Karahi is one of my all-time favorite Pakistani foods (I have a 💥 recipe here), and this charcoal-infused one is another one to add to the books!
I want to give you a quick background on this dish before we dive into the recipe- This dish has become extremely popular over the years. It’s served at the roadside restaurants that surround the highway that connects Karachi to Hyderabad. The food served at these restaurants is second to none, and the ambiance is peaceful and relaxing. Families will often venture out from the hustle and bustle of the city to the Karachi Super Highway to enjoy an evening at these open-air culinary havens.
This dish cooked over an open fire on a karahi (a traditional South Asian cast iron or stainless steel cooking vessel similar to a wok) with lots of tomatoes, a variety of chilies, and minimal spices. The combination of chilies and spices makes for a robust flavor, and the whole dish comes together by giving it a charcoal infusion. I promise you, you don’t want to sleep on this recipe!
Pakistani Smoky Chicken Karahi / Koyla Chicken Karahi
Ingredients
- 2½ – 3 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken
- ¾ cup neutral flavored oil
- 4 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 2 green chilies, whole (serrano or jalapeño)
- 4 medium tomatoes pureed
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, coarsely ground
- 1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- Salt, to taste
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Charcoal Infusion
- 1 piece charcoal (hookah charcoals work great here as well; avoid instant lighting charcoals)
- 1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil
Instructions
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Heat oil in a large vessel over high heat. Add chicken and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and green chilies and sauté until fragrant and lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly if the meat is burning (ideally cooking at a high temperature).
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Add pureed tomatoes, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, red chili powder, black pepper, chaat masala, fenugreek leaves, and salt. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the oil begins to separate from the gravy, about 10 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent the mixture from burning.
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Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro and give the final dish a charcoal infusion.
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Charcoal Infusion- In a well-ventilated kitchen, heat charcoal over the flames of a gas stove until grey and red hot. Using tongs, carefully transfer the charcoal to a small bowl, and place it in the vessel with the karahi. Pour oil and quickly cover the vessel completely. Allow the meat to infuse with charcoal flavor for 5 minutes. Remove bowl and carefully dispose charcoal.
Yum I am definitely going to give this a try – if I want to cut corners and substitute dunya powder instead of the seeds would it have an Impact on the flavor? (Same for the zeera) tia! <3
inshAllah you’ll love it! And yes, if you’re in a rush you can definitely swap it out for powder. However if you do have a little extra time, I highly recommend freshly grinding and adding. It adds such amazing flavor!
This looks ah-mazing! Gonna try it out soon!
inshAllah you’ll love it! I’d love to hear your feedback once you’ve made it!