Pakistani food is not uniformly spicy. It is heavily spiced, which is a different thing. A dish can carry ten or twelve ground spices and almost no chilli heat, and most of the Pakistani menu sits closer to that end than visitors expect.
The distinction is worth clearing up before you order, because the difference between aromatic and hot is the difference between enjoying a meal and struggling through it.
Spiced is not the same as hot
Heat comes from chilli, whether green chilli in the pan or red chilli powder in the masala. Aroma comes from cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and bay. A biryani has a long spice list and only moderate heat. A charsi karahi has almost no spice list at all and can be genuinely hot, because green chilli is one of the four things in it.
Where the dishes sit
- Mild: pulao, butter chicken handi, white handi, reshmi kabab, naan and paratha, and the desserts
- Medium: chicken biryani, mutton biryani, chicken handi, malai boti, chicken tikka, chargha
- Hot: charsi karahi, shinwari karahi, chapli kabab, achari handi, and most things described as masala
If you are new to the cuisine, start in the mild column and work sideways. Butter Chicken Handi at AED 32 and Plain Pulao at AED 10 are the two safest orders on our menu, and neither is a compromise.
Bread and yoghurt are the tools, not water
Chilli heat is oil-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removes it. Naan, rice and yoghurt work far better. A plain naan is AED 1.50, and raita is the standard accompaniment to biryani for exactly this reason. If a dish is hotter than you expected, take bread first and then yoghurt.
Eating with children
The pulao, the handi dishes, the grilled chicken and the breads are all reliable with children. The dinner buffet is the easiest option with a family, at AED 42 for adults and AED 22 for children on weeknights, because everyone can see what they are taking before it reaches the plate. Sunday brunch is milder again.
If you want to be certain
Ask when you order. Heat is the one thing worth saying out loud at the table rather than discovering later, and it is a normal request in any Pakistani restaurant. If you are planning an event where guests have a wide range of tolerance, our catering packages start at AED 45 a head and can be built around the milder dishes. For where to start as a first-timer, see what to order on a first visit.
See it before you eat it
The buffet lets you choose by sight. AED 42 on weeknights, AED 65 at weekends, in Abu Shaghara, Sharjah.
See What Is on the Buffet
