Chicken Karahi Wraps, Taco or Burrito Style
This chicken karahi wrap recipe is Pakistani chicken karahi upgraded into a wrap. I learned the dish two years ago watching Eating Shablouski make it, and when I cooked it I figured it would work perfectly in a wrap or taco since it's not too saucy. It's fast, flexible in what ingredients you pick, and honestly a perfect starting dish if you're just getting into cooking. And yes, for this one I allow a store-bought tortilla. My old self is right that you should make your own flatbread when you can, but this curry is so good you can get away with it.
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken thighs, cut into cubes (or vegetarian chicken bites)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 pieces ginger, same amount as the garlic, peeled and crushed (or 2–3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste)
- 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes, strained, keep the juices
- 5 green chilies (or a mix of red and green), cut up
- 1 tbsp yogurt
- a handful cilantro, roughly cut, stems included
- a tall knob ginger, cut into julienne matchsticks
- 1/2 lime
- a good spoonful peanut oil or ghee (anything with a high smoke point)
- a three-finger pinch sea or kosher salt
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp cayenne powder
- 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
- a pinch MSG
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 2–4 large tortillas (burrito style) or flaky parathas (taco style)
Method
- 1
Prep everything before the wok goes on, the cooking only takes a few minutes on high heat, so collect it all on a tray for ease of use. Add all the spices to one bowl.
- 2
Put your wok on high heat and add a good spoonful of peanut oil or ghee.
- 3
Add the chicken, let it brown a bit, and season generously, a good three-finger pinch of salt.
- 4
After a minute or so, add the ginger-garlic paste and the strained tomatoes. Stir for 4–5 minutes until the tomatoes break down into a sauce. A lid on for a few minutes helps steam them down.
- 5
Once the tomatoes have become a sauce, add all your spices. Stir for about 3 minutes, the sauce should turn thick, glossy and coat the chicken. If the pan runs too dry, add some of the reserved tomato juice.
- 6
Add the tablespoon of yogurt and the chilies. Total cooking time is 8–10 minutes.
- 7
Stir in the ginger julienne and the cilantro, and taste.
- 8
Finish with the lime juice, but check the sourness first, the yogurt already added acidity. It's all about that taste balance. Take it off the heat.
- 9
Taco style: warm a paratha in the pan, stand it up in a taco holder or cupcake holder so it doesn't fall over, and fill it with karahi.
- 10
Burrito style: fill a large tortilla, fold it up like a burrito, grill it seam-side down for a few seconds, and slice in half.
4 tools I used.
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