• Welcome to Cooksmill. Recognised by the trade as the leading supplier of catering & kitchen equipment in the UK.

High Sided Karahi

High Sided Karahis

High-sided karahis are heavy-duty, large-format cooking vessels made from black iron, built for the high-heat, high-volume cooking that authentic South Asian cuisine demands. While they are a versatile tool for many cooking tasks, they are best known as the pan of choice for cooking chapli/ chapil kebabs. These are thick, spiced, flat meat patties that are a staple of Pashtun and Pakistani cuisine and a hugely popular dish across South Asian restaurants and catering operations in the UK.

At Cooksmill, our high-sided karahi range includes sizes from 28" through to 34" in diameter, with straight sides standing 4" to 6" high, giving you the surface area, depth, and heat retention needed for authentic, high-volume kebab cooking.

The Ideal Pan for Chapli Kebabs

Cooking chapli kebabs properly requires a pan that can get extremely hot, hold that heat consistently across a wide surface, and handle the fat released during cooking without risk of overflow or flare-up. The high-sided karahi is purpose-built for exactly this. The wide, flat base gives you maximum surface area for cooking multiple kebabs simultaneously, while the tall straight sides contain the fat and oil safely as it builds up during cooking, something a standard shallow pan simply cannot do at volume.

Black iron's exceptional heat retention ensures that the pan stays at a temperature even when cold meat is added, giving chapli kebabs their characteristic seared, slightly crisp exterior and well-cooked centre without steaming or stewing in their own juices.

Other Uses

As well as being the go-to pan for chapli and chapil kebab cooking, high-sided karahis are well-suited to:

  • Large-batch karahi dishes - chicken, lamb, and prawn at scale
  • Deep frying at volume - tall sides provide a safe capacity for large quantities of oil
  • Tawa-style cooking - dry roasting spices and flatbreads
  • Event and outdoor catering requiring high-volume cookware

Why Black Iron?

Black iron retains heat exceptionally well, handles extreme temperatures without warping, and builds up a natural seasoning over time that improves with use. Unlike coated or non-stick cookware, black iron becomes more effective the more it is used, making these karahis a long-term investment for any kitchen that uses them regularly.

Available Sizes:

  • 28" diameter with 4" straight sides
  • 30" diameter with 6" straight sides
  • 32" diameter with 6" straight sides
  • 34" diameter with 6" straight sides

Why Choose Cooksmill?

Cooksmill has decades of experience supplying professional cookware to the UK hospitality and food service industry. Our high-sided karahis are selected for strength, durability, and authentic performance — built to handle the demands of commercial cooking day after day.

Browse our full range of high-sided karahis below.