Pakistani rice dishes

Pakistani rice dishes are very popular in most regions of Pakistan, which is a major exporter and consumer of rice. Basmati is typically used, and rice dishes are sometimes eaten mixed with other dishes.

The most simple dish of Pakistani cuisine is plain cooked rice (chawal) eaten with dal (lentil). Khichdi is plain cooked rice cooked with dal. The Karhi chawal is plain cooked rice eaten with karhi. Biryani is cooked with beef, lamb, chicken, fish or shrimp.

Plain cooked rice

The rice is rinsed a few times in water and drained until the water turns from milky to clear. The rice should be soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking. The unsoaked rice takes 25 minutes to parboil, whereas the soaked grains take only 15 minutes. Rice should be parboiled till al dente. Remove the pot from the flame and transfer the rice in a sieve to drain the boiling water. Then transfer the rice back into the pot, and cover it with a lid, to prevent the steam from escaping. Cook the rice in its own steam at the lowest flame possible for a few minutes.

Rice dishes

The following is a list of most popular rice dishes in Pakistan.

Name	Image	Legume, pulses or main ingredient	Description
Biryani
Hyderabadi biriyani
Kheer
Khichdi	125px
Khushka Rice
Plain cooked rice
Saffron rice
Sindhi biryani
Spiced rice
Tehri
Pulao			Basmati rice with mutton, beef, or chicken.
Zeera rice			Steamed rice, Zeera (cumin), Zeera powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, oil, chana dal and red chillies.
Zarda		Sugar, candied fruit	Sweet dish of rice cooked in vegetable oil or butter, chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts, and spices

See also

• List of rice dishes

External links

• Pakistani cuisine at DMOZ
• Pakistani Food