Just sharing some breakfast dishes I had in Islamabad and Lahore during my last trip there in 2014-2015. The food in both cities, in the northern part of Pakistan, are generally less spicy than the ones in Karachi in the south of the country. In fact, one can discern the level of chili-spiciness increasing as one travels from the north to the south of Pakistan.
Some of my faves:
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Beef Nihari with Paratha - nihari is a rich beef stew usually served at breakfast, after being slow-cooked overnight, usually 6-7 hours. The version I had here, from a hotel breakfast spread in the Murree Hills, is more “gentrified” than the street version I had in Lahore. It’s served with paratha (flatbread) here. I’ll post the one I had in Lahore later.
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Halwa poori - this is a sweet-savoury combination that I really liked: a puffy poori bread paired with “halwa”/sweet-buttery sugee studded with golden raisins.
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Bhoona kheema and channa masala - bhoona kheema is deep-flavoured minced mutton dish, whereas channa masala is basically curried chickpeas. I find Pakistani dishes to be more robust, and greasier than their Indian (Punjabi/Gujerati) counterparts across the border.
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Scrambled eggs, chicken masala and aloo bhujia (spiced potatoes) - Pakistani curries tend to be cooked by sauteing minced garlic for a start, before other spices are added. Indian curries do it with minced onions, instead of garlic, so one can taste the underlying difference. That said, I really liked Pakistani food as much as Punjabi food, but really had to rein in my diet - the food is just way too greasy and carb-heavy.
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Paya (spiced oxtail), scrambled eggs and kalejji (curried ox-heart)
