In a recent survey conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, people across the country were asked about their favorite type of meat. The survey revealed the following preferences: • 41 percent of respondents chose goat meat as their favorite. • 25 percent favored beef. • 23 percent preferred chicken. • 11 percent either didn’t know or didn’t answer.
Gallup & Gilani Pakistan conducted the survey to gather information about people’s food preferences. Understanding what people like helps businesses and policymakers make decisions.
We agree that nothing beats a good mutton karahi. Or a good mutton pulao. Or a good mutton haandi. Or paai.
With Eid-ul-Azha tomorrow, Muslims all around the globe will be sacrificing animals to remember the practice of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S). Meat lovers usually crave meat but on Eid-ul-Azha, seeing meat all around diminishes the craving and sometimes, develops an urge to eat vegetarian food. Moreover, vegetarians also wonder what to eat on Eid. In this article, we will go over easy and delicious vegan food that you can make on this Eid.
1- Bhindi Pyaz (Okra or Ladyfinger)
Pakistani star vegan food, bhindi, can be prepared by stir-frying bhindi with onion, garlic, tomatoes and a few other everyday masala. Quantities of masala may vary depending on your taste in food. It is best served with chapati. You can also fry bhindi filled with chat masala and serve it to guests as an alternative to crispy meat.
2- Lobia ka Salan
Lobia ka salan is another Pakistani traditional food that is famous because of its fulfilling taste. It is prepared with Lobia in onion tomato gravy base and can be served in a bowl with chapati. It tastes equally well with boiled rice, which is a cherry on top.
3- Matar Pulao
Matar pulao is yet another famous dish among Pakistanis. It is prepared with rice, green peas and blend of other spices. It is usually served with sliced cucumber salad to add to its flavour. It is one of the best vegan food that could be served to vegetarian guests visiting your place.
4- Alo Kabab
When it comes to vegetarian food, it will not be fair to not mention aaloo kababs. Mashed potato mixed with sliced cauliflower, green capsicum and masala depending on your taste serves as best and quick dish that you can have at Eid. Its appetising smell and circular crispy shape can bring water to anyone’s mouth.
5- Mixed vegetables
Last but not the least, another vegetarian and gluten-free dish that you can eat during this meaty Eid is mixed sabzi. If you are a veggie lover, then it is a must try. It can give you plenty of vegetables in one dish. You can even purchase frozen mixed vegetable packs from any super market. There is no need to spend time on slicing different vegetables. All you need is to follow the instructions given on the pack and you are good to go.
Hidden in the heart of Defence, Lahore is a quaint little cafe, Amavi. The restaurant’s owner Maira has been in the food business for a while now, working for other cafes and restaurants, before taking the leap and opening up her own little space. Maira’s expertise lies in desserts and she has trained herself professionally in the department.
The patisserie’s interior is beautifully done with a lot of attention paid to detail. The chairs are done with deep green velvet upholstery while there are small artsy details on the tables. There is marble flooring and touches of gold, pink and black here and there. It’s almost like entering a painting. Amavi is the sort of place you’d want to dress up and go.
When I went there, the place was buzzing with people. Initially, Amavi was a small space with about two to three tables but given the phenomenal success, the owners had to expand it to entertain more visitors.
Now onto the food. The food was a bit different from the usual palettes, for example, their Za’Atar and Burrata Pizza – Za’Atar is a spice while Burrata is fresh Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. I’ve had Burrata Salad in Karachi but I haven’t come across anything like this before and I was fairly impressed with this dish. It was actually pretty yummy.
Za’Atar and Burrata Pizza
Their Salt Beef Toastie with Gouda Cheese and Caramelised Onions was another one of my favourites. Apart from that their Fish and Chips were good too and I also tried their bestselling Buttermilk Chicken Burger which was an absolute treat. The chicken was soft, tender and full of flavour.
Salt Beef Toastie
Buttermilk Chicken Burger
Fish and Chips
The only thing I did not like was the French Onion Soup.
I didn’t really try the desserts so I can’t comment on that but a lot of people there were mostly having desserts and coffee, which by the way was also good.
I will definitely be going to Amavi again to try the dishes I didn’t, especially the desserts. For me, the patisserie is a cute and different addition to the Lahore food scene.
Islamabad’s mushrooming restaurant scene comes in small areas. The market at E-7 is home to a few different restaurants: a burger joint, steaks, the food of Hunza and Mithas, a restaurant that serves pretty much everything.
As The Current’s food reviewer, when they came to Islamabad to interview me, it made sense to do it over food. We walked around, checking out a few restaurants, and settled on trying out the breakfast menu of Islamabad’s Mithas.
Mithas is an Italian restaurant but like most restaurants in Pakistan, it has a mixed menu of different cuisines.
We sat outside the rather large space, on a sunny Islamabad afternoon. Even though the table was shaky, which can be rather annoying, as if you’re eating at sea, the server was friendly and helpful. We ordered the eggs and a Chicken Tarragon.
Spinach Feta omelette
It is incredibly difficult to get a souffle omelette right. Mithas came incredibly close with their Spinach and Feta souffle omelette. It was baked to perfection but the cheese was decidedly feta but most likely a mozzarella. Even though it looked perfect, it tasted a little dry. But getting this is one is so tricky that it was a good attempt.
The hash browns and sausage could’ve easily been taken off the plate. The hash browns were tasteless and the sausage was overcooked and chewy and five pieces of white bread were too much.
Scrambled eggs on toast
The scrambled eggs were a strong creamy blend of ease and the toast they were served on was a perfect compliment. I wondered if they were making their own bread but this one in excellent option.
I was a little confused with the Chicken Tarragon. Fresh tarragon is incredibly difficult to find in Pakistan and this was made using a dried form of the herb, which is why the taste didn’t really come through. The sauce was thick – a little too much – but it covered the chicken nicely. A good option at the restaurant but not the best.
Chicken Tarragon
Mithas is a good addition to Islamabad’s food scene and we sat there for a few hours nursing our coffee and having a good chat in true Islamabad feel.
It’s not like any of us needs an excuse to eat hearty and heavy, but if you do, cooking for your loved one(s) on V day is a good one.
Here are three tried and tested recipes that taste amazing and are at an intermediate level of cooking. They are a mix of different recipes: A Paula Deen and Yossy Arefi mix of a decadent and super easy lava cake, a Mark Bittman and Tyler Florence potato gratin (fancy name for potatoes with cream) and a variation of Melissa Clark’s Chicken Parmesan with Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce (All of these chefs are brilliant but need a bit of a variation to meet Pakistani palette standards.
Chocolate Lava Cake
250 grams of cooking chocolate (Dairy Milk and others work too but don’t put in too much sugar then)
10 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup icing sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Heat oven to 220 degrees C.
Grease Four baking/ custard cups with butter (Muffin tins also work).
Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave/double boiler/low heat stove top. If you choose to microwave, don’t micro them in one go but stir it after every 30-40 seconds. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth and stir in the vanilla extract. Divide the batter evenly among the cup and place them in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Don’t be worried about taking it out too early. It tastes so good, it wouldn’t matter if it has ‘too much lava’. But definitely don’t take it out too late. It’s not a lava at all if it takes too long in the oven. Let it cool slightly and then run a knife around the edges to loosen and take out, upside down, onto plates.
Potato Gratin
8 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced paper-thin
4 tablespoons butter semi melted
2 cups heavy cream
15 garlic cloves, split in half
Italian herbs seasoning
3 tablespoons chopped green onions, plus more for garnish
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (if you cant find this, try a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 195 degrees C. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, and toss around to make sure all are coated. Season with salt and pepper. Put the potato mixture into a baking dish, flatten it out with a spatula, and bake for 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the gratin is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with spring onions.
Chicken Parmesan
1 kg boneless chicken cut into strips
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs
3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
12 large tomatoes
5 tablespoons tomato paste
6 tablespoons of butter
One large onion
12 garlic cloves (peeled)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (if you cant find this, try a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying
Directions
Heat oven to 204 degrees.
First make the tomato sauce. Cut the tomatoes into four pieces and cut the big onion in two halves. Place the tomatoes and onion and garlic on a deep frying pan with the butter. Add the tomato paste and let it cook on very low heat for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper
Place flour, eggs and panko into three wide, shallow bowls. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Dip a piece in flour, then eggs, then coat with panko. Repeat until all the meat is coated.
Fill a large frying pan with oil Place over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry cutlets in batches, turning halfway through, until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a baking pan. Sprinkle one-third of the cheese over sauce. Place half of the cutlets over the cheese. Top with half the remaining sauce and repeat the process. The final top layer should be of the cheese.
Transfer pan to oven and bake until cheese is golden which is about 40 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
Everyone has heard. Karachiites find it difficult to settle in Lahore. 20 years, 10 years, five years, the hole in their heart is never filled. It’s not a superiority thing, which Lahoris believe it is. It’s because they don’t fit in even if they try to. Some succeed and become unrecognizable to their childhood friends. Most live their lives in Lahore, yearning for aloos in their biryani.
For Karachiites, biryani isn’t just about comfort food. It’s the smell of home on Sundays, it is the big silver daigs being brought into every mayyun, mehndi, and shaadi, the big plate with your favourite piece of meat, two aloos or more, rice with heaps of masala, raita, a good movie, eaten and watched in bed after a really long day. It’s home.
Food is synonymous with home. No matter where we live, when we are homesick we turn to food that makes us relive the place, and the memories we miss. If you live in hostels, or work abroad, you will ultimately call your mother to ask how to make daal chawal, and if you feel courageous enough to try, biryani. It won’t taste just like home but it might come close.
Five years on, I have yet to find the perfect biryani in Lahore. And I’ve tried almost all of them, in search for a piece of home. Two have come close, but perhaps it’s because I forced them to in my mind. But that was also more than enough for a few minutes.
I tried Karachi Naseeb Biryani at least 10-15 times. They have aloo, I was proudly told. The name suits the biryani. It is in your naseeb if you will find biryani that comes close to Karachi’s. And also one branch.
I’m told the oldest branch of Karachi Naseeb Biryani is the one that between McDonalds and Main Market in Gulberg. And that’s the one to try. The first few times I had the biryani from other branches and it was mostly the happy color yellow, mixed with white rice, aloo and chicken. The biryani looked glum, painted happy, depressed inside, lonely pieces floating around and never coming together. Then came the night when the right box arrived from the right branch. Yellow mixed with masala, aloo bukharas two aloos and masala stuck in between the nooks and crannies of the seena piece. Yes, please. It wasn’t Karachi but it was so painfully close. Eaten too fast, the moment was over too soon.
Karachi Kanteen came to Lahore with a bang. We were all talking about it. Anda Shami, chicken rolls and what, Sindhi biryani? Life was going to be complete, I just knew it.
The first time I had Karachi Kanteen, I went to heaven. I was home, I was at a wedding, I was at a friend’s house, I was everywhere I yearned to be. The biryani was perfect. The masala, the sticky aloo bokharas, those elaichis that add so much flavour but are quickly caught and pushed aside, it tasted like the heart of Sindh. It was one of my happiest nights in Lahore because life was about to change.
It didn’t really change though. The biryani was ordered four, five times, eaten at food festivals, tried over and over again. It was never the same. It was almost as if it had given up and blended into the Lahori palao biryani. Or it liked to fit in and decided it had taken a different route in life. Whatever the reason, it was never the same again. It made me angry, I’ll admit. It wasn’t supposed to do that.
There were many that came and went. Happy spoons going in, leaving dejected and hopeless. Some came with kababs, put on top of the rice like a pity crown, as if the kababs were a consolation prize for something that just wasn’t going to do it.
A worthy mention is a home-based company whose owner I met at a restaurant as I told my tale of sorrow for the umpteenth time. He said his family made biryani for delivery and he would send me some. I accepted his offer, not thinking that he would. He did and it came in a big container with green chutney. Rakh Rakhao’s biryani came on a day I needed it the most. I opened the box which revealed biryani that wasn’t just coloured yellow but had streaks of orange as well. I examined the rice and found it to be full of masala. The aloos seemed perfectly cooked, the chicken, glad to be stuck to the rice. My interest was further piqued by the presence of lemon slices, which very few people do. I dove in and it was good. I nimbled it with my fork, broke away the chicken pieces and mixed it with green raita, when my heart really wanted the white wala. The biryani was good but tasted mostly of lemon and the masala wasn’t perfect. But there was masala, which made it more biryani than others.
I came home, with my biryani box in tow forvsome time alone. I was hungry, I opened the box and took out the biryani, heated it up and made some white raita. Discarding the spoon, I started eating it with my hands, watching a movie on Netflix. And for a few moments, the biryani raised the bar and started to come home. It wasn’t perfect but then life for a Karachiite in Lahore hardly is. But it came close and that, is good enough.
Winters and brunches go hand in hand. And nothing better than French Toast for the perfect sweet ending to a satisfying, or not so satisfying brunch. While, most cafes in Lahore have french toasts on their menu, finding the perfect French toast in town was quite a feat and I had a go through a couple to find the one.
Read on for a comparison of French Toasts available in Lahore.
Urban Kitchen
Urban Kitchen has French Toast available only on Sunday as part of their Sunday brunch which is a pity because they truly are delightful. The bread is delicious and I’d honestly just go back for that. And the fact that the toppings do not include Nutella is the cherry on top.
Thanda Garam
Thanda Garam knows how to do their french toast because the french toast they had were divine – the best out of the lot. They were crispy from the outside and fluffy from the inside. The cream that accompanied was so delectable that I had to stop myself from licking clean the plate. The only downside was that there was too much Nutella – but then again those who love Nutella will absolutely love this. I’d request the restaurant to make Nutella optional and add a jam option as well – Strawberry or Apple Jam with these french toast would be delightful.
Jade
As far as Nutella French Toast are concerned, Jade was the pioneer of these in the city. But over the years, I feel that Jade’s french toast have become boring as well as oily. They are often too crispy on the outside and not as well cooked from the inside. The bread is also pretty thick which is why I’ve stopped having french toast from Jade.
Chaaye Khana
Just like Jade, Chaaye Khana also used to do good french toast. But after trying Thanda Garam and Urban Kitchen, Chaaye Khana’s french toast began to taste mediocre – there is tooo much bread and nothing with it. No cream, jam or maple syrup which makes the french toast dry and boring.
Sasha’s
The first time I went to Sasha’s, I quite enjoyed their french toasts. But the successive visit wasn’t as good. The bread was extra caramelized which made it difficult to chew – it was like eating burnt toffee. Add to that, maple syrup and nutella. The end result wasn’t very pleasing and I never went back to Sasha’s.
In short, Urban Kitchen and Thanda Garam do the best french toast in town.
Before I pen this review, I just want to put it out there that I absolutely love Mexican food – it’s my ultimate comfort food. Which is why I was super excited to try it out.
Adobo is a small, cosy restaurant located at Shahbaz Commercial with limited sitting. The interior is very bohemian with graffiti on the walls.
Like the sitting, the menu is also limited. However, the options are enough to satisfy your Mexican cravings. The menu includes tacos, mini tacos, Burrito Bowls and guacamole among other things.
Considering that my husband and I visit this place almost every week, I can confidently say that the food is fresh, clean and absolutely delicious. The spice levels are perfect and sauces perfectly curated. The satisfaction at the end of a meal here is unlike any other I’ve experienced in the past.
However, the food is not the best part. The best part of the restaurant is the warmth it has to offer. The owner is almost always there to make sure his customers are comfortable and get the best service.
As far as the price factor is concerned, the restaurant is reasonably priced. But if you order items like guacamole, except the bill to be slightly higher.
All in all, if you don’t care about the calories, Adobo is the place for you to go.
There’s a door, like Narnia and it’s so exciting to get to where it is. It’s an experience you could never get in any other city of Pakistan because it requires, no, demands the warmth of Lahori Punjabis. The owners of the restaurant with the blue door have tapped into exactly that; the fact that Lahoris will always be ready for an open and warm conversation.
It’s not easy to get a seat at the restaurant, ‘The Blue Door Super Club’. I came across them on Instagram and after inquiring about it from a friend who had recently gone, messaged the owner, Unum. She replied to my inquiry about a reservation with a hint of energy and bubble.
I got a reservation for four, paid half in advance, and we took the long trek out to the restaurant. The boonies of Lahore always has an air of mystery and with Google Maps having a tough time finding the restaurant, the whole experience became even more intruiging.
I was apprehensive though – so much mystery could be the gimmick that made up for the lack of good food.
I saw the menu beforehand and was bemused. So Punjabi to do a menu that was Mexican but also Korean but this one had a flair and the sound of actual, honest fusion. It looked and sounded comforting, not pretentious, and I wondered how well it would do in Lahore, where one would only pay 5000 rupees for a plate of overrated sushi.
Waiting for dinner service to begin
We got to the restaurant and expected to be seated at our table of four. Except it was a long, singular table of 12. Oh great, I thought. There’s a single table, people I don’t know, and they’ve already chosen our spots for us. This is going to be an experience I might not want to have.
The property was large, the restaurant small and cosy. The kitchen was small and the chefs, Unum and her husband Ali, came out to greet us. It quite literally felt like we had walked into someone’s home for Thanksgiving dinner and there were a lot of ‘relatives’ coming.
But like a cold winter night, when its time to get warm, there is a soft and tender warmth that starts to surround you. It started from the warm way Ali and Unum greeted us, and extended to the true Punjabi warmth of everyone getting together to sit at the table. A girl, who later became the life of the party, came and hugged us, exclaiming about how it was so lovely to meet new people. It was warmth, connection and conversation. Everything you expect from a dinner you will never forget.
Camerones al Mojo de Ajo served on a darling little plate
We were seated and the five course menu began with a prawn and garlic appetizer served on a homemade corn tostada. Giant prawns, seared to perfection, perfectly seasoned, it crunched with freshness , with hints of citrus. But what made it explode with flavour was the lemon chilli salt and the green chilli sauce. My God, what a sauce.
The kitchen was her grandmother’s room, explains Unum as she comes to chat between courses. Her nani was the one who taught her to cook, and as Unum spoke, her voice was full of memories of flavour. Which is what usually happens when one loves food and remembers who taught them their passion. Unum learnt hers and it is most likely what’s driving her to follow her memories.
By the time the chicken soup came along, the conversation was in full swing. A couple married for eleven years, one about to get married, everyone started exchanging stories. It was so swinging that we forgot to take pictures of it. There’s nothing better than a homemade bone broth, crispy tortillas floating in a soup with heart. The soup was finished in what felt like seconds as the conversation with strangers warmed into being a conversation with friends.
The fancy samosa that Mexicans call Empanadas was served next with a rocket and cucumber salad. The empanada was basic, which is something I didn’t expect. It lacked flavour but it was bound to, since it required heavy seasoning for the organic chicken and potato to surrender their blandness. A good dose of the saviour chilli sauce elevated it, but here began the downfall.
The conversation never wavered, and sometimes all twelve people listened to one person talk about a life story. Bursts of laughter, waves of silent listening, the conversation was the star. From chefs, to businesspersons, bureaucrats, homemakers and journalists, it was as if Unum and Ali had a secret sauce of mixing the right people. The food didn’t have to be good anymore. No music was needed. The hum of different life stories took over and never stopped.
Yang Nyeom Tong Dak Tacos
I ordered the Korean Chicken Taco, my partner, the Slow Cooked Beef. Having tried to perfect Korean Chicken, I was looking forward to this main course since it is not as easy as it looks. The handmade tortilla was perfection, the Korean Chicken left me wanting. The chicken pieces were crispy – a bit too crispy. They needed more meat and a lot more zing. The Pakistani palette loves spices, mixes of flavor which is why when a dish requires a tablespoon of sauce, add another two and you’ve got the Pakistani feel down. The chilli sauce. Yes. It came back on my plate and added another dimension.
Beef Birria de Res
The Slow Cooked Beef was having an off day as well. I had heard smashing reviews of the beef, with its chipotle aioli and roasted tomato salsa. It was meant to be slow cooked taco heaven. But again, lacked in flavor.
They started as chefs when they missed home living in England. Just like every nostalgic Pakistani, who goes abroad, braves the cold, carries their groceries and walks home to a place that doesn’t smell like ami kay haath ka khaana, they started making desi food for their friends and their friends for them. It happens to most of us.
Ali and Unum cooking for friends when living abroad
When we make our first daal with our mothers on the phone giving directions on how to do it and then slowly progress to biryani with masala mixes, or from scratch. It’s almost a right of passage, and Unum and Ali had the courage to take it forward and do what they love.
Unum and Ali at their graduation
Its apparent in the way they talk about their food. It sings in their dessert, a caramel flan with a chocolate cake base.
Pastel Imposible
The flan was creamy and joyous, the chocolate cake a tad dry. The two fought each other, the chocolate and the caramel vanilla flan, refusing to marry but forced on top of the other. I enjoyed every single bite of the flan, small savoring bites that didn’t last long enough.
The Blue Door to the restaurant
The Blue Door is starting brunch soon and is already booked out from what I hear. Not surprised. As we left, spending more than three hours at the restaurant, we exchanged numbers, promising to meet again and following each other on Instagram. It was the beginning of new friendships and as the tinkling and clatter of plates and cutlery being collected faded, it felt like the end of a meal we would all remember. It’s a magical place, The Blue Door, its fairy dust being the coming together of people being served food that’s grown and cooked with love.
The All Pakistan Restaurant Association organized the first ever APRA Awards, which were based on customer choices and were created to celebrate Karachi’s innovative food scene.
But after the awards were announced this week, Karachi’s foodie groups are criticizing the award list, questioning the authenticity of the awards, especially the fact that the best restaurant of the year was awarded to McDonalds.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1A29iGhmJZ/
The restaurant of the year award nominees included the uber popular SteakbyCFU, Karachi’s favourite Kebabjees and the once great Koel. Not only did McDonalds not fit in the list as it was the only fast food joint, but as the winner, it raised many eyebrows.
Ginsoy won the food legend award which also caused much grief since Waheed, Karachi Broast and Hanifia were also on the list
Many people called the list a joke, others questioned why Karachi’s legendary restaurants weren’t on the list and other came up with award lists of their own.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5pqWbkBjrO/
Critics of the awards questioned how restaurants who were nominated for awards and won them could be gold partners for the event
Ali Safina hosted the award event and the jury consisted of Chef Saadat, Dr. Sadia Safdar, Chef Abdul Hadi and Sumera Hussain.
