Recipes

Chicken Biryani - Vatani Dastarkhwan
  Vatani Dastarkhwan Chicken Biryani The weekend dish. The dawat dish. The dish people travel for and argue about. Chicken biryani is not complicated, it is sequential. Get the masala right, get the rice right, and then seal the pot and leave it alone. The dum does the rest. Serves 4–5 Prep time 30 min Cook time 1 hr 30 min Difficulty Medium Ingredients Chicken Masala 1kg bone-in chicken, curry cut 3 medium onions, finely sliced 3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped 4 tbsp plain yoghurt 1 tsp ginger paste 1... Read more...
Keema Aloo - Vatani Dastarkhwan
  Vatani Dastarkhwan Keema Aloo Fast, affordable, and on the table in under an hour. Keema Aloo is the kind of dish that asks very little and gives a lot. The secret is in the mince which must be properly browned before the potatoes go in. Everything else follows from there. Serves 4 Prep time 10 min Cook time 45–50 min Difficulty Easy Ingredients Main 500g beef mince (keema) 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 medium onions, finely sliced 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped 1 tsp... Read more...
Chicken Salan - Vatani Dastarkhwan
  Vatani Dastarkhwan Chicken Salan Every Pakistani kitchen has a version of this dish. The recipe changes from household to household. The method doesn't. Golden onions, chicken that has been properly bhunoed to remove the heek, tomatoes cooked down until the oil separates. Get the sequence right and the rest takes care of itself. Serves 4 Prep time 15 min Cook time 55–60 min Difficulty Easy Ingredients Main 800g bone-in chicken, curry cut 2 medium onions, finely sliced 3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped 3 tbsp plain yoghurt 1 tsp ginger... Read more...
Bhindi Masala - Vatani Dastarkhwan
Vatani Dastarkhwan Bhindi Masala The most popular vegetable dish in the Pakistani kitchen — and the most misunderstood. Okra cooked right is bold, dry, and full of flavour. Cooked wrong, it has a sticky, unpleasant texture. The difference is technique, not ingredients. Serves 4 Prep time 15 min Cook time 30–35 min Difficulty Easy Ingredients Main 500g fresh bhindi (okra), washed and dried 1 medium onion, finely sliced (for masala) 1 medium onion, sliced into rings (for finishing) 4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 4 tbsp cooking... Read more...
Aloo Gosht — Vatani Dastarkhwan
Vatani Dastarkhwan Aloo Gosht The quintessential Pakistani home curry. Bone-in mutton slow-cooked with potatoes in a deep, spiced shorba — the kind of dish every household has its own version of, and every version is right. Serves 4–5 Prep time 15 min Cook time 1 hr 30 min Difficulty Easy Ingredients Meat and potatoes 800g bone-in mutton or beef, curry cut 3 medium potatoes, peeled and halved 1 litre water Masala base 4 tbsp cooking oil or ghee 2 medium onions, finely sliced 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste 3 medium tomatoes,... Read more...
Tarka Daal — Vatani Dastarkhwan
Vatani Dastarkhwan Tarka Daal The most cooked dish in Pakistan. Masoor daal made with a proper onion-tomato masala, finished with a sizzling tarka of ghee, cumin, garlic, and dried chilli. Serves 4 Prep time 20 min Cook time 40 min Difficulty Easy Ingredients For the daal 250g masoor daal (red lentils) 750ml water 1 medium onion, finely sliced 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste ¾ tsp turmeric powder ↗ 1 tsp red chilli powder ↗ 1 tsp coriander powder ↗ 1 tsp salt For the tarka 3... Read more...