day 27
wussp everybody and welcome to a world where every bite is a
celebration, and each dish
tells a story.
New day New food New
country (Pakistan)
1. Nihari
This dish is truly a game-changer for me when it comes to
Pakistani cuisine. I would easily consider this among the best breakfasts I
have ever had anywhere in the world.
Nihari begins as a
heap of dry spices frying in vegetable oil and animal fat. The meat ingredients
follow (most commonly beef shank), and a very healthy portion of Desi
Ghee (home-made local clarified butter). The slow-cooking stew is then
stirred altogether in a glorious cauldron of a pot.
The consistency is oozing and thick, so full of
ultra-tender meat chunks literally floating in desi ghee. It has a deep
red color from the spice and infused ghee.
Eaten from communal plate-trays, you garnish the Nihari from
a side-plate of fragrant sliced ginger, spicy green chilies, and a squeeze from
a fresh lime or two.
In Lahore you can try nihari at Waris Nihari, and in Karachi, I would highly
recommend Javed Nihari.
2. Kabuli Pulao
Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, lies just a few hours
from the KP Province (North-Western border) of Pakistan. Imagine Silk Road
traders bringing over the very first dishes of Kabuli Pulao to
eat right here in Western Pakistan.
Pulao can be made
with any size grain of rice, which the chef always fries in oil while stirring
in large amounts of dry spices. Usually, there will be a chunk of mutton or
beef meat, sometimes an entire leg, at the heart of each massive
batch.
Saffron gives the rice taste and color,
but typically the spices are milder than biryani. Whole cloves of cardamom and
golden sultana raisins give off a beautifully sweet aroma, and at larger
restaurants it may include peanuts and even pistachios as a garnish.
You can recognize pulao on the street in its absolutely
huge stainless steel cooking vessel, a unique, bell-like shape, often resting
at a curious 45-degree angle.
Kabuli Pulao smells
gorgeous, looks beautiful, and of course tastes incredible as well. A perfect
dish for lunch, walking around the lively street atmosphere of any of
Pakistan’s large, bustling cities, especially common in and around Peshawar.
3. Karahi
The dish takes its name from the black, iron, scoop-shape
pan. Usually a karahi curry is made with goat, but also commonly with chicken
or even shrimp. The metal dish can then be its own serving bowl, sizzling
hot coming straight to the center of your table.
Most Pakistani karahi recipes start with tomatoes, onions,
and some type of animal fat. It’s that tomato broth that gives each Karahi its
ultra-umami magic, so full of smokiness, tender
chunks of meat, and a whole lot of fat – from the meat, the ghee, and the
occasional dollop of cream.
The tools of choice for cooking this dish are a massive
pair of pliers to grip the pan, and a metal spatula to move meat
around. Every pan is cooked over flaming high heat, and the chef’s motion
follows a steady working rhythm – add oil, meat, count to three, stir. More
oil, grip the pan to rapidly add spices, move the entire dish to a serving
tray, then breathe (chef wipes a dripping brow).
This is an iconic dish of Pakistan, and can be found
throughout the country.
In Lahore, Butt Karahi is
mandatory, and we had an insanely good Shrimp Karahi at the
Dua Restaurant in Karachi, lounging outdoors in a seating area the size of a
playing field.
4. Haleem
Slow-cooking, for up to an entire day, on very low heat is
a technique used to give haleem its warm, home-cooked flavor.
Onions (fried separately), mint leaves, both green and dry
chilies, and then some masala spices go into the mother-pot, and a final
garnish comes from generous squeezes of lemon juice at the end.
This is a great food to have in the morning, or for an
early lunch. Its very rich, full of calories to keep one’s energy up
throughout the day. The flavor in a good bowl of haleem can be
so rich that simply eating it with roti, and then sipping on a few cups of milk
or green tea, can leave you perfect and content.
Enjoy a wonderful meal of Haleem in the Old City area of
Lahore, you can watch the video here. I was blown away and surprised how
good it was!
5. Halwa Puri
If there’s one special Pakistani food breakfast that loved by all, it would have to be halwa puri.
Known for causing feelings of extreme satisfaction, even to
the point of laziness, for the remainder of the day. Halwa Puri is
one of the most common breakfasts you’ll have in Pakistan.
The puris are thinly rolled dough, forming endlessly
ultra-crispy layers, the folding style of which causes it to puff up
immediately when submerging in boiling oil or desi ghee.
Halwa is then a sweet pudding like dish made from semolina
which is served along with the puris. However, along with halwa and puri, you
also typically get some chickpea curry.
Grab a crunchy handful of hot puri, and scoop up as much of
whichever side dish is in reach. Lick your fingers, smile, and repeat. You can
alternate bites of sweet halwa and spicy chickpeas.
Like most meals in Pakistan, this combo is perfected by
finishing with at least one cup of dud pathi (milk-only tea,
no water).
Thank you for joining me on this delicious journey. Until our next culinary
adventure.
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