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Karahi

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A wok sits next to a karahi on a Western-style stove. Note that the flat-bottomed karahi (right) sits on an ordinary burner cover, while the round-bottomed wok balances in a wok-ring. Karahi often have round (loop-shaped) handles.

A karahi[a] is a type of thick, circular, and deep cooking pot[1] (similar in shape to a wok) that originated in the Lucknow, India. It is used in Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi/Bengali, Afghan, and Caribbean cuisines. Traditionally press-formed from mild steel sheets or made of wrought iron, a karahi resembles a wok with steeper sides.[citation needed] Today, they can be made of stainless steel, copper, and nonstick surfaces, both round and flat-bottomed, or of traditional materials. The word Karrahi emanates from Karah, a bigger version of wok traditionally used in the subcontinent for boiling milk and producing thick cream, that stems from the Persian word کرہ karah meaning circular.

History

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Karahi or Kadahi comes from the Prakrit word Kataha, mentioned in Ramayana, Sushruta Samhita. The Karahi vessel is first mentioned in the Vedas as bharjanapatra.[2]

Use

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Egg being fried in a karahi

A Karahi serves for the shallow or deep-frying of meat, potatoes, sweets, and snacks such as samosa and fish and also for Indian papadams, but is most noted for the simmering of stews,[3][4] which are often named karahi dishes after the utensil.

Karahi dishes

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A small, decorative, copper-plated karahi (left) and handi (right) used to serve Indian food

Stews prepared in a karahi include chicken, beef, mutton, goat and lamb.[5] Karahis prepared with paneer or tofu are becoming increasingly popular amongst vegetarians. Prepared in a reduced tomato and green-chilli base with ghee, a karahi is a popular late-night meal in Indian and Pakistani cuisine, usually ordered by the kilogram or half/full karahis and consumed with naan.

An inverted karahi is used to cook rumali rotis.

Notes

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  1. ^ (/kəˈr/; Assamese: কেৰাহী, romanizedkerahi, Bengali: কড়াই, romanizedkoṛāi, Hindi: कड़ाही, romanizedkaṛāhī, Marathi: कढई, Nepali: करै, Urdu: کڑاہی, Persian: کرہ, Telugu: కడాయి also kadai, kerahi, karai, kadhi, kadahi, kadhai sarai, or cheena chatti)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kadhai". Indianfood.about.com. 2009-09-25. Archived from the original on 2011-10-16. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  2. ^ "Full text of "Indian Food Tradition A Historical Companion Achaya K. T."". archive.org. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  3. ^ Promodini Varma, Dheeraj Paul Indian Menu Planner Introduction Roli Books Private Limited, 1995 ISBN 81-7437-018-8, ISBN 978-81-7437-018-1. 192 pages
  4. ^ J. Inder Singh Kalra Prashad Cooking with Indian Masters page 28
  5. ^ "Authentic Karahi Gosht Recipe (Lamb or Mutton Karahi)". 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
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  • Media related to Karahi at Wikimedia Commons