Back when Eating In was just weeks old we set our sights on Crystal City’s Punjab Kabob. The Eads Street eatery turns out an outstanding lamb karahi that can be had for less than a song and a 20-minute wait. Adapted for the home kitchen, our version was a great but distant relative of the original. The contrasts highlight the differences between home-cooked ethnic dishes and their take-out brethren, which are often more heavily spiced, a lot more oily, and, for some reason, way more tasty after a long night of drinking.

When loyal reader Andy emailed to tell us that he’d spent considerable time working with the owner of Punjab Kabob, we knew we had to give his rendition a try. Using a wok and a mixture of fresh and processed ingredients, we created a chicken version of the Indian stir-fry that was eerily similar to the original. If you have access to a gas burner, you owe it to yourself to head to your local ethnic grocer to purchase a wok or karahi dish and give authentic restaurant-style cooking a try for yourself.