Another Reason for Travelling Pakistan; The Cuisine
Munaza
Kazmi
Joined by China, Afghanistan,
Iran and India -- and with a population of more than 200 million people -- it's
no surprise that Pakistan is a country of geographical and linguistic
diversity.
However, there's common ground
to be found in the cuisine.
Overall Pakistanis are
passionate about their cuisine, which is full of flavor and bursting with
color. And they just love eating. Food is among the most significant! Even we
have foods for different occasions and from different regions.
Tea
However, a habit of Colonial-Past,
Pakistan is a nation of tea lovers, and there are several varieties of tea on
offer from Kawa, Karak chai, Masala chai to Gulabi chai. Adding tea leaves into
the boiling cup of water.
Tea is a social drink bringing
everyone together, often served with savory dishes such as samosa, pakora or
paratha.
Pakoras
These easy-to-make crispy,
fried fritters are a classic finger food served as a starter or a side dish
with the sweet cup of tea. Also, it’s our Pakistan’s sweetheart dish in
Ramazan.
Vegetables are thinly sliced
before being soaked in a seasoned and spice gram flour batter and then fried
for a few minutes.
Grab them while they are hot.
If you prefer a meatier option, chicken pakoras are also on menu.
Paratha
Abroad bread is eaten cold,
here it’s always hot and comes with different flavors. Pakistanis make a range
of perfect melt-in-your-mouth flatbreads including roti and naans but the
paratha, made with clarified butter or ghee is a particularly delicious
indulgence.
Eaten for breakfast, you can go
for the plain option but there are also various fillings to choose from
including mincemeat, potato, spinach, and cauliflower paratha etc.
Kebabs
There are many types of kebabs
in Pakistani cuisine. Such as the popular seekh kebab, which is ground
meat grilled on skewers. The highly favorite chapli kebab, name is taken from the Pashto word
“chaprikh” which means “flat”. It comes from the flat shape of minced meat
slices, dish
of the North – You can taste the flavors of coriander and pomegranate seeds in
this tasty recipe.
And the shami kebab, small
patties made with minced meat mixed with split chickpeas, finely chopped onion,
mint, green chilli and egg to hold it all together.
Gol Gappa
A popular street food having
roots with Bangladesh, was once sold by cart-pushing vendors. However, with the
growing trend fast food restaurants you can enjoy it along the ambience.
The round shell is made with
semolina and fried. Once it cools and becomes brittle, a hole is created and
filled with a mixture of tamarind chutney, chilli, chaat masala, potato, onion
and chickpeas. It is served with a bowl of spicy tamarind dip. Try, and you
will crave it back home.
Biryani
Created in the royal kitchens of the 16th-19th century Mughal Empire by BeghumMumtaz Mahal, aimed to create a delicious, nutritious and wholesome dish for the soldiers in her husband Emperor Shahjahan's army.
Today it is among the most celebrated
dishes in Pakistan and often served on special occasions.
Made with lamb or beef but chicken biryani is a favorite. However, Karachi city is famous for the bone marrow Biriyani version.
The meat and rice are cooked separately before being layered and cooked together with an assortment of spices.
Kabuli Pulao
Nevertheless, Kabuli
Pulao is a specialty of Afghan cuisine, but it is very common in Pakistan.
Kabul’s families made it first with tender meat, raisins, nuts, rice, and
caramelized carrots.
Silk Road
traders brought it from Afghanistan to western Pakistan, and it gradually
spread throughout the country.
Nihari
“Narha” an Arabic word that means “Morning”, perhaps that’s the reason it is a must have breakfast dish. It used to be left to simmer and cook overnight to be served at sunrise. Logically it’s so rich that surely it will fill your stomach.
The food was born in Old Delhi, including lamb shanks, mutton, including the bone marrow as the main complements. It is also usually served with rice or naan.
Haleem
Served mostly in Breakfast and
Lunch, but popular in the Holy Muharram, originated from Middle East, Indian
Sub-continent and Central Asia. Warm and comforting, this dish may look simple
enough, but a combination of lentils, wheat, barley and minced beef are
slow-cooked for overnight in gentle spices to get sticky consistency.
Paya
This warming goat curry, with a soup-like consistency, is often eaten on cold winter mornings. Again, slow-cooking it will ensure that all the spices have infused into the perfectly tender meat.
Halwa poori and Channa
An essential part of Punjabi
breakfast, the combination of a poori which is light and fluffy, is served with
the rich tasting halwa and chickpea curry.
Charga
For the lovers
of chicken Chargha is a fantastic suggestion. This recipe combines chicken,
spices, and yogurt to make a distinctive and delicate flavor.
Its name
“Chargha” means chicken in Pushto, and it is an invention in Lahore city,
Pakistan. You can choose from the Tandoori Chargha version with roasted chicken
or the traditional deep-fried chicken version.
Khadda Kebab
It is traditional Balochi dish and my favorite, Pakistani’s eat
likes their Emperors. The whole mutton is very slowly cooked into the mud
furnace by first stuffing with carrots and raisin rice. The aroma and taste are
worth of waiting.
Dumpukht
The mild and delicious recipe found its origins in the Royal Mughal Kitchens, lamb shanks steamed for about 6-7 hours in dough-sealed pot along seasonal vegetables and salt. After cooking Served mostly with white rice. You can have them easily in Peshawar or any Desi restaurant across Pakistan.
Kadhi Pakora
If you are vegetarian,
Pakistani Cuisine offers a variety of delicious treats.Kadhi Pakora is one of the
choices you should consider. This delicious yogurt curry is a combination of
gram flour, fritters, and spices that will add flavor to this food.
Smooth and
consistent texture will make your taste buds fall in love with this food. The recipe
originates from Rajasthan and is popular in Pakistan and India. People often
combine it with rice or roti for dinner.
Smoked Eggplant
Another vegan delight, so
tasty, simple and quick to make.
A masala base is created by frying onions, tomatoes, with spices, and mixing with roasted eggplant in the oven, that gives the dish a smoky flavor.
Daal Tarka
A quite simple dish of lentils
served with cumin rice, mostly common in Punjab. When the lentils are
thoroughly cooked, the tarka is applied; onions, cumin seeds and crushed garlic
cloves are fried until brown in a separate pan and added to the lentils without
stirring. It makes a sizzling sound as the tarka mixture hits the lentils.
Gajrela
Gajrela is made using a
combination of grated carrots, nuts, milk, sugar, boiled eggs, khoya and
clarified butter.
This flavorful dessert often
makes an appearance at weddings.
Matanjan
Dating back to Mughal India.
This was a sweetheart of Emperors. An eye-catching multicolor dessert, made
with sugar, milk, sweet meat, food coloring and flavored with cardamoms,
raisins, pistachios and various dry-fruits.
Sheer Khurma
Another dessert eaten at
weddings or on Eid al Fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of
Ramadan.
Sweet and milky dish is slow-cooked using milk, vermicelli, sugar, infused with cardamom and topped with crushed pistachios.
I am sure you had found
another reason to visit Pakistan. Have a nice Holiday.
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Munaza Kazmi holds MPhil in Management Sciences (Bahria
University Islamabad, 2020). She’s a travel writer, an author, & co-author
of scientific contributions in national & international publications. Her
main areas of research include tourism & quality management.
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