Mughlai food is the rich, slow-cooked cooking of the Mughal court, and in Pakistan it is still the food of weddings, Eid and Sunday breakfasts: korma (qorma), nihari, haleem, biryani, pasanda, kebabs and shahi tukray. The best places to eat it are the old food quarters of Lahore and the restaurants Urdu-speaking migrants opened in Karachi after 1947, especially around Burns Road.
This guide explains what makes a dish Mughlai, where the main dishes came from, and which established restaurants in Lahore and Karachi are known for them.
What is Mughlai food?
Mughlai cuisine grew in the kitchens of the Mughal Empire, which ruled much of South Asia from 1526 to 1857. It joined Persian and Central Asian cooking with the spices and ingredients of the subcontinent. The court kitchens added yoghurt marinades, braising, ghee, ground nuts, saffron and the tandoor to local cooking.
What marks a dish as Mughlai is technique more than any single spice:
- Braising meat slowly in yoghurt, browned onion and whole spices.
- Dum cooking, sealing a pot, sometimes with dough, so the food cooks in its own steam.
- Nut and cream finishes, with almonds, cashews or cream stirred in at the end.
- Aromatics such as cardamom, mace, kewra water and saffron, used for fragrance rather than heat.
The result is food that is rich and fragrant rather than sharp and fiery. A Mughlai korma is a different thing from a roadside chicken karahi.
Why is Lahore linked with Mughal food?
Lahore was one of the great Mughal cities. Akbar held his court there for long stretches of the 1580s and 1590s, and Lahore Fort and the Badshahi Mosque, finished under Aurangzeb, still dominate the Walled City.
The city's everyday food is Punjabi, but its celebration food carries the Mughal line: qorma and biryani at weddings, nihari and paye for breakfast, and sweets such as firni and shahi tukray. Our guide to Pakistani wedding food shows how much of a shaadi menu is Mughlai in origin.
Why does Karachi cook so much Mughlai food?
After Partition, Urdu-speaking families from Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad Deccan and other parts of north India settled in Karachi and brought their kitchens with them. Nihari, haleem, qorma, biryani and the Delhi style of kebab became Karachi staples within a generation.
Burns Road in old Karachi is the best known result. Many of its eateries date from the 1940s, and long-running names there include Waheed Kabab House, Delhi Rabri House and Fresco Sweets. Our Karachi street food tour covers how to walk it.
Which Mughlai dishes should you try?
Korma (qorma)
The word comes from the Urdu qorma, meaning braising. Meat, usually mutton or chicken, is seared in ghee and then cooked slowly with yoghurt, browned onion and whole spices, with nuts or cream in richer versions. Korma recipes appear in Mughal cookery books from the late 17th century. In Pakistan it is the classic wedding curry, eaten with naan or sheermal.
Nihari
A slow-cooked beef or mutton shank stew with a thick, glossy gravy. The name comes from the Arabic nahar, morning, because it was eaten after the dawn prayer. It is thought to have started in Delhi or Lucknow in the 18th century, late in Mughal rule, and came to Karachi with migrants after 1947. Order it topped with ginger, green chilli and lemon, with nalli (marrow) or maghaz (brain) if you like. Our best nihari guide goes city by city.
Haleem
Wheat, barley, lentils and meat cooked for hours until they become a thick, smooth paste. It descends from the Arab dish harees, which Mughal kitchens reworked with local spices. In Pakistan it is eaten all year, and especially in Muharram and Ramazan.
Pasanda
From the Persian for "liked" or "favourite", pasanda was made from prime cuts. In Pakistan, pasanday are usually strips of beef fillet beaten flat, marinated in yoghurt and spices and cooked in a gravy finished with ground almonds.
Biryani and pulao
Layered, dum-cooked rice and meat are among the best-known Mughal dishes. Pakistan's versions, from Karachi's spicy biryani to Peshawar's mild pulao, are covered in our biryani styles guide.
Shahi tukray and firni
Shahi tukray, "royal pieces", is bread fried in ghee and soaked in sweetened, reduced milk with cardamom and saffron. It is a standard Ramazan and Eid dessert. Firni is ground rice set in small clay bowls.
Where can you eat Mughlai food in Lahore?
- Fort Road Food Street, in the Walled City beside Lahore Fort, opened in 2012 and is run by the Walled City of Lahore Authority. Its rooftop restaurants, including Haveli, serve traditional Lahori food with views of the Badshahi Mosque. You pay for the view as well as the food.
- Anarkali is known for the nihari of Waris, and for halwa puri and siri paye at older shops in the same bazaar. See our Anarkali food guide.
- Bundu Khan is a long-running barbecue and curry name with branches in Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Murree and Sialkot. Its 2026 online menu lists chicken jalfrezi at about PKR 2,390, and prices change.
Where can you eat Mughlai food in Karachi?
- Burns Road for Delhi-style kebabs, nihari, rabri and sweets, with the names above.
- Javed Nihari in Federal B Area Block 15, which calls itself Karachi's oldest nihari house and takes orders online.
- Student Biryani, started in Saddar and now with branches across the city, for Karachi biryani. See our Student Biryani guide.
Nihari and haleem houses are busiest at breakfast and at weekend mornings, when the fresh overnight batch is served. Go early if you want the best of the pot.
Is Mughlai food right for you?
It suits anyone who likes rich, slow-cooked meat and does not need fierce chilli. Families with older relatives and children often prefer a korma or pasanda to a karahi.
It is heavy food. A plate of nihari with naan at nine in the morning will carry you to evening, so do not plan a big lunch after it. Vegetarians will find little: Mughlai cooking is built on meat, and even the rice is usually cooked in stock. For a calmer first taste, order a chicken korma with naan and a plate of firni. For the wider picture of Pakistani food experiences, see our experiences page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mughlai food?
Mughlai food is the cooking of the Mughal court: meat braised in yoghurt and spices, dum-cooked rice, kebabs and milk desserts. In Pakistan it includes korma, nihari, haleem, biryani, pasanda and shahi tukray.
Is korma the same as qorma?
Yes. Qorma is the Urdu spelling and korma is the common English one. Both mean meat braised slowly in yoghurt, onion and spices.
Is Mughlai food spicy?
It is richly spiced but not usually very hot. The flavour comes from cardamom, mace, saffron and browned onion rather than chilli, although Karachi nihari and biryani can be hot.
Where is the best Mughlai food in Karachi?
Burns Road is the traditional answer, with long-running names such as Waheed Kabab House and Delhi Rabri House. For nihari, Javed Nihari in Federal B Area is one of the best known.
When is nihari eaten?
Traditionally at breakfast, after the dawn prayer, which is where the name comes from. In Pakistan it is now eaten all day, but the best batches are served in the morning.
