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Pakistani Family Meals Clear all

68 recipes

Bowl of lauki chana daal with bottle gourd cubes, cumin and red chilli tarka and fresh coriander, served with rice and rotiPakistani

Lauki Chana Daal

Soft cubes of bottle gourd simmered with split chickpeas in a light ginger-tomato masala, finished with a sizzling cumin and red chilli ghee tarka. A gentle, filling weekday lunch.

1 h 25 minServes 4
A bowl of thick green sarson ka saag topped with white butter and a ghee tarka, served with makki ki rotiPakistani

Sarson ka Saag

A thick, deeply savoury Punjabi winter dish of slow-cooked mustard greens and spinach, thickened with cornmeal and finished with a sizzling garlic-ginger ghee tarka. Best with makki ki roti.

1 h 25 minServes 6
A pan of smoky Baingan Bharta garnished with coriander and ginger, served with roti and yogurtPakistani

Baingan Bharta

Aubergines are charred over an open flame until smoky and silky, then cooked down with onion, tomato and ground spices. It is a simple side for roti or rice that needs very few ingredients.

50 minServes 4
A pan of bhindi masala with okra in a thick onion-tomato masala, garnished with coriander and ginger, served with roti.Pakistani

Bhindi Masala

Tender okra cooked with golden onions, tomatoes and ground spices until the masala clings to each pod. A dry-style vegetable curry that is easy to serve with roti at lunch.

50 minServes 4
A karahi of dry-style aloo gobi with potato and cauliflower in golden masala, topped with ginger and corianderPakistani

Aloo Gobi

A dry, gently spiced curry of potato and cauliflower with cumin, turmeric and fresh ginger. Easy to make in one pan and good with hot roti for a weekday lunch.

45 minServes 4
A bowl of Pakistani aloo palak with potato cubes in a thick green spinach gravy, served with roti and lemon wedgesPakistani

Aloo Palak

Tender potatoes simmered in a smooth spinach and onion-tomato masala, finished with garam masala and lemon. A simple everyday sabzi that is ready in under an hour and suits roti or rice.

55 minServes 4
A brass bowl of creamy mash ki daal topped with garlic ghee tarka, red chillies and fresh coriander, served with roti and lemon wedgesPakistani

Mash ki Daal

A thick, creamy daal of split black gram simmered with ginger and a light onion-tomato masala, then topped with sizzling garlic and cumin ghee. Rich, filling and good with roti or rice.

1 h 15 minServes 4
A bowl of fluffy zeera rice with visible cumin seeds and fresh corianderPakistani

Zeera Rice

Fluffy basmati rice tempered in ghee with toasted cumin, a few whole spices and a slit green chilli. It's a simple side that goes well with any daal, curry or karahi.

1 h 2 minServes 4
A bowl of golden moong daal khichdi topped with melted ghee, fried garlic and corianderPakistani

Khichdi with Ghee

A soft, comforting one-pot of rice and yellow moong daal, cooked with cumin, ginger and onion and finished with a sizzling ghee tarka. It's an easy, budget-friendly dinner for a quiet night.

1 hServes 4
A dish of chana pulao with basmati rice, chickpeas, fried onions and fresh herbs, served with raita and lemon.Pakistani

Chana Pulao

A one-pot rice dish of tender chickpeas and basmati, cooked in the chickpea broth with browned onions, yogurt and whole spices. Filling, meat-free and good for a weekday lunch.

1 h 55 minServes 4
Fluffy basmati rice with green peas and fried onions in a serving potPakistani

Matar Pulao

A fragrant, one-pot basmati pulao with sweet green peas, golden onions, cumin and whole spices. It's simple enough for a weekday lunch and good with raita.

1 h 15 minServes 4
Pot of Pakistani beef biryani with saffron rice, tender beef, potatoes, fried onions and fresh mintPakistani

Beef Biryani

Tender yogurt-marinated beef and soft potatoes in a thick masala, layered with long-grain basmati, mint and fried onions, then steamed on dum. A proper family dinner for a weekend.

2 h 35 minServes 6
A pot of mutton biryani with saffron rice, tender mutton pieces, fried onions and fresh herbsPakistani

Mutton Biryani with Golden Fried Onions and Dum

Tender bone-in mutton cooked in a yogurt and tomato masala, layered with par-cooked basmati, fried onions and mint, then steamed on dum until fragrant. A proper centrepiece for weekend dinners.

3 hServes 6
A pot of Sindhi biryani with saffron rice, potatoes, dried plums, green chillies and fresh herbsPakistani

Sindhi Biryani

A tangy, herb-heavy mutton biryani from Sindh, layered with fried potatoes, dried plums and green chillies. It's spicier and more sour than most biryanis, and it makes a full dinner for a crowd.

2 h 45 minServes 6
Pot of Pakistani beef pulao with golden basmati rice, beef pieces, browned onions and fresh herbsPakistani

Beef Pulao with Browned Onions and Whole Spices

A everyday-style Pakistani pulao where beef is browned with onions and yogurt, then cooked with basmati in its own rich stock. Fragrant, full of flavour and made in one pot.

2 h 15 minServes 4
A pot of mutton yakhni pulao with golden basmati rice, mutton pieces, fried onions and mintPakistani

Mutton Yakhni Pulao

Fragrant basmati rice cooked in a whole-spice mutton stock, with browned onions and tender bone-in meat. A gentle, aromatic pulao for Sunday dinners and guests.

2 h 20 minServes 6
Golden chicken yakhni pulao topped with fried onions and mint, served in a wide dish with raita and saladPakistani

Chicken Yakhni Pulao

A fragrant one-pot pulao where basmati cooks in a homemade chicken and whole-spice stock. It is milder and more aromatic than biryani, and needs no tomato or heavy masala.

1 h 55 minServes 5
A pan of aloo anday with potato chunks and golden boiled eggs in red tomato gravy, garnished with green chillies and corianderPakistani

Aloo Anday

Tender potatoes and turmeric-crisped boiled eggs in a light, cumin-scented tomato gravy. It is a budget-friendly lunch that comes together with pantry staples and goes well with roti or rice.

1 hServes 4
Bowl of Pakistani egg curry with halved boiled eggs in thick red-orange masala, garnished with fresh coriander, served with rotiPakistani

Anda Curry

Hard-boiled eggs simmered in a thick, glossy onion-tomato masala with whole spices. It is an easy, budget-friendly dinner that comes together in under 45 minutes and suits roti or rice.

45 minServes 4
Crispy red-brown Lahori chargha chicken pieces on a steel platter with onions, green chillies, mint and lemon wedgesPakistani

Lahori Chargha

Chicken pieces are marinated in a tangy, spiced yogurt paste, steamed until tender, then fried until deep red and crisp. Juicy inside, crackling outside, and made for sharing.

2 hServes 4
Copper karahi of chicken achari in a golden spiced gravy with green chillies, ginger and coriander, served with roti and raitaPakistani

Chicken Achari

Bone-in chicken simmered in a tangy, onion-yogurt gravy flavoured with the whole spices used in pickling. Bold and sharp, it goes well with plain roti or rice.

1 h 30 minServes 6
A clay pot of rich Kunna Gosht mutton curry topped with ginger and coriander, served with naanPakistani

Kunna Gosht

Bone-in mutton cooked in its own juices with yogurt, ghee and whole spices in a dough-sealed pot until it falls off the bone. A rich Punjabi-style dum dish for weekends.

3 h 25 minServes 6
A pot of dum ka keema topped with fried onions, ginger and fresh herbs, served with naan and raitaPakistani

Dum ka Keema

Yogurt-marinated beef mince cooked down until rich, then sealed and steamed on low heat with golden onions, mint and ginger. It is dry, deeply savoury and full of aroma.

1 h 20 minServes 4
A karahi of spiced beef mince with green capsicum pieces, ginger and fresh coriander, served with rotisPakistani

Shimla Mirch Keema

Tender spiced beef mince cooked down with onions and tomatoes, then finished with crisp-tender capsicum for a fresh, green bite. A quick weeknight dinner that goes well with hot rotis.

1 h 10 minServes 4