Yaseen Shinwari
Recipes by Yaseen Shinwari
Peshawari Karahi Gosht
Peshawari Karahi Gosht is the original Pakistani karahi — bone-in goat cooked blazing hot with tomatoes, ginger, and green chillies, nothing else. No onions, no yoghurt, no shortcuts. This is the purist's karahi, straight from the dhabas of Peshawar's Namak Mandi.
Peshawari Mantu
Afghan-origin steamed dumplings beloved in Peshawar — thin pasta dough filled with spiced minced beef, served on garlicky yoghurt with a tomato sauce and dried mint. A dish that crossed continents.
Afghani Biryani (Ruz Bukhari)
A completely different universe from Pakistani biryani — pale, mild, dairy-forward, with no tomatoes, no chilli masala, and a breathtaking garnish of caramelized carrot, plump raisins, and toasted almonds. Central Asian comfort food at its most beautiful.
Bannu Beef Pulao
Bannu Beef Pulao is the purist's answer to rice — no colour, no masala packets, just beef, rice, and whole spices doing exactly what they're supposed to. The magic is in the yakhni (broth) that the rice cooks in, absorbing every ounce of beefy, aromatic goodness. This is KP cooking at its most majestic: simple, honest, and absolutely unforgettable.
Hareesa — KP Slow-Cooked Wheat and Mutton Porridge
Hareesa is haleem's ancient ancestor — whole wheat berries and mutton slow-cooked together for 4-6 hours until they completely dissolve into a thick, silky, porridge-like dish that is simultaneously humble and extraordinary. Finished with a sizzling ghee tarka poured dramatically over the top, this is the dish that sustained armies, fed pilgrims, and defines winter mornings in KP.
Kashmiri Naan
Kashmiri Naan is a sweet, fragrant stuffed bread filled with khoya, dried fruits, and cardamom — the kind of bread that makes you question why you ever ate plain naan. It is brushed with butter and rose water straight from the oven and is equally at home beside morning chai or as a dessert bread after a big meal.
Peshawari Aloo Gosht
Peshawar's rustic, lightly spiced aloo gosht — less tomato, more focus on the pure flavour of mutton and potato. A clean, wholesome everyday curry from the heart of KP.
KP Dampukht Beef
KP's version of dampukht using beef — the Pashtun approach to sealed slow-cooked meat with slightly more whole spices than Balochistan, creating something with extra depth and warmth.
KP Dum Biryani
KP Dum Biryani is the slow-cooked jewel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's culinary tradition — sealed and steamed over the gentlest heat until the meat and rice are perfectly unified. This recipe honours the patience and technique of KP's master cooks.
White Mutton Karahi (Safed Karahi)
White Mutton Karahi — known as Safed (white) Karahi — is KP's most elegant dish: no red chillies, no tomatoes, no turmeric. Just mutton, cream, yoghurt, green chillies, and whole spices producing a pale, aromatic karahi of extraordinary refinement.
Chicken Chapli Kebab
Chicken Chapli Kebab brings the iconic Peshawari flat kebab tradition to white meat — all the pomegranate seeds, whole coriander, and aromatic complexity of the original, adapted for chicken with extra care for moisture and binding.
KP Dampukht Lamb — Dum-Sealed Pot
KP's ancient dum-cooking technique — lamb sealed inside a clay-sealed deg (pot) and slow-cooked in its own steam and fat for hours. The result is impossibly tender meat that has practically melted off the bone.
Green Tea Kahwah — Kashmiri Valley Style
The authentic Kashmiri green tea blend — saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, and crushed almonds in fragrant green tea. This is the real kahwah that Kashmiris have been brewing for over a millennium, worlds apart from any commercial version.
Tabak Maaz — Crispy Kashmiri Rib Chops
Kashmiri wazwan's beloved fried lamb ribs — par-boiled in a spiced milk broth until tender, then pan-fried in ghee until the exterior is caramelized and crackling. A dish of extraordinary textural contrast.
Lamb Rogan Josh — Home Cook Version
A home-friendly rogan josh that retains the authentic Kashmiri soul — Kashmiri chili paste, fennel, and dried ginger — while making a concession to accessibility with a small amount of yogurt for a richer, more forgiving gravy.
Beef Mantu — Hearty Filling Version
A heartier beef-heavy mantu variation with a spicier filling and a richer qurma sauce — the weekday version favored by KP families who make mantu regularly rather than as a special occasion dish.
Hunza Chapshuro — Beef-Stuffed Mountain Bread
Hunza Valley's iconic stuffed flatbread — whole wheat dough filled with spiced minced beef and pan-cooked on a tawa. The mountain-traveler's complete meal in bread form, beloved from Gilgit-Baltistan to the surrounding KP regions.
Gilgit Apricot Gosht — Mountain Fruit and Lamb
The extraordinary fruit-and-meat stew of Gilgit-Baltistan — lamb slow-cooked with dried apricots (khubani) until the fruit dissolves into a sweet-tart gravy that perfectly balances the rich meat. One of Pakistan's most unique and least-known dishes.