The best karahi in the UAE is cooked to order in a wok over high heat, with fresh tomato, ginger and green chilli, and arrives sizzling in the pan it was cooked in. Prices for a half chicken karahi run from about AED 29 in Sharjah to AED 45 and more in central Dubai. The style matters as much as the price: charsi, shinwari, white and desi karahi are different dishes.
What is a karahi curry?
A karahi is the wide, deep steel wok it is cooked in, and the dish takes its name from it. Meat is seared hard, then cooked down with tomatoes until the sauce clings rather than pools. That speed and heat is what separates it from a slow-cooked handi; our karahi vs handi guide explains the difference.
The main types of karahi
- Chicken karahi: the everyday classic, tomato-based with ginger and green chilli
- Charsi karahi: Peshawar style, usually mutton, cooked with little more than tomato, salt and the meat's own fat
- Shinwari karahi: from the Pakistan and Afghanistan border, mutton cooked simply in its own fat with salt and tomato
- White karahi: yoghurt or cream and black pepper instead of tomato and red chilli
- Desi chicken karahi: made with free-range local chicken, firmer and more flavourful
- Kabab karahi: seekh kababs finished in karahi masala
How to judge a good karahi
- It should be cooked to order: 20 to 30 minutes is a good sign, not a bad one
- The sauce should coat the meat, with oil separating at the edges
- Fresh ginger and green chilli on top, not dried
- The meat should be on the bone for flavour
- It should come in half and full sizes for sharing
What karahi should cost in the UAE
In Sharjah's food districts, a half chicken karahi is typically around AED 29 to 35 and a full around AED 48 to 60; mutton karahi costs more. Central Dubai prices are usually higher. Our prices, at Taier Al Monal, opposite Nesto Hypermarket in Abu Shagara, Sharjah:
- Chicken karahi: AED 29 half, AED 48 full
- White chicken karahi: AED 30 half, AED 55 full
- Mutton karahi: AED 50 half, AED 85 full
- Charsi mutton karahi and shinwari karahi: AED 55 half, AED 95 full
- Desi chicken karahi: AED 99 full
- Kabab karahi: AED 20 chicken, AED 40 mutton
Every one is on our menu, and our Sharjah karahi guide describes each.
Is karahi healthy?
Karahi is high in protein and made from simple, fresh ingredients, but it is cooked with a generous amount of oil or ghee. Ask for less oil, choose chicken over mutton, and pair it with roti rather than butter naan if you are watching calories.
Seven karahis, cooked to order
From AED 20, in Abu Shagara, Sharjah. Open until midnight.
See All Seven Karahis
