Are you craving Pakistani foods you can make at home? This nifty list of 30 delicious recipes will get you to start cooking!
Pakistani cuisine combines the influence of Indian, Persian, and Afghani cooking styles.
They share similar herbs and spices with these countries resulting in highly-seasoned, mild-to-spicy dishes.
These are also Halal foods, which forbids pork and alcohol, following Islamic tradition.
As for their meats of choice, they would go for lamb, beef, and chicken.
They are also big on pulses like lentils and vegetables like okra and eggplant for their curries.
Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, and garam masala (mixed spices) lend aroma and rich flavors to their dishes.
Oil, butter, ghee, and fats are abundant in their foods, making them even tastier.
It’s especially true in recipes like Halwa Poori, Yakhni Pulao, and Brain Masala.
It’s an adventure to try this cuisine which boasts a variety of stuffed flatbreads, mutton, beef, and innards.
Pakistanis also add a generous amount of mixed spices to their cooking.
Fulfill those spicy cravings with Bun Kebab Sandwich, a bowl of Kadhi Pakora, or Khageena for breakfast.
Recreate the street food experience in your kitchen with recipes like Peshawari Pizza Naan and Chana Chaat.
You’ll soon be saying, Mazey Daar! (Tasty!) as you savor these specialties.
1. Katlama
If you visit Lahore, the capital of Punjab in Pakistan, you’ll find this traditional snack during the festival season.
It’s a crispy flatbread with a flavorful filling and curd on the side.
A visit to Peshawar, one of the oldest cities in Pakistan, will take you on an adventure to tourist spots and exciting foods.
Their take on pizza toppings is spices and peshwari filling.
It’s as fun to watch cooking as it is to eat; plus, you don’t need to bake it in a tandoor oven (clay oven) as you can cook the naans in a cast iron skillet!
3. Roghini Naan
try recipes that use the traditional range.
This Pakistani-style flatbread baked in the oven is as close to the taste of authentic naan.
With a few naans, you can have the perfect accompaniment to meat kebabs, nihari, and haleem.
Mediterranean cuisine inspired this chicken wrap in Pakistan and is now an in-demand street food.
This version of shawarma favors a saucy, runny filling with the orange-colored tikka masala.
These triangular-shaped fried meat pockets are a crowd pleaser!
You can dip them in green chutney or a tomato-based sauce.
It’s hard to go through this part of the world without anyone offering you samosas on any occasion.
Want to indulge your sweet tooth the Pakistani way?
Try to follow the technique in making this soft, warm pudding.
It’s high in fat but also rich in flavor.
Enjoy this with fruits like mango and pineapple, or have it with marmalade or desiccated coconut.
This recipe is a Palestinian dish with a Pakistani twist.
It’s layers of vermicelli, cream, and cheese served with toppings of nuts and condensed milk.
This Arabic dessert found its way to the South Asian country, balancing its cuisine with sweetness.
Nary a barbeque restaurant in Pakistan that won’t have Seekh Kabab on their menu.
Authentic, perfectly cooked lamb kebab should be tender, not hard.
The well-seasoned meat is best with flatbread, green chutney sauce, and a side of red onion salad.
Best enjoyed with your hands, well-cleaned trotters (goat or lamb feet) are a delicacy in this part of the globe.
The soup lifts the mood and boosts appetite.
Mop it up with some naan or rice for a satisfying big breakfast.
This dish requires a lot of patience to cook–but it’s sure to be worth it!
Slow-cooking brings out the flavors of the dish.
It’s even better the day after!
Depending on taste, lamb karahi can get mouth-flaming hot.
Pulao is a traditional dish famous all over Pakistan, especially in regions like Lahore.
Rice absorbs all the flavor of the stock.
Savor the bone marrow as well for a truly gratifying experience.
Biryani and Pulao are two rice dishes familiar to both Pakistan and India.
But there is a difference in technique in cooking both recipes.
Parboiled and drained basmati rice absorb the flavors in the saucy chicken biryani.
This comfort food is like the chicken soup of Pakistanis.
Whenever you’re feeling under the weather in this country, we bet locals will start to offer you Nihari to make you feel better.
15. Bhuna Gosht
You can prepare this meal using an Instant Pot, or if you don’t have IP, you can pre-boil beef or slow cook.
It takes a while to prepare, but you’ll know it’s all worth it after a bite!
This classic meat stir-fry is dry and spicy.
Beef, kidney, and liver seasoned in masala add character to the recipe.
The trick to an aromatic dish is in roasting the spices.
There’s a saying that this specialty food can make you smarter, so Pakistan moms would often cook this for their children.
This recipe is a bit hard to understand in English, but it’s authentic, and the recipe measurements look spot on.
Make a zombie happy with this one!
You can sometimes find beef brains at Asian or Hispanic markets here in the U.S.
18. Chicken Karahi
The trick in cooking this recipe is using a specific type of Wok and a particular cooking style.
Unlike Indian cuisine, the chicken karahi in Pakistan takes out the onions and green peppers.
In Lahore, traditional cooks will start the chicken cooking in a large fire pit and finish cooking over hot coals for the charred effect.
Preparing these chicken skewers can take hours, which should be worth it once you start digging into them.
Try this breakfast staple the way the Pakistanis do it.
Have some paratha to pair with the dish as it has a strong kick with all the spices and chilies.
A great way to enjoy spiced onion pakoras is with a bright yellow yogurt curry soup base.
For an extra kick, add Tadka spice tempering.
Plant-based meals are anything but blah in Pakistani cuisine.
The black-eyed peas lend a unique flavor to the tomato-garlic-curry base.
Yet, using other pulses like chickpeas and lentils is not uncommon for this scrumptious home-cooked goodness.
The terms refer to the vegetables used in this dish–aloo (potatoes) and palak (spinach).
It’s versatile too, pairing well with paratha, roti, rice, or even as filling for wraps and sandwiches.
Here’s a way to feast on okra or ladyfingers without the slimy texture.
This dry yet flavorful way of cooking bhindi (okra) is made crispy with a cornflour batter.
You only need the main vegetable and some spices for this deep-fried delight.
Street food in Pakistan can be a complete meal that satisfies your hunger and cravings.
Chana chaat has carb-loaded potatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, and chopped raw veggies.
It also incorporates other pantry essentials for its tastiness.
Pakistani cooks have their way of incorporating this vegetable into dishes sans its bitterness.
This veggie is a spiced viand you’ll love on roti or rice.
Char-roasted aubergine infuses smokiness into the tomato masala curry dish.
The spices used in this recipe are staples in Pakistani cuisine.
These are also responsible for the vibrant color in this South Asian fare.
When you’re eating roti (whole wheat flat bread), you’ll also have a variety of gravies to dip it in.
You’ll want your simple carb to absorb this velvety smooth gravy–indeed, food for comfort that you can recreate at home.
Seed spices are so full of aroma and tastiness that they make seasonal vegetables worth devouring.
Plenty of veggies work well with the spices used in this recipe.
You can try eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, green beans, and bell pepper.
Inspired by Mediterranean fare, large servings of this main dish are a favorite at gatherings and during Ramadan.
It combines local grains and spiced beef cooked in a separate pot.
Haleem also works well with kebabs and fried appetizers.
Add lemon for zing, ginger, and cilantro for a well-put-together meal.
The bottom line
Pakistani foods carry the influence of Mediterranean and Indian cooking and Islam.
They are big on meats like lamb, goat, and beef.
They’re also not afraid to go all-out on spices and fat to add that exquisite flavor to their dishes.
You’ll find a lot of sauce, gravy, and soup bases in their food fare.
And when they cook vegetables, it’s always extraordinary with smoky, mild, or spicy tastes.
If you’ve visited this country, you can relive the experience by whipping up these recipes in your kitchen.
If you are yet to make the trip to this South Asian nation, cooking their specialties offers an incredible encounter!
Authentic Pakistani Foods🍴
Are you craving Pakistani foods you can make at home? This nifty list of 30 delicious recipes will get you to start cooking!
Ingredients
- Katlama
- Peshawari Naan
- Roghini Naan
- Chicken Tikka Fajita Shawarma
- Keema Samosa (Pastry)
- Bun Kebab
- Halwa Poori–Fried Dough & Semolina Pudding
- Kunafa (Kanafeh Or Knafeh)–Sweet Cheese Pastry
- Pakistani Seekh Kebab (Spicy Grilled Ground Meat Skewers)
- Paya Curry (Goat/Lamb Trotters)
- Mutton Karahi (Lamb Karahi)
- Yakhni Pulao (Bone-In Meat & Rice Pilaf)
- Biriyani–Pakistani Rice & Meat
- Nihari (Slow-Cooked Meat Stew)
- Bhuna Gosht
- Kata Kat (Pakistani Meat Stiry Fry)
- Brain Masala–Beef Brain Gravy
- Chicken Karahi
- Sajji–Roasted Whole Chicken
- Khageena (Pakistani Scrambled Eggs)
- Kadhi Pakora–Yogurt-Based Curry
- Lobia Ka Salan (Black Eyed Peas Curry)
- Aloo Palak (Spinach & Potato Curry)
- Crispy Bhindi (Chickpea Batter Okra)
- Pakistani Mix Papri Chana Chaat
- Karela Sabzi (Bitter Melon Vegetable)
- Baingan Bharta–Eggplant Roasted Curry
- Punjabi Kadhi Pakora–Yogurt-Based Curry
- Sabzi (Mixed Vegetables)
- Haleem (Pakistani Meat & Grain Porridge)
Instructions
- Take a look at our Pakistani Foods list!
- Bring the ingredients to create a new favorite dish.
- Woohoo! You created a home-cooked meal!
- Comment your thoughts on our Facebook page!