India
Papdi Chaat
पापड़ी चाट
A North Indian chaat of crispy fried dough wafers topped with potato, yogurt, chutneys, and spices. It is creamy and crunchy.
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Pakistan
Explore 109 foods connected to Pakistan, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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Pakistan Essentials
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Traditional foods from Pakistan.
109 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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India
Paratha
पराठा
A flaky, layered North Indian flatbread made with whole wheat and ghee, pan-fried until crisp. It can be plain or stuffed with potatoes, cauliflower, paneer, or radish.
Pakistan
Paratha Roll
پراٹھا رول
A street roll of flaky paratha wrapped around chicken or beef, chutney and onions.
India
Pasanda
پسندہ
Flattened, marinated meat is browned and folded into a rich onion, yogurt, and spice gravy, part of the Mughal and North Indian-Pakistani continuum.
Lahore, India
Paye
پائے
Cow or goat trotters simmered overnight until the collagen dissolves into a sticky, gelatinous gravy, eaten at breakfast with naan.
Iran
Persian Sheermal
شیرمال
A traditional Persian saffron and milk sweet bread, soft and slightly sweet, often served with cheese, herbs and tea for breakfast.
Peshawar, Pakistan
Peshawari Ice Cream
پشاوری آئس کریم
Dense milk ice churned by hand in a metal drum packed with ice and salt, flavoured with pistachio, cardamom and dried fruit.
Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Phitti
فٹی
Fermented wheat bread from Balochistan, baked in a clay oven and eaten broken into hot milk or tea for breakfast.
Lahore, Pakistan
Qatlama
قتلمہ
Layered dough brushed with a spiced gram-flour and chilli paste, coiled, flattened and deep-fried into a crisp, oily disc.
India
Qeema
قیمہ
Minced beef or mutton fried down with onion, tomato, ginger and garam masala until the fat separates, sometimes with peas or potato.
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Rista
रिस्ता
Minced lamb is rolled into smooth balls and simmered in a vivid Kashmiri chilli and fennel gravy.
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Rogan Josh
रोगन जोश
A slow-cooked lamb curry from Kashmir, colored deep red by Kashmiri chilies and flavored with fennel, ginger, and rattan jot. It is aromatic rather than overly hot.
West Bengal, Bangladesh
Roshmalai
রসমালাই
Flattened chhena discs poached in syrup then steeped in thickened, cardamom-scented milk and served cold.
Sindh, Pakistan
Sai Bhaji
سائي ڀاڄي
Spinach cooked down with chana dal, tomato, aubergine and dill into a thick green mash, eaten with plain or fried rice.
Balochistan, Pakistan
Sajji
سجی
Whole lamb or chicken rubbed only with salt, skewered on a wooden stake and roasted slowly beside an open fire, served with rice stuffed inside.
Guadeloupe
Samosa
समोसा
A crisp South Asian pastry is folded around spiced potato, peas, onion, or meat, then fried and served with chutney
Punjab, India
Sarson Ka Saag
सरसों का साग
A Punjabi dish of mustard greens slow-cooked and blended, served with makki ki roti and white butter. A winter specialty.
Pakistan
Seekh Kabab Roll
سیخ کباب رول
Minced-meat seekh kebabs wrapped in paratha with onions and chutney.
Afghanistan
Seekh Kebab
सीख कबाब
Minced meat molded onto skewers and grilled in a tandoor. It is a popular appetizer across North India.
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Shab Deg
شب دیگ
Mutton and whole turnips cooked overnight in a sealed pot with meatballs and a red, fennel-scented gravy, a Kashmiri winter dish.
Pakistan
Shahi Tukray
شاہی ٹکڑے
Fried bread slices soaked in cardamom milk and sugar syrup, topped with reduced milk, nuts and silver leaf.
India
Shami Kebab
शामी कबाब
A North Indian kebab of minced meat and chana dal, shaped into patties and pan-fried. It has a smooth texture.
Pakistan
Sheer Khurma
شیر خرما
Vermicelli simmered in milk with dates, pistachio, almond and cardamom, cooked in quantity for Eid morning.
Sindh, Pakistan
Sindhi Biryani
سنڌي بریاني
Rice layered with mutton or chicken cooked in yoghurt, tomato, dried plum and a heavy hand of green chilli and mint, so the rice runs sour and hot.
India
Sindhi Karhi
سنڌي ڪڙهي
Gram-flour and tamarind gravy roasted until nutty, then simmered with drumstick, potato, okra and carrot and served with plain rice.
Multan, Pakistan
Sohan Halwa
سوہن حلوہ
Dense disc of wheat-sprout syrup boiled with ghee, sugar and cardamom until it sets hard, studded with pistachio and almond.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Sohbat
سوہبت
Saraiki communal dish of bread torn into a mutton stock with meat and yoghurt, eaten from a shared tray by hand.
Pakistan
Suji Ka Halwa
سوجی کا حلوہ
Semolina halwa cooked with ghee, sugar and cardamom, a festive morning sweet.
Kerala, India
Sulaimani Chai
سلیمانی چائے
Black tea without milk, boiled with cardamom and served with lemon and sugar, the standard after a heavy meat meal.
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Tabak maaz
तबक माज़
Lamb ribs are simmered with milk and Kashmiri spices, then fried until the surface turns crisp.
Iran
Taftan
تافتان
Leavened bread of milk, egg and yoghurt scented with cardamom and saffron, baked into a thick, soft round.
Pakistan
Tamatar Gosht
ٹماٹر گوشت
A Pakistani lamb curry heavy on tomatoes, bright and tangy.
Sindh, Pakistan
Taryal Patata
تریل پٹاٹا
Whole potatoes boiled, split, stuffed with spiced mash and chutney and deep-fried, sold in paper from evening carts.
Sindh, Pakistan
Thadal
ٺاڍل
Almond, poppy seed, fennel and melon seed ground to a paste and mixed with cold milk, sugar and rose water.
Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Walnut Kelawo (Kilao)
کلاؤ
Chitrali walnuts are threaded, dipped repeatedly in thickened grape or fruit must, and dried into a chewy confection.
Jammu and Kashmir, India
Yakhni pulao
یخنی پلاؤ
A Kashmiri rice pilaf cooked in a spiced meat broth with whole spices.