Vegetarian
Spinach Pakora
Chopped spinach and onion in a thick, spiced gram-flour batter, fried in spoonfuls until crisp and eaten straight away.
SEASONAL TABLE
Ramadan & Eid
Food for quiet sehris, crowded iftars and the generous days of Eid.
In Pakistan, the iftar that breaks each day’s fast during Ramadan is its own kind of meal. Dates and a cold drink come first, then fried snacks such as pakoras and samosas, fruit chaat and chana chaat, and often a fuller dinner after the evening prayer. Sehri, eaten before dawn, is usually simpler: paratha, eggs, yoghurt or leftovers, and plenty of water.
The two Eids bring different food. Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan, is known for sweets, above all sheer khurma, offered to every visitor. Eid al-Adha centres on qurbani meat, which is shared with relatives and people in need and cooked over the following days into karahi, pulao, nihari and barbecue. The recipes below suit both seasons.
Iftar snacks, Eid mains and desserts
Vegetarian
Vegetable Samosa
A firm, flaky pastry made with plenty of fat, wrapped around a spiced potato and pea filling and fried slowly until crisp.
Vegetarian
Dahi Puri
Crisp, hollow puri shells cracked open and filled with potato and chickpeas, then cool sweet yoghurt, chutneys and sev.
Beef
Haleem
A slow-cooked wheat-and-lentil porridge with shredded meat, finished with fried onions, lemon and coriander — traditionally cooked for large gatherings.
Beef
Beef Nihari
A slow-simmered breakfast stew of bone-in shank and toasted spices, thickened with wheat flour and finished with ginger and lemon.
Rice
Chicken Biryani
Layered chicken biryani: a yoghurt-marinated chicken masala under 70%-done basmati, finished together on sealed low heat so every grain stays separate.
Mutton
Mutton Karahi
Bone-in mutton cooked down with tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies in a wide karahi until the masala clings to the meat.
Desserts
Kheer
Rice pudding simmered slowly in milk until it thickens and takes on a faint caramel note, finished with nuts and saffron.
Drinks
Falooda
Rose syrup, soaked basil seeds and soft vermicelli layered with chilled milk and topped with kulfi or ice cream.