Mutton
Aloo Gosht
The household mutton curry: meat browned first, then simmered long and slow with potatoes added only once the meat has begun to soften.
COOK PAKISTAN
Recipes
Traditional Pakistani recipes, everyday dishes, regional favourites and modern home-cooking guides.
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.
Beef
Chapli Kebab
A wide, flat minced-beef patty from Peshawar, seasoned with crushed coriander and dried pomegranate seeds and fried until crisp at the edges.
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.
Rice
Chicken Pulao
Rice cooked directly in chicken stock with whole spices — a gentler, even-handed alternative to biryani, without the layering.
Chicken
Chicken Tikka
Boneless chicken thigh marinated in spiced yoghurt and lemon, then charred on skewers over the highest heat you have.
Vegetarian
Daal Chawal
Lentils simmered to a thick, soft texture and finished with a tarka of whole spices, served with steamed rice as an everyday meal.
Vegetarian
Dahi Puri
Crisp, hollow puri shells cracked open and filled with potato and chickpeas, then cool sweet yoghurt, chutneys and sev.
Drinks
Doodh Patti
Tea leaves boiled directly in milk until deep tan and strong — richer and more tannic than tea steeped in water with milk added later.
Drinks
Falooda
Rose syrup, soaked basil seeds and soft vermicelli layered with chilled milk and topped with kulfi or ice cream.
Beef
Haleem
A slow-cooked wheat-and-lentil porridge with shredded meat, finished with fried onions, lemon and coriander — traditionally cooked for large gatherings.
Vegetarian
Halwa Puri
The classic weekend breakfast: puffed fried puri with a spicy chickpea curry and sweet semolina halwa.
Desserts
Kheer
Rice pudding simmered slowly in milk until it thickens and takes on a faint caramel note, finished with nuts and saffron.
Rice
Moong Khichdi
Yellow moong dal and rice cooked together with whole spices until soft and loose, finished with a spoonful of ghee.
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.
Chicken
Pakistani Chicken Karahi
Tomato-rich chicken cooked quickly in a wide karahi with ginger, green chilli and freshly crushed spices.
Vegetarian
Palak Paneer
Cubes of paneer in a smooth, mildly spiced spinach gravy, finished with fresh ginger and a little butter.
Vegetarian
Pani Puri
Golgappay: hollow shells filled with potato and chickpeas, then dipped in chilled, sour, mint-and-cumin water and eaten in one bite.
Bread
Paratha
A layered wholewheat flatbread, rolled and folded with ghee until flaky — an everyday breakfast that needs no tandoor.
Vegetarian
Sarson Ka Saag
Punjabi winter greens: mustard leaves and spinach simmered soft, thickened with maize flour and finished with a garlic tarka and butter.
Beef
Seekh Kebab
Minced beef or mutton shaped onto skewers, seasoned and grilled or pan-seared until charred outside and juicy inside.
Beef
Shami Kebab
Soft, spiced patties of beef and chana dal cooked together until dry, ground smooth, then shallow-fried in egg until golden.
Vegetarian
Spinach Pakora
Chopped spinach and onion in a thick, spiced gram-flour batter, fried in spoonfuls until crisp and eaten straight away.
Drinks
Sweet Lassi
Chilled full-fat yoghurt whisked with sugar and ice into a thick, frothy drink, the way it is served in Punjab.
Bread
Tandoori Naan
Soft, yeasted naan cooked under a very hot grill or in a heavy pan until puffed and blistered — the closest a home kitchen gets to a tandoor.
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.