Restaurant-Style Karahi

Ingredients

Special Hot Green Paste (makes more than needed; the recipe uses 3 tbsp)

• 0.5 medium onion
• 2 green chillies
• 0.25 green pepper
• 0.25 red pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander stalks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 cm chunk of fresh ginger
• a splash of oil to help it blend

Toasted Ground Spice

• 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 0.5 tsp coriander seeds

Tempering

• 4 tbsp oil (60 ml)
• 0.5 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods, split
• 1 black cardamom pod, split (optional)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

Spice

• 1 tsp Mix Powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 0.5 tsp Garam Masala
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp kasuri methi

Sauce

• 3 tbsp special hot green paste (from above)
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 200 g Pre-Cooked Chicken, Pre-Cooked Lamb, chicken tikka, or vegetables
• 300 to 330 ml+ Curry Base Gravy, heated through

Finish

• 2 fresh tomato quarters
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 1 to 2 tsp sugar (optional)
• extra coriander, to garnish

Method

Stage 1 - Make the green paste

1. Roughly chop the onion, green chillies, peppers, coriander stalks, garlic, and ginger.
2. Blitz in a small blender or food processor with a splash of oil until smooth. Set aside.
3. You will have more paste than the 3 tbsp this recipe needs — keep the rest in the fridge for the next karahi (or spread on toast with extra chopped green chilli).

Stage 2 - Toast and grind the seeds

1. Set a dry frying pan on medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds.
2. Toast for 45 to 60 seconds, shaking the pan, until the seeds darken and the aroma sharpens.
3. Tip into a mortar (or spice grinder) and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.

Stage 3 - Temper

1. Set a karahi, wok, or wide frying pan on medium-high heat and add the oil.
2. When hot, drop in the fennel seeds, cloves, green cardamom, and the optional black cardamom. Fry for 30 seconds to infuse the oil.
3. Add the freshly ground cumin and coriander powder along with the ginger-garlic paste.
4. Stir constantly for 20 to 30 seconds until the mixture darkens and the sizzling drops — at which point it's about to burn if you don't keep moving.

Stage 4 - Bloom the spices

1. Add the kasuri methi, mix powder, chilli powder, garam masala, and salt.
2. Splash in 30 ml of base gravy to keep the spices from scorching.
3. Fry for 20 to 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Stage 5 - Green paste and tomato base

1. Stir in 3 tbsp of the special hot green paste.
2. Add the tomato paste. Stir, then turn the heat to high and fry for 45 seconds.

Stage 6 - Main ingredient and gravy

1. Add the pre-cooked chicken (or chosen main) and mix well into the masala.
2. Pour in 75 ml of base gravy. Stir and scrape once, then leave undisturbed until the sauce reduces and small dry craters form around the edges with the oil surfacing.
3. Add a second 75 ml of base gravy. Stir and scrape once when it goes in, then fry for 30 to 45 seconds until the craters return.
4. Pour in the final 150 ml of base gravy. Stir once.
5. Cook on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Resist stirring — the caramelisation on the base and sides of the pan is where the flavour develops. Intervene only if the sauce is about to burn.
6. Add a splash more base gravy at the end if the sauce tightens past where you want it.

Stage 7 - Tomato and coriander finish

1. Taste and adjust with extra salt or sugar if needed.
2. Add the fresh tomato quarters and the chopped coriander leaves.
3. Stir once and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes — the tomato should soften and release juice without disintegrating.
4. Fish out the cloves and cardamom pods (alternatively, use the seeds scraped from the cardamom pods at Stage 3 and discard the pods, so there's nothing to retrieve later).
5. Plate up with an extra scatter of fresh coriander.