Degchi
Karahi
Also written: kadai, kadhai, kadahi
- Urduکڑاہی
- Hindiकढ़ाई
- Banglaকড়াই
Karahi is two things at once: a deep, wide, round-bottomed pan with two handles, and the style of cooking done in it. Spelled kadai or kadhai in India, it is closer to a wok than to a flat frying pan, and it is also what people use for deep-frying.
As a dish, a karahi is cooked fast over high heat and served straight from the pan. Our Chicken Karahi has no onion and no added water. Ginger-garlic paste goes into hot oil, the chicken is seared for six to seven minutes, then tomato, slit green chillies and chilli powder follow. The tomato breaks down on its own, and a final few minutes of constant stirring on high heat dries the gravy until the oil separates at the edges.
The shape does the work. The steep sides keep splashes in, and the curved base lets you push the masala to one side and sear in the hotter centre. Paneer gets the same treatment in Kadai Paneer.
No karahi at home? A wide, heavy pan works, as our own steps say. A thin pan runs too hot at the base and scorches the tomato, so stir more often and keep the lid handy.
Recipes that use it
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