12 recipes using beef — Biryani, nihari, haleem, karahi — bold-spiced cuisine from the Indus plains and the Mughal kitchens.
These 12 pakistani beef recipes are ready in about 225 minutes on average, with 320–680 kcal per serving, and 0% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Pakistani cuisine — Biryani, nihari, haleem, karahi — bold-spiced cuisine from the Indus plains and the Mughal kitchens — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Pakistani cooks work with beef, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, frying, boiling and searing.
A rich, deeply savoury red meat that rewards both fast, hot searing and long, slow braising depending on the cut. In this collection it's most often cooked with turmeric, ghee, onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and garam masala. The dishes here span pakistani classics ready in as little as 35 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Nihari is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 2,840 ratings.
Pakistan's most celebrated slow stew — beef shank braised overnight until the collagen melts into a thick, deeply spiced gravy. Lahore's Sunday morning institution.
Slow-cooked meat and lentil porridge spiced with garam masala and finished with fried onions and fresh ginger — one of Pakistan's most beloved dishes.
Fragrant layered spiced rice with marinated beef, fried onions and saffron — the bold Karachi style of Pakistan's most celebrated dish.
Pakistan's beloved slow-cooked beef shank stew with warm spices — the king of Sunday morning breakfasts in Lahore and Karachi.
Slow-simmered overnight beef stew rich with marrow, ginger and a complex spice blend — Pakistan's beloved breakfast dish from the Mughal kitchens.
Slow-cooked porridge of meat, lentils and cracked wheat blended into a rich, smooth stew — Pakistan's most beloved Ramadan dish.
Flat, crispy beef kebabs studded with pomegranate seeds, fresh coriander and crushed coriander seeds — the iconic kebab of Pakistan's Pashtun north.
Soft, melt-in-the-mouth meat patties bound with chickpeas and aromatic spices — a Mughal-era classic served at Pakistani feasts.
Slow-cooked Pakistani porridge of beef, lentils, and pounded wheat — Ramadan's most patient comfort.
The legendary Lahore breakfast stew — beef shank simmered overnight with bone marrow and a dozen warming spices until the meat melts into a deep, glossy gravy.
Pakistani slow-cooked beef shank stew with deep spices — Karachi's iconic breakfast, intensely flavorful.
Pakistani slow-cooked stew of meat, lentils, and grains pounded to porridge — Hyderabad's iconic dish.
Tender cuts (sirloin, ribeye) suit quick cooking; tougher, collagen-rich cuts (chuck, brisket, shin) are built for stews and braises. Look for bright-red colour and fine marbling.
Season generously and let steaks come to room temperature before searing. Rest cooked beef 5–10 minutes so the juices redistribute; slice against the grain to keep it tender.
Steaks: 52°C / 125°F for rare up to 71°C / 160°F for well done. Ground beef should always reach 71°C / 160°F.
An excellent source of complete protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12; leaner cuts keep saturated fat in check.
Most of these 12 Pakistani beef recipes are ready in around 225 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Chapli Kebab, takes about 35 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 390 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 320 to 680 kcal per serving, averaging 528 kcal — Shami Kebab is the lightest option at 320 kcal.
Chapli Kebab is a great place to start — it's rated medium and comes together in about 35 minutes. 0% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, beef is most often paired with turmeric, ghee, onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and garam masala. Pakistani kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
Steaks: 52°C / 125°F for rare up to 71°C / 160°F for well done. Ground beef should always reach 71°C / 160°F.