Pakistani BBQ is mostly about the marinade
Walk down Burns Road in Karachi or Lahore’s food streets at night and you’ll smell the coal smoke long before you see the grills. But the real work happens hours earlier, in the marinade. Yogurt and raw papaya soften the meat, lemon and vinegar sharpen it, and a heavy hand of red chili, ginger, garlic and roasted spices gives it that familiar orange-red crust. Most of the recipes here ask for at least four hours of marinating, and overnight is better.
No grill? It still works
Very few homes in Pakistani cities have a proper charcoal grill, so every recipe in this section can also be made on a tawa, in a heavy pan or in the oven. The smoky taste comes from : a piece of glowing coal set in a small bowl inside the pot, splashed with ghee and covered for a few minutes. It’s an old trick and it works remarkably well.
Tikka, boti or kebab?
Tikka usually means larger pieces of chicken, often on the bone, coloured deep red. Boti means bite-sized boneless cubes, beef or chicken, threaded on skewers. Malai boti and reshmi kebab are the creamy, mild versions: marinated in cream, cheese or cashew paste instead of chili. Seekh kebab is minced meat pressed around a flat skewer, while chapli and shami kebabs are flat patties fried in a pan rather than grilled.
Charcoal tips if you do have a grill
Let the coals burn down until they’re covered in grey ash before you start; flames burn the outside and leave the inside raw. Keep one side of the grill hotter than the other so you can move skewers away from flare-ups. Brush with melted butter or ghee in the last few minutes, not at the start. And serve straight off the fire with onion rings, lemon and green chutney.