25 Pakistani Dishes Everyone Should Learn To Cook

Biryani can be made with either chicken or lamb and is traditionally served with a special yoghurt called raita. Find the recipe here.

If you're new to Pakistani cooking, daal is a good place to start. Moong daal, which is made with lentils, can be served with rice or naan and can be made either thick or soupy. Find a recipe here.

A specialty tea with pistachio and almonds sprinkled on top, this milky chai is packed with flavour. Find a recipe here.

Although it's traditionally made with lamb, nihari can also be made with chicken or a meat substitute. It's typically served with naan bread and sprinkled with coriander, cut chillis, onions, ginger pieces, and lemon juice. Find a recipe here.

This summery drink is a often served as a dessert in Pakistan. It's made with milk, ice-cream, and jelly and it also contains noodles, basil, and rose syrup. Find a recipe here.

This is basically minced meat with loads of spices. Find a recipe here.

It may look like brown soup but haleem is actually a mixture of meat and lentils typically topped with lemon, friend onions, chillis, coriander, and ginger pieces. Find a recipe here.

Naan bread is a staple part of many Pakistani meals and is the perfect accompaniment to curry. Find a recipe here.

Fruit chaat is a combination of fruit that also has a spicy kick. Find a recipe here.

Chicken jalfrezi is exciting because you can use whatever vegetables you have left over in it. Find a recipe here.

Lassi is one of Pakistan's favourite drinks. It's most commonly made with mango but can also come in a salty version. A thick shake, it's delightfully creamy and sweet and is often made during Ramadan. Find a recipe here.

Kulfi is kind of like ice cream. It's usually served at weddings and topped with almonds and pistachios. Find a recipe here.

"Aloo gohst" literally translates as "potato lamb" and is simply a curry that contains both meat and potatoes. Find a recipe here.

This is a sweet curry for those who can't handle very much spice. Find a recipe here.

Little pastries that can be filled with either meat or vegetables, samosas can be frozen and defrosted and fried later. You can either buy the pastry or you can make your own from scratch. Find a recipe here.

Another classic wedding dessert, gajar ki halwa is made from carrots but is actually sweet. Find a recipe here.

Ras malai is basically powered milk balls in sweetened milk. It doesn't sound like much but is definitely worth an attempt. Find a recipe here.

A good Ramadan snack (especially for vegetarians) pakora combines vegetables with flour. They're also fried so they have a crunchy texture. Find a recipe here.

Chicken karahi is a classic curry with its own set of spices. Find a recipe here.

Perfect as a starter or as main, seekh kebabs are simply mince shaped into long thin rods and fried. Find a recipe here.

Kofta are basically lamb meatballs in a sauce. This dish is traditionally served with half-cut boiled eggs. It may sound like a strange combination but it works. Find a recipe here.

A traditional piece of gulab jamun contains 250 calories, so try not to overload. But that may be hard because they taste so good. Find a recipe here.

These are marinated and cooked chicken cubes that can be barbecued or put in the oven. Chicken tikka make a great starter, especially for weddings. Find a recipe here.

Usually made with mutton or beef, korma is a gorgeously creamy curry. Find a recipe for it here.

Kheer is a kind of rice-pudding dessert that can either be made from scratch or using a kheer mix packet. Find a recipe here.