Bannu Beef Pulao
بنوں کا بیف پلاؤ
Bannu pulao has become famous far beyond the town it is named after, sold on highways and in cities across Pakistan from huge pots, with large chunks of beef perched on top of the rice. It is a dish of very few ingredients: beef with plenty of fat and bone, salt, onions, garlic and a handful of whole spices. The flavour comes from cooking the meat for a long time into a rich , and from the fat that coats every grain.
- ⏱ Total: 3 hr
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 2 hr 45 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Put the beef, water, half the onions, the garlic, ginger, salt, black cardamom, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a large . Bring to a boil, skim, then cover and simmer for 2–2½ hours until the meat is very tender but still on the bone.
Carefully lift out the meat and set it aside. Strain the and measure 4½ cups. Keep any extra to serve as soup on the side.
Heat the oil in the pot and fry the remaining onions for 6–8 minutes until golden, not dark. Pour in the measured yakhni and bring it to a rolling boil.
Add the drained rice and green chilies. Boil uncovered on high heat for 8–10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed below the surface of the rice.
Arrange the beef pieces on top of the rice. Seal the lid and cook on over the lowest heat for 20 minutes.
Serve the rice on a large platter with the beef on top, with raita, green chutney and cups of the extra yakhni.
Kitchen notes
Don't trim the fat. Bannu pulao is meant to be rich, and the fat carries the flavour into the rice.
Sella rice is traditional. It soaks up the fatty yakhni without turning sticky.
A pressure cooker cuts the meat time to about 45 minutes; use 1 cup less water.
From Bannu to the highways
Bannu, in the south of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, gave its name to a style of pulao that’s now sold from roadside dhabas all along the motorways. The look is unmistakable: a mound of glistening, pale rice with huge pieces of beef on the bone laid on top.
A few ingredients, a lot of time
What makes Bannu pulao special is restraint. There are no tomatoes, no chili powder and no garam masala. Beef with plenty of fat and bone is simmered for two hours or more with onion, whole garlic cloves, ginger, black cardamom, peppercorns and coriander seeds. The result is a deep, beefy with a layer of fat on top.
The rice cooks in that stock. Because the yakhni is rich and fatty, the grains come out glossy and full of flavour. The meat goes back on top for the final , so it warms through and lets its juices drip into the rice.
Getting it right
- Use bony, fatty cuts. Lean beef gives a thin, bland stock.
- Measure the yakhni. Like all pulao, the right amount of liquid is what makes separate, fluffy grains.
- Keep onions golden, not brown. Bannu pulao is pale, unlike the brown Punjabi mutton pulao.
Serving
Serve on a big platter for sharing, with raita, green chutney, sliced onions and cups of the leftover yakhni to drink alongside.
Questions people ask
Why are there no tomatoes or chili powder?
Bannu pulao is a plain, meat-forward dish in the Pashtun style. The heat comes from whole green chilies and black pepper.
Can I use mutton?
Yes. Mutton needs about 75 minutes to become tender.
How do I keep the meat in large pieces?
Ask the butcher for 8–10 cm pieces on the bone, keep the simmer gentle, and lift the meat out with a slotted spoon before cooking the rice.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 650
- Protein
- 36 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
