13 Pakistani meat dishes

Meat plays a much more dominant role in Pakistani cuisine, compared to other South Asian cuisines. Of all the meats, the most popular are chicken, lamb, beef, goat, fish. Beef is particularly sought after as the meat of choice for kebab dishes or the classic beef shank dish nihari. Seafood is generally not consumed in large amounts, though it is very popular in the coastal areas of Sindh and the Makran coast of Balochistan.

Aloo gosht is a meat curry, originating from the Indian subcontinent, and popular in Pakistani, Bangladeshi and North Indian cuisine. It consists of potatoes (aloo) cooked with meat (gosht), usually lamb or mutton, in a stew-like shorba gravy. The dish can be served and eaten with plain rice or with bread such as roti, paratha or naan.

Chapli Kebab or Kabab is a Pashtun-style minced kebab, usually made from ground beef, mutton or chicken with various spices in the shape of a patty. It orginates from Afghanistan and can be found in Peshawar Pakistan, also known in KPK as the Pekhawri Chapli Kabab or Peshawari Chapli Kabab.

Curry goat is a curry dish prepared with goat meat, originating from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The dish is a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine, Caribbean cuisine, and cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. In Southeast Asia, the dish was brought by Indian diaspora in the region, and subsequently has influenced local cuisine. This dish has spread throughout the Caribbean and also the Indo-Caribbean diaspora in North America and Europe.

Haleem is a type of stew popular in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Although the dish varies from region to region, it optionally includes wheat or barley, meat and lentils. Popular variations include keşkek in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and northern Iraq; Hareesa in the Arab world and Armenia; Halim in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India; Khichra in Pakistan and India.

Khichra or Khichda is a variation of the dish Haleem, popular with Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. Khichra is cooked all year and particularly at the Ashura of Muharram. It is made up of goat meat, beef, lentils and spices, slowly cooked to a thick paste. It is the meat based variant of rice dish from the Indian subcontinent called Khichdi. In Pakistan, beef Haleem and Khichra is sold as street food in most cities throughout the year.

Naan qalia is a dish that originates from Aurangabad, Maharashtra in India. It is a concoction of mutton and a variety of spices. Naan is a bread made in a tandoor, while qalia is a mixture of mutton or beef and various spices.

Nihari is a stew from the Indian subcontinent consisting of slow-cooked meat, mainly shank meat of beef or lamb and mutton, goat meat and chicken, along with bone marrow.

Pasanda is a popular meat dish from the Indian subcontinent, notably North Indian, Hyderabadi and Pakistani, derived from a meal served in the court of the Mughal emperors. The word is a variation on the Urdu word "pasande" meaning "favourite", which refers to the prime cut of meat traditionally used within.

Paya is a traditional food from the Indian Subcontinent.

Shami kabab or shaami kabab literally meaning "Syrian Kebab" is a local variety of kebab. It is a popular Middle Eastern dish all over South and Western Asia. It is composed of a small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but occasionally lamb or mutton, with ground chickpeas, egg to hold it together, and spices. Shami kebab is eaten as a snack or an appetizer, and is served to guests especially in the regions of Dhaka, Deccan, Punjab, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Sindh.

Sindhi Biryani is a special meat and rice biryani dish originating from the Sindh province of Pakistan. Owing to its popularity, it forms one of the most consumed dishes of Pakistani cuisine and Sindhi cuisine. Sindhi biryani is served in nearly all the flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Sindhi pulao is a type of rice pilaf, prepared with mutton, beef, or chicken. It is prepared by Sindhi people in their marriage ceremonies, condolence meetings, and other occasions.