Published: · Modified: by Rookie With A Cookie · 7 Comments
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This Instant Pot Karahi has received rave reviews on my Instagram page and I'm excited to finally sit down and post this recipe.
Instant Pot curries are all the rage these days and for good reason. They make the cooking process more hands-off and keep the mess contained in the pot. My stove is looking extra clean these days.This Karahi recipe is loosely based on my popular Boneless Handi recipe you all have loved on the blog with a few tweaks. For one I rarely add yogurt at the start and especially since I'm pressure cooking the meat, I don't want to risk curdling it. But that's not the only reason I add yogurt towards the end of the curry cooking process. I find the taste slightly richer when added at the end. I talk more about this in detail in my Chicken Achari post.
How long do I need to pressure cook the chicken?
Only 6-7 minutes are needed to pressure cook chicken. I always set the pressure cooker to manual pressure on "high." You have to be mindful of the fact that pressure cooking, while expediting the cooking process of the chicken, does take away some of the flavor that the meat absorbs when slow cooking on the stove. So it is really important that you "bhoon" the masala really well in the beginning when you add the chicken to the curry as well as towards the end right before adding the yogurt.
My Karahi/Curries are always watery after releasing pressure. How can I get a rich thick gravy?
The Instant Pots cooks everything really fast which means you do not need to add in the same quantity of water that you typically add while cooking on the stove top. This is key to ensuring that you aren't left with a lot of water after releasing pressure. The biggest tip here is to add just enough water to keep things moist. I only add ¼ cup of water (sometimes ⅓ cup if my masala is too thick). Once you release pressure (I like to do a quick release if the mixture won't splatter), there will still be a bit of water left. This is okay because now we will be evaporating the water while "bhooning" the karahi. For this, I turn the "saute" mode on again and continue stirring until the water evaporates and the oil begins to separate.
My Popular Instant Pot Chicken Karahi
Rookie With A Cookie
This recipe is seriously a keeper. It's quick, authentic and the perfect Karahi to make in a jiffy!
5 from 4 votes
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Pakistani
Servings 4
Equipment
Instant Pot or Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
Instant pot Karahi
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 2 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
- 1 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless and chopped in medium boti chunks
- ¼ cup yogurt beaten
- ¼ cup water
Instant Pot Karahi Spice Blend
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Kasmiri red chili
- ⅓ teaspoon regular red chili
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds crushed
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
- ¼ teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon salt
Garnishes
- coriander leaves
- green chili
- ginger "julienned"
Instructions
Combine the spice blend and set aside.
In your Instant Pot, turn the "saute" mode on and heat up oil followed by onion.
Fry onion until golden brown, then add tomatoes. You can either fry on "saute" mode until tomatoes break down or pressure cook on high for 2 minutes.
Once tomatoes, break down, add the spices and chicken on "Saute" mode and continue to stir until chicken changes color. The stirring will also help seal the chicken with the spices.
Add only ¼ cup of water to loosen the curry, give it a nice stir then pressure cook on "high" with the valve sealed for 5 minutes, then do quick release.
Now on saute mode, allow the excess water to evaporate if there is any. You will notice the oil separate as you continue to bhoon the karahi.
Once oil has separated, add in the beaten yogurt on "low" and let the curry simmer for 5-10 mins. Allow the oil to separate again at this point.
Garnish with coriander, green chilis and julienned ginger and serve with Naan!
More Recipes
- Chicken Karahi 101: Back to the Basics
- Green Chutney Chicken Karahi
- Mongolian Beef (#1 Takeout Favorite!)
- Chicken Tinga Tostadas
Reader Interactions
Comments
Rafay Seyal
This is a great recipe! I discovered some months back and made it once for my wife. She loooved it! She’s now asked me multiple time to make it again! In fact I’m making this for a small dinner party with her family visiting from Dubai tonight! Thank you and may Allah increase the baraka in your blessings!Reply
Bibi
Love this recipe! So delicious! Thank you xReply
wendy c
Hi! I don't see where we are supposed to add ginger garlic pase
Reply
Rookie With A Cookie
you can add after chicken
Reply
Saba
BEST KARAHI EVER.
Genuinely this recipe is the reason I bought an instant pot just so I can make this all the time!! It’s sooooooo good. I’m an amateur cook but followed this recipe to the T and it turned out SO AMAZING. Extremely delicious!!!!Reply
Rookie With A Cookie
Ahhh so happy to have influecned your decision to get an instant pot. Thank you for your review!
Reply
Anonymous
This receipe is finger licking good!!! Loved making and everyone loved eating it.Reply
