Pakistan, a paradise on earth, is an independent state in the world globe. And it is well known for its wondrous history, traditional values, and cultural and regional colors. The mesmerizing tourism sites of Pakistan are the source of attraction for tourists across the globe.
When mentioning the specialties of this earthly heaven how we can ignore the traditional food items. Pakistani cuisines have a massive fan following throughout the world because Pakistani foods exhibit a wide range of flavors, tastes, and colors.
Each city of Pakistan presents its specific food item. And the name of the meals presents the city of their origin, such as Lahori chargha, Peshawari chapli kabab, Karachi biryani, and many more.
No one can resist Pakistani foods. Because it offers a wide range of flavors, ingredients, and textures for all age groups. People from other countries take Pakistani meals as an adventure and love to taste the spice of training Pakistani cuisines. Occasional festivals, parties, and all types of gatherings are supposed to be incomplete without savory food items.
Fond of traditional Pakistani cuisines? Let’s try these famous Pakistani cuisines and share the happiness of memorable moments with your loved ones.
Nihari
When it comes to famous, and healthy breakfasts of Pakistan, Nihari is the ultimate choice. You can’t believe that people come very early in the morning and stand in queues, just to buy this famous breakfast. You can also cook it at home but for this, you have to wake up early because it takes almost 5 hours to cook. The ingredients require are
- 1.5kg mutton (You can also use chicken)
- 6 tablespoons of clarified butter
- 1.25 tablespoons of ginger and garlic paste each
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons of coriander powder
- 3 onions
- Nihari masala
- 3 tablespoons of wheat flour
- Water
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric
Take butter in a large pot and heat. Now add the onions and fry till brown. Add the mutton pieces, ginger, garlic, coriander paste, and turmeric. And cook until the meat turns golden brown.
Now add 10-12 cups of water and nihari masala. Allow simmering for four consecutive hours. Now mix the wheat flour with water in a cup. And add it into the nihari. Cook still the thickness of curry. Garnish with thin ginger sticks and lime juice.
Haleem
Full of nutritional values and a perfect blend of tastes, Haleem is a popular and traditional Pakistani cuisine. It is Persian cuisine by origin but extremely popular in the Middle East, especially in Pakistan.
To cook Haleem at home you need almost 2.5-3 hours. The ingredients are:
- Lamb
- Daal moong 150g
- Chickpea daal 50g
- Wheat grains 100g
- Vegetable oil or desi ghee
- Clove 10 pieces
- Bay leaves
- A pinch of saffron
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric
- 2 tablespoons of ginger and garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons of green chili paste
- Lamb stock
Take a pot and add oil to it. After heating, add all the whole spices and fry till stirring. Now add the garlic, and ginger paste and fry till it turns brown. Mix the lamb, powder spices, and lamb stock in this mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add dried onions and salt.
Take already soaked lentils and lentils wheat grains. Pour it into the cooking pot. Also, add lamb stock.
Allow cooking for 1.5 hours until the desired consistency.
Garnish with green chili strings and serve with fried onions.
Yogurt Shake / Lassi
This traditional drink of Pakistan is very essential to digest such heavy foods.
This easy-to-make drink is full of nutrients. And I need only a few ingredients.
- 50g yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of Sugar
- A pinch of salt
- Water or milk as needed
Take yogurt, sugar, and salt in a blender. And blend nicely. Mix some water to dilute it.
Pour in a glass, add ice cubes and serve. You can also add fruit syrups for flavor.
Chapli Kebab
This traditional dish of Peshawar is famous around the world. This minced meat pattie with a touch of ketchup or hot sauce is an extremely tasty and perfect appetizer. Ingredients are
- 0.5kg minced meat
- 2large eggs
- 2tbs chili powder
- 2tbs garlic, ginger paste
- 1tbs cumin
- 1tbs white pepper
- Chopped onions
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Cornflour
Take a bowl and mix all the spices with egg and meat. Knead with hands and left for 2 hours.
Now turn the mixture into patties. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry. Serve with ketchup or yogurt sauce.
Wrapping Up
There you have it! These are some of the amazing traditional foods famous all over Pakistan that you must try at least once.