MOST POPULAR PAKISTANI FOODS THAT FOREIGNERS SHOULD KNOW! [By Nisar Hussain]

                         PAKISTANI CUISINE

By Nisar Hussain S/O Prof Waqar Hussain

                  Before I set off to tempt your appetites, as I’m sure after this talk, you’ll be straight heading towards the cafeteria. Let’s have a sight of where Pakistan stands on world ranking on producing spices. 

                 

 Keeping a very general view, Pakistan holds a rank of 5 for producing the most spices in the World, roundabout 53,000 metric tonnes per year. As a country with average scaled area, that’s not a small figure. Yet, thousands of metric tonnes are imported every year. You can imagine how much affection Pakistani’s holds for delicious foods.

Pakistani cuisine is not originally a sole creation of Pakistan society, but is a blend of many regional cuisines, ranging from some small provincial regions to the large Central and Western Asian cuisines. Among all, it seems to be very much influenced by meat-oriented dishes, perhaps, it’s the most likable part of any Pakistani food.

                              BREAKFAST IN PAKISTAN

Paratha's:

If we talk about the breakfast, keeping the typical Pakistani culture in view, Paratha’s are the most noticeable part of it. Unlike normal bread, this is a flatbread with many layers of dough. You can either make a plain paratha, which is simply a frying stacked bread of layered dough that looks like a single flatbread, but actually holds layers inside where it gets succulent by oil, and on each bite, it feels as if you are bursting bags filled of oil in mouth.

Stuffed Paratha:

Another type of Paratha is a stuffed paratha, as the word itself explains, among it’s layers of dough, there’s a layer of any ingredient that gives it a delish taste for eater to relish. This layer can be of a dough of boiled potato, mustard leaves, grinded meat, carrot, onion, and so on. Basically a dough of anything can be added to it, giving a new taste and making it more flavorsome.

Halwa Poori:

There’s another food called ‘halwapoori’ mostly served in Resturnants in the morning, although you cannot, by any chance find it in any other time beside morning. ‘Poori’ is a deep fried bread, like a plain paratha, and ‘Halwa’ is a sweet semi-solid sort of pudding along with a plate of salty ingredient, most probably a spiced chickpeas or any vegetable boiled in a spiced water. Among the most simply and casually cooked Pakistani food, the technique of boiling any vegetable in spiced water can be easily observed as Pakistani housewives find it really easy. The spiced water makes the vegetable soft and spicy, which can then be munched and the spiced water further gets drink as a soup.

Tea:

After this hard meal, a breakfast in typical Pakistani culture includes taking a hot cup of tea, or if I go in vivid explanation, a hot mug of sweet brown tea. Sweet brown explains that it have sugar and milk in it, unlike the western teas which have lemon and no milk. 

Kashmiri Pink Tea:

Apart from this casual tea, pink Kashmiri tea is a very likeable drink. Grinded coconut is sprinkled on it with a special tea pepper that gives it a natural pink colour.

Lussi:

There’s an orthodox, yet a very heavenly and luscious drink called ‘lussi’. It comprises of milk, yoghurt, and sugar. However, sometimes when it becomes too viscous, water is used. This drink gives a feeling of saturation and eventually gets the person dizzy.

Nihari:

Nihari is yet another popular dish taken in breakfast. It is a stew, and contains slowly-cooked meat with bone marrow, submerged in hot spiced water. It can be eaten with naan, an oven-baked bread of special flour or with Plain Paratha. Altogether, this dish is delectable, distinctive in its own flavorsome and quite a mouthwatering toothsome that can easily captivate anyone with its appealing aroma.

                                                         LUNCH IN PAKISTAN

When it comes to lunch in Pakistan, it is mostly a light weight meal. A simple bread, called a ‘roti’, or a naan, with a yellow mellow meal of boiled grains in broth, aloogosht, which is potato and meat in spiced water, or simply boiled rice with any spice. As you can notice, this ‘spice’ feature is fully into the Pakistani cuisine. Although, most such Pakistani foods are not palatable for foreigners as the Earthly trend is not fond of using these much spices in foods as Pakistani’s do. They go more for pleasuring their tongue rather than relieving their stomachs. That is actually why many people in Pakistan starts having malnutrition problems like obesity. Having acidity, ulcer, sugar problem, heart-burn, high blood pressure, and such died based diseases are commonly observed in Pakistani families, yet their affection for spicy foods is always sky high. Besides, those heavenly tasty foods can make any eater go crazy and addicted for them even if their stomachs are getting pushed to hell.

Many types of Rice:

We have to agree, Pakistani cuisine is really diverse, just as there are many types of Parathas, there are many dishes made from rice. You boil the rice, add beef to it and it becomes pulao. Add milk to boiled rice, it becomes kheer which is sweetened then. Adding grains to boiled rice, it becomes khichdi. Biriyani is a blend of many rice meals; it includes boiled rice with chicken meat, and many spices. Add gur, a solid brown sugar to boiled rice and it becomes gur wale chawal (Rice of gur) which is sweet in taste. It continues to many other types, each having its own distinctive and unique taste which the local people find tasteful enough to enjoy.

         DINNER IN PAKISTAN

If you want to find some really pleasuring, mouth-watering, delicious, luscious, delectable, and flavorsome meals in Pakistani cuisine, then join any dining table of a Pakistani family. Though it shall not be disregarded that meals on Pakistani dining table might not be palatable for some people, especially those who are not used to of eating too much and many spices.

Biriyani:

As I talked earlier about Biriyani, this dish tops every rice-oriented dish. Its main ingredients are Rice, meat and spices. It seems like it’s a simple dish with only 3 ingredients, but actually, these spices account for 16 different spices added to the boiled rice. It means, when you take one spoon of Biriyani, you’re actually taking 16 different spices. After you’re done munching a plate of biriyani, you can feel the warmth of your stomach and your whole gut feels to be burning. Though not as much to be painful, but enough to be noticeable. Usually people take soft drinks like coca cola, sprite or seven-up after biriyani, so as to relieve their stomach, but you can notice a clear foolishness there as they’re drinking nothing but another acidic item to boost the chances of acidity and ulcer.

Pulao:

Coming to another dish on dine at Pakistan, we have Pulao, yet again a rice-oriented meal, not as spicy as a biriyani however. In this, boiled rice are thrown into boiling broth, that contains meat or beef and some spices are added to make it more appealing.

Kofte:

Kofte counts as a piquant Pakistani dish that have meat balls merging out of a spiced soup. Kofte is considered as an expensive dish and not everyone affords to have it in dine.

Qeema:

Out of these meat-oriented dishes, qeema is a one pure meat dish which comprises grinded meat and spices only. It have a divine salty taste and teasing smell that attracts food lovers. It’s taste is mostly boosted by using lush green chilies, and sometimes even red chilies, fried in oil.

Korma:

Moving to the last meat-oriented meal of dinner in Pakistan and the most popularly known for mouth-watering dish, is Korma. Its ingredients are meat and spices only, but the procedure it is cooked and the minor but many spice ingredients added to it, makes it utterly yummy and super delicious. The meat is stewed which makes it soft enough to be eatable and not get stuck under adjacent tooth of eater. Then this stewed meat is braised with yogurt that gives it a little sour taste and boost’s its delightful smell. After adding numerous spices to it, including green and red chilies, a strong sauce is made in which, pieces of chicken meat are sub-merged, giving out the most tempting, teasing, and super mouth-watering smell, even thinking about it is making me eager to have that tonight.

Chinese Rice:

Other than our own traditional foods, Pakistani cuisine have been greatly influenced by Chinese foods. One of its example is ‘Chinese rice’, a very likable and enticing dish that enchants people, not only by its taste, but its aroma and appearance is as appealing as it’s delightful taste. It’s ingredients are boiled rice, vinegar, a special salt named ‘Chinese salt’ peppers, some finely chopped vegetables and grinded boiled eggs. Altogether, they make a perfect combination of a heavenly dish.

                FAST FOODS AND SNACKS

Samosas:

Apart of these timely cooked dishes, Pakistani cuisine have some fast foods and snacks, like Samosas, which are fried dish with a savory filling, that can be grinded cooked meat, potato dough, onions, etc.

Kebabs:

 And then we have a number of kebabs which are fried doughs of different items, like shami kebab, chapli kebab and seekh kebab. It can be made by grinded meat or beef, potato, stewed grains, and so on.

These all dishes I mentioned, basically covers the most of popular dishes in Pakistani cuisine. In case you ever get a chance to visit Pakistan, don't miss the chance to taste these heavenly dishes. 

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