Peshawari Pulao is not just a dish from North-Western Pakistan; it’s a delightful journey for meat lovers! Imagine the unique mix of salty and slightly sweet flavors, thanks to the juicy raisins or mewa that are caramelized and added to rice. The meat is so tender that it simply falls off the bone, making every bite a pure bliss. I had these beautiful lamb shanks tucked away in my freezer, waiting for the perfect occasion. After days of searching for the right recipe, I stumbled upon an Instagram post that showcased this amazing Peshawari Pulao, with people savoring each delicious bite. I couldn’t shake the thought of that tender meat and flavorful rice, so I dove into the recipe and refined it just for you. Trust me, this is a fantastic dish to make, especially for Eid al-Adha!
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How to Make Peshawari Chana Mewa Pulao
This pulao is unique as it has two extra ingredients that you won’t find in a regular pulao: chana and mewa (raisins).
Cook Your Meat
I used three lamb shanks that were 3.5 lbs with bones, you can also use big chunks of beef as well.
How to get rid of lamb smell
First of all I Soak the lamb in 1/4 cup of vinegar and 5 cups of water for 10 minutes and rinse it with cold water to get rid of any smell, then pat it dry.
Add deep cuts with the help of a knife and sprinkle salt, massaging it all over the shanks/beef. Now, in a big pan over high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and sear the shanks on all sides.
Pressure Cook Meat
You can also use big chunks of beef that are about 3/4 to 1 lb each. I used 3 lamb shanks, each a little over 1 lb. Once the meat is seared, add it to an Instant Pot, followed by whole cumin seeds, coriander, black pepper, bay leaves, black cardamoms and a cinnamon stick. Also add one chopped onion and water. Pressure cook on high for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Release the pressure after one hour, take out the meat, and strain the broth.
Stove top cooking
You can cook the meat in a regular pot over the stove top, but it will take more water and time. Add 8 cups of water and cook on high heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and keep cooking for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender. You may have to add more water during this process.
Cooking in a pressure cooker
Adjust the quantity of water and cooking time according to your pressure cooker.
Prepare Rice for Peshawari Pulao
In a bowl, add extra-long grain basmati rice (aged preferably) and rinse it with cold water until the water runs clear (about 5 times). Add more water and let it sit aside.
In a pan, add 1/3 cup of oil and start frying your thinly sliced onion; the onion will take about 7-8 minutes to turn brown over high heat. Once golden, add ginger and garlic paste, mix it well, then add boiled garbanzo beans, salt, and cumin seeds. Mix it around and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and then the soaked rice. Make sure to drain the water from the rice before adding it to the broth. Taste test for salt. Let the rice cook over high heat until most of the water evaporates.
Prepare Raisins (Mewa)
In a separate pan, add 1 tsp of oil, then add raisins and sauté until they puff up, then set aside.
Once most of the water is dry from the rice, sprinkle garam masala, black pepper powder, and crushed coriander on top. Sprinkle fried raisins and place the lamb or beef on top. Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes on the lowest heat.
Fluff up the rice and enjoy.
How to Serve
For this pulao, the bigger pieces of meat are broken into smaller chunks before serving, as the meat is very tender. You can simply break it with your hands or a spoon. You can make a raita on the side to serve if you’d like. In a bigger dish add a generous layer of rice, then lamb/beef and serve it along side raita and salad.
How to Store Leftover Pulao
Store any leftover rice in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To store in the freezer, divide into smaller portions for easy reheating and keep it for up to 3 months.
More recipes to try
A pulao recipe that features fragrant and flavorful rice with fall apart and moist meat
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Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for Yakhni/broth
- 3.5 lbs lamb or beef big chunks of meat
- 5 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 4.5 cups water
- 1 medium onion peeled and roughly chopped
Whole spices
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 black cardamom
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
Ingredients for rice
- 3 cups rice extra long grain basmati
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 tsp salt taste test to add more later
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 4.5 cups Yakhni/broth from step 1
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp coriander seeds crushed
- 15 oz garbanzo beans 1 can pre boiled
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
Prepare Meat
- Wash lamb with vinegar and water then pat it dry. Check the blog for cleaning procedure.
- With a knife, add deep cuts into chunks of meat. Sprinkle salt all over the lamb/beef and massage it with your hands.
- In a pan over high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and sear the meat on all sides.
- Now add lamb/beef into an Instant Pot along with whole spices, ginger garlic paste, remaining salt, one roughly chopped onion, and 4.5 cups of water.
- Pressure cook on high heat for 1 hour or until the meat is very tender.
- Release the pressure and separate the meat.
- Drain the broth and set it aside.
Wash and Soak Rice
- Wash and soak extra-long grain basmati rice. (complete instructions on washing in the blog)
Cook rice
- Peel and thinly slice the onion. In a wide pan, add 1/3 cup of oil and then add the onion.
- Cook the onions over high heat, stirring frequently until they turn light golden. This step takes 8-10 minutes.
- Once onions are light golden, add ginger garlic paste, mix it well, then add 1 can of garbanzo beans and cumin seeds.
- Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the broth from step one.
- Drain the rice and add it to the broth mixture and cook over high heat for 9-10 minutes or until most of the water evaporates.
- Taste test for salt. Broth should be slightly salty.
Fry Raisins
- In a separate pan, add 1 tsp of oil and fry the raisins for 2 minutes or until they puff up and then set it aside.
Steaming the rice
- Once most of the water from the rice is dry, add these raisins on top, along with garam masala, coriander powder, and black pepper.
- Add the pieces of meat on top and steam for 8-10 minutes on low flame.