KPK regional classic · Whole meat

Bannu Pulao Recipe (Bannu Beef Pulao with Whole Shanks)

Big pieces. Fatty stock. Meat on top.

Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Bannu pulao is the hearty beef pulao of Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: big bone-in pieces of beef cooked slowly in fat and stock, with the rice steamed in that rich broth and the meat served whole on top. It loses its character when lean meat or too many spices are used. The fix is fatty bone-in beef, slow cooking and very few spices.

Prep15m

Cook2h 30m

Servings8

kcal / serving720

LevelMedium

Jump to the method

The 3 laws of bannu pulao

Why this recipe works

Fatty bone-in beef

Lean cubes

Rich, glossy rice.

Few spices

Heavy masala

Meat flavour first.

Meat whole on top

Mixed in

Traditional serving.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings

Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

The NineFoods Bannu gauge

Is the beef ready?

Pierce a big piece.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 3 stages

Step by step

Meat

Low · 120 min

Fry onions in fat, add beef, garlic, ginger and spices; brown.
Add water to cover and cook until tender. Use the gauge above.

Look for: tender beef, rich stock.

120:00

Rice

Medium · 15 min

Lift out meat; measure 6 cups stock, boil, add rice; cook until water drops.

Look for: rice in stock.

15:00

Dum

Low · 15 min

Lay meat on top, cover and steam.

Look for: Bannu pulao.

15:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Lean meat.

Fix next time

Use fatty bone-in beef.

Why

Rushed.

Fix next time

Cook until it falls from the bone.

Why

Too much fat.

Fix next time

Skim some off.

Why

Too much stock.

Fix next time

Measure the stock.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

Ingredient	Job in the dish	Swap with
Bone-in beef	Main	Mutton
Beef fat	Richness	Ghee
Sella rice	Rice	Basmati
Pressure cooker	Time	45 minutes for the meat

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Raita, salad and green chillies.

Store

Fridge 3 days.

Reheat

Steam with stock.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 8 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
The doneness check (is the beef ready) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

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