Pakistani recipes, delicious bakes, and other flavorful foods!
Jump to the Instant Pot Pulled Beef Recipe
The kids are back in school now. I want to wax lyrical about the bitter sweetness of that first day back, but somehow two days in that first day seems to be a distant memory. We have quickly gotten back into a routine. The only difference perhaps is that I am having to wake them up for school as they still haven’t gotten used to falling asleep early. I think I am probably also one of five people on this planet who really like packing school lunches.
There are few dishes that can stand on their own. That don’t need a second fiddle, a side, anything else really except the garnishes that accompany it. Biryani is one such dish, but if I am to be honest than my favourite one dish meal is Nihari. With it’s strong spices, beautifully tender meat, the sourness of the lemon, that bright leafy cilantro. If I had a last meal request it would be Nihari. 
Jump to the Dum ka Keema Recipe
There are foods that I think of as Paratha foods, the kinds where even the tenderest chapati does not have the same oomph. A good Dum ka Keema, spicy, smoky, heady punctured with the brightness of mint, the boldness of ginger, that just calls for parathas. It is the one dish that I will always eat at a dinner because there is something about this potent combination I find hard to resist. If there are parathas on the table then whose counting helpings. Definitely not me.
There are some foods that have a visceral appeal, where even before you take a bite, every sense of yours knows what to expect. The tender tear of the paratha, the firm delicate swoosh into the masala, a piece of bread picking up heady spiced beef and the gentler cauliflower. You know just how good it will be before you take your first bite. And then when you do it’s tough to stop. In case you cannot tell because I am so subtle, Gobi Gosht is one of those foods for me. I can’t remember if my mother made it (must ask), or when and where I discovered it, but I am undeniably a fan.
There are foods that I think of as seriously desi (south asian) in their flavors, the kind of foods I wouldn’t make for someone who was just trying out Pakistani food. Kharay Masalay ka Gosht is one of them. With it’s heady aromatic spices – the name Khara Masala literally means whole spices – this unassuming dish packs a punch! As those of you who cook regularly from the blog (thank you!) know, I am not a fan of the “garam masala” taste. I love using it in powder form as an accent, but usually keep the whole spices moderate. However, for kharay masalay ka gosht I am willing to make an exception! This aromatic dish goes best with some simple bread, although a little sheermal never hurt anyone 🙂
