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Pakistani Clear all

112 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
Pot of tinday masala with apple gourd pieces in a thick red onion-tomato gravy, garnished with coriander and ginger, served with rotiPakistani

Tinday Masala

Tender apple gourds simmered in a thick onion-tomato masala with cumin, coriander and green chilli. A simple everyday sabzi that goes well with hot roti.

55 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
Pan of karelay pyaz with browned bitter gourd rounds, golden onions and green chillies, served with chapatisPakistani

Karelay Pyaz

A dry-style side dish of crisp-edged bitter gourd rounds cooked with plenty of sweet golden onions, fennel and a sour finish of amchur. Salting first tames the bitterness.

1 h 10 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 dark Lahori chickpea curry topped with ginger and coriander, served with puri and lemon wedgesPakistani

Lahori Chanay

A thick, deeply coloured chickpea curry in the style of Lahore's breakfast stalls, simmered with black tea and finished with ginger and lemon. Scoop it up with puri, kulcha or hot naan.

1 h 30 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
Bowl of golden chana daal topped with garlic tarka, chillies and fresh coriander, served with rice and rotiPakistani

Chana Daal with Onion-Tomato Masala and Garlic Tarka

Split chickpeas simmered until tender but still whole, then folded into a golden onion-tomato masala and finished with a sizzling garlic and cumin tarka. A hearty everyday lunch for rice or roti.

1 h 30 minServes 4
Bowl of golden moong daal topped with garlic tarka, red chillies and fresh coriander, served with rice and rotiPakistani

Moong Daal

A soft, gently spiced pot of split yellow moong lentils finished with a sizzling garlic and cumin tarka. Light, quick and easy to digest-friendly cooking for everyday lunches with rice or roti.

45 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