Pakistan

Biryani

Spiced rice layered with meat and potato, sealed and steamed, Karachi's version the hottest.

Nihari

Beef shank stewed overnight in bone marrow gravy, eaten at dawn with naan.

Haleem

Wheat, lentils and meat pounded for hours into a thick paste, topped with fried onion.

Karahi

Chicken or mutton cooked fast in a wok with tomato, ginger and green chilli.

Chapli kabab

Flat Peshawari mince patties with pomegranate seeds, fried in beef fat.

Seekh kabab

Minced meat pressed onto skewers and grilled over coal until charred outside.

Paya

Trotters simmered until the broth turns sticky, a weekend breakfast with naan.

Sajji

Whole lamb or chicken salted and roasted upright beside an open fire, from Balochistan.

Halwa puri

Semolina halwa, chickpeas and fried bread, Sunday breakfast for the whole street.

Aloo gosht

Meat and potato curry, thin and homely, the weekday meal in most houses.

Saag

Mustard greens slow-cooked with butter, eaten with maize flatbread in Punjab.

Chana chaat

Chickpeas with tamarind, onion and chaat masala, sold from carts at sunset.

Bun kabab

A spiced lentil or mince patty in a griddled bun with chutney and egg.

Naan

Leavened bread baked against the tandoor wall, plain, buttered or stuffed.

Lassi

Yoghurt blended with ice, sweet or salted, served in a metal tumbler.

Kashmiri chai

Pink salted tea whisked with milk and pistachio, drunk in the north in winter.

Falooda

Rose syrup, vermicelli, basil seeds and ice cream layered in a tall glass.

Kheer

Rice slowly cooked down in milk with cardamom and nuts, served cold.

Gulab jamun

Fried milk-solid balls steeped in rose syrup, eaten warm at every wedding.

Samosa

Fried triangles of spiced potato or mince, eaten with tamarind chutney at tea.