PESHAWAR: In Peshawar, a city in northwestern Pakistan renowned for its food, one restaurant stands out not only for its taste but for its unapologetic celebration of meat.
Situated on the main University Road, directly under the flight path of the airplanes landing and taking off from the airport runway right across the road, Shinwari Pulao has become a legendary destination for meat-lovers since its inception in 1994.
The restaurant's fame rests on its namesake dish, Shinwari Pulao. It is not just a plate of rice with meat but rather a mountain of meat with a bit of rice.
Carnivorous cravings
This is the main reason for its appeal in a region that takes its carnivorous cravings very seriously.
The meat, tender mutton, is cooked to perfection. It is succulent, juicy, and richly marbled, with soft bone marrow served alongside.
The creator of this phenomenon is Yar Muhammad, who started with a small shop and a unique vision.
Kabuli Pulao is the main rice dish famous in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and he deliberately wanted to depart from the standard. Instead of cooking components separately like Kabuli Pulao, his method involves simmering the meat and rice together in the meat's own flavorful broth, removing the meat and cooking it a second time separately to render the fat, and adding it to the rice again, but without using any heavy spices in the dish.
Good rice and rich meat
"The reason for the rice's flavor is that for every one kilo of rice we cook, we add at least 17 to 18 kilos of meat," he reveals. This huge ratio is the secret to the dish's rich umami flavor that satisfies even the most intense cravings.
The result is a very simple dish — just good rice and rich meat.
The natural flavor of the high-quality mutton flows through, creating a rich, gelatinous broth that the rice cooks in for hours. The dish is finished with a generous sprinkle of julienned carrots and raisins, lightly fried in sugar, adding a touch of sweetness that cuts through the richness.
‘Unique taste’
This focus on quality and quantity has turned Shinwari Pulao from a small shop into a large establishment occupying an entire plaza.
During lunch and dinner, hundreds of customers throng the place, from locals to travelers who have heard of its legendary status.
"I have eaten at other restaurants, but the taste of this place's rice is unique," says Muhammad Salim, a regular customer from Kurram District currently working in Peshawar, who came along with his friends.
"The meat is tender, soft, and delicious. That's the main reason we come here."
For anyone visiting Peshawar, a meal at Shinwari Pulao is more than just dinner: it is an experience that speaks to the heart of Pashtun hospitality and its profound love for meat.
