Bannu Pulao Recipe (Bannu Beef Pulao with Whole Shanks)
Make Bannu pulao from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: large pieces of beef slow cooked in their own fat and stock, rice steamed in it, served with the meat whole on top.
Layered biryani and one-pot yakhni pulao, the rice dishes of every Pakistani celebration. Each recipe gives an exact rice-to-water ratio and a gauge for when to drain, so the grains stay long and separate.
Recipes developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan
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The recipes to cook first
Pakistani Chicken BiryaniOur most-cooked biryani- 9Bombay BiryaniKarachi Bombay biryani
- 9Chicken Tikka BiryaniSmoky tikka biryani
- 9Matar PulaoSimple pea pulao
- 9Peshawari PulaoPeshawar's white pulao
- 9Bannu PulaoBannu beef pulao
Learn the technique
Guides behind these recipes
Quick answers
Biryani and Pulao FAQ
What is the difference between biryani and pulao?
Biryani layers par-boiled rice with a separately cooked masala and finishes on dum; pulao cooks the rice in stock in one pot.
Why is my biryani rice mushy?
The rice was boiled past 70 percent. Drain when a grain breaks into three pieces between your fingers.
Which rice is best for biryani?
Aged long-grain basmati, soaked for 30 minutes.
Every recipe
All biryani and pulao recipes
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Peshawari Pulao Recipe (White Mutton Yakhni Pulao)
Make Peshawari pulao: mutton cooked into a rich, mildly spiced white yakhni, then rice steamed in it with a carrot and raisin garnish. Mild and meaty.
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Egg Biryani Recipe (Anday Wali Biryani)
Make egg biryani: boiled eggs fried golden and cooked in a spicy biryani masala, layered with saffron rice and steamed. A budget biryani ready in an hour.
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Fish Biryani Recipe (Karachi Machli Biryani)
Make Karachi fish biryani: marinated fish fried lightly, layered with a tangy masala and saffron rice, then given a gentle dum. Fish stays whole, rice fluffy.
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Chicken Tikka Biryani Recipe (Smoky Tikka Layered Biryani)
Make chicken tikka biryani: charred tikka chicken in a spicy masala layered with saffron rice and smoked with coal. Smoky, spicy and a party favourite.
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Bombay Biryani Recipe (Karachi Style with Potatoes and Plums)
Make Bombay biryani the Karachi way: chicken masala with potatoes, dried plums and fried onions layered with saffron rice and kewra, finished on dum.
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Matar Pulao Recipe (Pakistani Pea Pulao)
Make matar pulao: basmati cooked with green peas, browned onion and whole spices in exact water until every grain is separate. Simple, fragrant, 40 minutes.
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Sindhi Lamb Biryani Recipe (with Aloo and Aloo Bukhara)
Make Sindhi lamb biryani with tender mutton, potatoes, plums, tomato and yogurt masala, layered with basmati and steamed on dum. Rice and dum gauges.
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Chicken Pulao Recipe (Pakistani Yakhni Pulao)
Cook Pakistani chicken yakhni pulao with a fragrant whole-spice stock, tender chicken and fluffy separate rice. Exact ratios, dum timing and easy fixes.
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Chana Pulao Recipe (Pakistani Chickpea Rice)
Make fluffy chana pulao with whole spices, browned onions and chickpeas cooked in a light yakhni. Exact water ratio and dum timing for separate grains.
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