Chicken Karahi with Ginger by Masterchef’s Raheel Mirza
By Raheel Mirza (@raheelmirzacooking)
Credit: Raheel Mirza
Every now and again, a special dish comes along and captures the imagination. Chicken Karahi is one of those dishes that warms the heart and pleases the soul.
Addictive in every sense, you will want to find a quiet place to eat this without distraction. Easy to create and ready in less than 30 minutes, it is a mid-week saviour and one that will appear on your weekly menu almost by default.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, vegetable oil or ghee
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste or 3 cloves garlic and 1 inch ginger crushed and grated
- 500g chicken breast cut into medium chunks
- 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp tomato puree
- 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 heaped tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 inch ginger peeled and cut into strips
- Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
METHOD
- Heat the oil in a wok or a large shallow casserole pan over a medium to high heat. Add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter for 20 seconds or so.
- Add the ginger/ garlic paste and cook for a further minute being careful not to burn it.
- Add in the chicken and saute on a high heat for about 8-10 minutes until the chicken has browned all over (you are after a golden brown colour and not a dark brown colour).
- Next go in with the tomatoes. Cook these with the chicken for about another 10 minutes until they break down and cook thoroughly. You may need to add a splash of water if it starts to stick to the pan.
- Now it’s time for the tomato puree and yoghurt. Turn the heat down to low-medium and cook the mixture for another 5-7 minutes until the tomato puree and yoghurt has fully incorporated and starts to stick to and coat the chicken. The oil should start to separate from the rest of the masala mixture at this point.
- Add all the spices and cook for a further 5 minutes on a low-medium heat.
- Turn off the heat and add the butter before putting the lid on to allow the butter to melt and infuse for a few minutes.
- Give it one final stir and garnish with the coriander leaves, chopped green chillies (optional for heat) and the strips of ginger.
- Serve with fluffy chapatis or plain basmati rice.
I am passionate about cooking and love to combine my flair for cooking with my natural ability to train and coach people. I enjoy eating, I enjoy feeding and I enjoy creating.
Food is life and I firmly believe that it can bring people together from all walks of life. I believe anyone can learn to cook. I get most of my joy from creating recipes and then watching the reactions of those eating my food.
I cook mainly for my family – me, my wife Nadia, and my two daughters, Isla and Ivvah. Isla, my eldest daughter, has recently started delivering some online virtual cookery and baking classes on Google Meets and this has proved very popular.
Having appeared on MasterChef earlier this year, it is now time to make the most of this passion and hobby of mine. Follow me on my journey @raheelmirzacooking and join me on my Saturday night virtual cookalongs.
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