Karahi

"Kadai" redirects here. For the language family, see Tai–Kadai languages.

A wok sits next to a karahi on a Western-style stove. Note that the flat-bottomed karahi (right) is sitting on an ordinary burner cover, while the round-bottomed wok is balanced in a wok-ring. Karahi often have round (loop-shaped) handles, though the one shown does not.

A karahi ( /kəˈraɪ/; Hindi: कड़ाही kaṛāhī, Urdu: کڑاہی; also kadai, korai, karai, kadhi, kadahi, kadhai or cheena chatti) is a type of thick, circular, and deep cooking pot (similar in shape to a wok) used in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Nepalese cuisine. Karahi are traditionally made out of cast iron, and look like woks with rounded bottoms. They are sometimes now made with other materials like stainless steel and copper and non-stick, and flat-bottomed varieties now exist.

Karahi are useful for the shallow or deep frying of meat, potatoes, sweets, and snacks such as samosa and fish, but are most noted for the simmering of stews or posola, which are often named karahi dishes after the utensil.

Stews prepared in a karahi include "chicken karahi" and "karahi paneer." Stews prepared using other methods are sometimes also referred to as karahi. The name karai is so much attached to cooking that one Bangladeshi TV program on cooking was named “Korai Khunti”.

A small decorative karahi (left) and handi (right) used to serve Indian food.

Karahi in a Pakistani restaurant

Balti

Main article: Balti (food)

A balti is also a dish cooked in a karahi, though in this case the term likely originated in Birmingham, England. Baltis are based on the food of Baltistan, an area of Pakistan close to the Chinese border, that is home to a sizable ethnic Tibetan population. As such, baltis are differently spiced and contain somewhat different ingredients as compared to general Pakistani food, having more of a Kashmiri and Afghan influence.