Chicken Karahi Inspiration

Chicken Karahi is a famous Pakistani street food dish. I never really looked into Pakistani cuisine until recently when I saw Mark Wiens Pakistan Food & Travel Vlog. He roamed the streets eating what looked like some of the most delicious and flavourful food I’ve seen. What really sucked me in as well was all the food being quite meat heavy. As you all know, I do love my meat. So, taking inspiration from his videos, I started looking into Pakistani food and found inspiration to make some Keto Pakistani food. Specifically, Pakistani chicken karahi looked downright delicious. From what I’ve seen, this is a staple dish to street food and a favourite too.This is just my Keto take on chicken karahi and I hope you like it!

Chicken Karahi Ingredients

Chicken
Fresh tomatoes
Fresh Ginger (julienned ginger)
Garlic Paste
Green Chilies or Green Chili Pepper
Yogurt
Ghee
Butter
Coriander
Cumin Powder or Ground Cumin
Coriander Powder
Red Chili Powder
Turmeric
Pepper Powder
Garam Masala
Kasuri Meth and/or Dry Fenugreek Leaves
Julien Ginger
Tsp salt

*See recipe card down below for exact measurements

Chicken Karahi Directions

Heat the ghee in a karahi/kadai/wok over medium high heat and season with the salt. Then turn the heat up to high and add the chicken. Fry till most of the pink flesh has turned white and then add in the ginger and garlic paste.
Continue cooking the chicken till the garlic and ginger is fragrant and the meat is starting to brown. Chop the tomatoes in half and add them to the karahi/kadai/wok. Now at this point you can cover it and cook it like I did or you can add maybe half a cup of water and let it cook uncovered.
Cook till the tomatoes soften and you can pull off all the skin. Then smash the tomatoes with the back of your spoon to almost puree it. Now add in all the spices, the cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric, black pepper powder and the garam masala. Give it all a good mix and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
Once it’s cooked to your liking then add in the butter, the coriander and the juliennes of ginger. And give it a final good mix and serve with the last green chili chopped and sprinkled on top.

Nutrition Information (Per serving)

Calories: 515
Net Carbs: 3g
Carbs: 4g
Fat: 40
Protein: 32g
Fiber: 1g

This recipe makes 6 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal.

Alternative Ingredients

Definitely try this recipe as originally intended, however, I’m the first to know that sometimes it’s fun to take liberties in the kitchen. The following are just a few ingredients that are sometimes used along with chicken karahi but ones that I have chosen not to use in this version of the recipe.

Red chilis
Green bell pepper
Fresh cilantro, cilantro leaves
Ginger paste (if you don’t have fresh ginger)
Garlic cloves (minced garlic will work if you don’t have garlic paste or even know what garlic paste is)
Tomato puree (this works if you absolutely cannot get your hands on some fresh tomatoes)

Origins of Chicken Karahi

As mentioned above, chicken karahi is a famous Pakistani street food dish. It’s said to have originated in northern and northwestern parts of South Asia. It’s called “chicken karahi” because it’s traditionally made in a karahi, which is a wok, but we call it kadai in India. This is why you might have heard of kadai chicken or chicken kadai as well. This is a karahi which has no handles and the vendors hold it with tongs. You should just watch some of Mark’s vlogs (as mentioned above) to experience it. It’s very cool.

What Do I Eat Chicken Karahi With?

Since we’re on Keto, I generally recommend three things. Definitely my number one choice is Keto naan as it’s simple, easy, and versatile. Option two is cauliflower rice, which if you don’t know how to make, just click here. And finally you can do what’s my favourite, eat with your hands or a spoon!

Other Delicious Keto Chicken Recipes

Looking for more simple and delicious keto recipes? These easy recipes are also chicken-based, so if you like this karahi chicken, you may just like these!

Did you enjoy this chicken karahi recipe? What are some of your favorite chicken dishes? Let me know in the comments below! Also, don’t forget to check out my Youtube page to see many of these recipes in action!