavour from onions, garlic, ginger, green pepper and a mix of wonderful spices. This classic chicken curry is best served with rice, and/or some naan bread, a simple salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes and some natural yoghurt or raita on the side. Serve garnished with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. Do not omit the lime; it adds a wonderful fresh tang to balance the thick sauce and deep flavours.

When you are trying to be healthy but still craving ‘Friday night, spicy night’, this should be your go to Indian curry. Quick and easy to make, this recipe is slightly adapted from Vicky Bhogal’s fabulous book, A Year of Cooking Like Mummyji. The family recipes she shares are general British Asian as well as some specific to her Punjabi Sikh upbringing. A fabulous book – I highly recommend it!

I made a few changes – see below. Feel free to use my recipe or go with the original.

The changes I made include:

• replacing the green chillies with chilli flakes – using chilli flakes helps me control and guarantee consistent heat levels each time
• I reduced the amount of oil
• I like lots of sauce so added extra tomatoes in the passata
• Because of the extra tomatoes, I find the sauce needs a little sugar to balance the acidity.

How to make Karahi Chicken

Collect the ingredients together:

This is best made the day before you want to eat it. The flavours will infuse, deepen and develop overnight.

For the crispy vegetables:

• vegetable oil
• onion, peeled and sliced
• green pepper, stem and seeds removed and sliced
• tomatoes, quartered

For the curry:

• vegetable oil
• onion, peeled and finely chopped
• fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed
• garam masala
• Indian curry powder
• ground turmeric
• chilli flakes
• passata
• water
• breasts of chicken
• piece of fresh ginger, cut into thin sticks
• fine salt

To serve:

• sugar
• lime juice
• chopped coriander

Serving options:

• Pilau rice
• Plain boiled basmati rice
• Naan bread
• Yoghurt/raita
• Vegetables or salad – I like iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and cucumber
• Lime wedges

Make the Chicken Karahi:

First make the crispy vegetables:

1. Heat the oil on high and add the onion and pepper and fry on high for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes, continuing to stir, until lightly charred.
3. Remove the vegetables, and set aside.

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Make the curry:

1. Finely chop the onion and add the remaining oil to the pan over a moderate heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
2. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and fry on a moderate heat for 1 minute.
3. Now add the spices and salt – the curry powder, garam masala, turmeric and dried chillis and cook for a further 30 seconds.
4. Cut the ginger into sticks and add to the onions with the chicken and passata.
5. Swill the passata container with the water and add to the pan. Stir well and bring to the boil.
6. Simmer for ½ hour, stirring from time to time, until it makes a nice thick and rich sauce. Partially cover with a lid whilst cooking – largely to prevent mess.
7. To finish: add the onion, pepper and tomatoes and continue cooking for a few minutes on a high heat until the vegetables are hot.
8. Taste to see if it needs a little sugar. This will depend on how sweet the passata, tomatoes and peppers are and your own personal taste. I normally add ½ teaspoon.
9. Switch off the heat and add the juice from ½ a lime.
10. To serve: serve sprinkled with chopped coriander, with rice and/or naan bread and some extra lime wedges. I also like a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, cucumber and sweet tomatoes and some natural yoghurt or raita on the side.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.