The Pulaos, Karahis, & Prapus Of Skardu
What do tourists love to eat in Skardu? Answer: Karahi, Pulao, and Biryani. We even saw multiple signs of ‘Karachi Biryani,’ and that’s really what we wanted. Because when we left our homes in Karachi, the southernmost city of Pakistan, to travel many miles up north, almost close to the Siachin border with India, what we really wanted to eat was the Biryani we had left at home, right? — Not right! We were traveling to have new experiences, and wanted to eat not Biryani food but Balti food, except it was nowhere to be found in Baltistan, commercially. And then Karachi’s commercial Biryanis are unedible, every single one of them. Why would I travel to Skardu & eat an even poorer version of it?
The restaurants & hotels of Skardu will showcase a menu with photos of local food and claim to have Balti food, but it was all lies, lies, and more lies. To them I said what the musical band Queen said thirty-eight years ago, I want to break free from your lies, you are so self-satisfied, I don’t need your Pulaos. God knows, God knows, I want to break free from the tyranny of your Biryani. Or something less dramatic.
Why Was it So Hard To Find Balti Food?
We were told that the Balti food takes time to cook, but I think the major problem is that the tourists, mostly from the province of Punjab, want the food they eat at home. (Punjab, aye ki ho riya hai? yaar, tussie banday da putar buno. Karahi sharai bund kero.) Karahi, Biryani, & pulao are comfortable, familiar, and easy. And everybody wants that. Isn’t that the reason why every day thousands of people choose to stay in stifling, soul-killing marriages? No, not because they want to eat karahis, but because their marriage, partner, & life-situations are familiar. We are using the same decision-making process while choosing food & marriages & Netflix shows. So whenever you choose to eat a cuisine unfamiliar to your tastebuds, you are also choosing to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.
So Did We Say No To The Tyranny of Biryanis & Karahis ?
Absolutely. I love saying no to tyrants, I wish it was my day job. And what could be more tyrannical than a rice & meat dish invented in the royal kitchens of Mughal emperors? So what if it’s a cuisine of my ancestors who took pride in adding grama masala to everything?
During the initial couple of days, we eat so much Karahi that I called a trip team meeting, declared a food emergency, and put everyone on ‘Mission Finding a Restaurant Serving Balti food.’ I even fired my guide for not knowing any such place (and for a few other reasons.) (I did it in a polite, nice way. Compensating & tipping him correctly & fully. Our breakup was very amicable. It wasn’t him, it was me. On moonlit nights, I still sometimes think about him. Ok, I don’t. At least I’m not aware of the situation of the moon when that thinking happens.)
I digress, but the team took the mission seriously. Well, not the two teenagers, my nephew & niece. In the evenings at the hotel, the teenagers were busy making TikToks, and I may have been sucked into that because supporting teenagers while they make TikToks is a cause I believe in. So only our last, non-TikToker companion took the mission seriously and they went on the Internet, did all the searching, and discovered an actual amazing place: Punar Inn Hotel. Note this name down, because ‘that’ is a solid recommendation. When you visit it and eat their Prapus & Phur-Phurs, you can thank our non-TikToker companion.
All the Delicious Balti Food
So we got to Punar, and we still had one challenge, actually two challenges: the two teenagers. These guys’ food formula is simple, if it’s healthy, walk away. If it’s Fries, Lays, Sting, or any other junk, stay forever.
So after giving the order at Punar, at that moment, anticipating the teenagers’ negative reactions, I can feel ready to bring out what my niece calls, ‘ander ki dian,’ the hulk inside. But I have to control the hulk because I want everyone to enjoy the dinner, ugh. So pretending to be nonchalant, I’m telling the plan to the table that we are gonna order Balti food, and we are all gonna eat it because we are here to ‘experience’ new things. And if you, the kids, dislike it then, oh well, we will order one of Punar’s non-Balti Biryanis or Karahis or Chinese for you. I’m, uh, totally cool with it. I’m saying this more to control myself than to anybody else: No big deal if the teenagers don’t eat Balti food, I won’t feel like flipping this table up. Not at all. The inner Hulk is under control.
The teenagers’ only response was ‘We were waiting for you to say the word ‘experience’ again because you have already said it a thousand times by now.’ — You know what, I didn’t even wanna talk to the teenagers. (I joke. I did talk to them & used the words ‘experience’ another thousand times.)
In the end, the food arrived, and it was smashing. No tables were flipped, and I didn’t have to blackmail the teenagers into eating the food, they eat loads of it. They loved it. And I loved it, and the non-TikToker companion was very proud of themselves, and rightly so.
The details of our order:
Prapus : Sort of homemade large-size pasta, made with walnuts.
Phurs-Phurs : Again, homemade noodles made from scratch, with veggies.
Kashmiri Harrisa: It wasn’t like our harissa at all, which is similar to Haleem. It was a dry meaty dish, very delicious.
Mutton Yakhni: Unlike the name, it wasn’t a soup. It was a proper meat & yogurt-based dish.
Then special apricot chutney, soft naans, and fresh salad. The bill was 2500 PKR. We ordered too much & had to finish the leftovers the next day.
BTW, we had to order Prapus & Phur-Phurs, because they have such silly, playful names. If you are not sure what to order, order something silly.
Their WhatsApp: 0344-442-5544
Breakfast at Punar
We also happened to have breakfast at Punar. Again, fantastic food. I ordered Skardu’s ‘Namkeen Chai’ for myself. Baltis had been telling me that I can’t drink it, even some of them themselves don’t drink it. It’s made of ‘jarrie boties,’ herbs, takes a lot of time to brew and is not good in taste. It was definitely all that, and as per the name, salty too, but I enjoyed it. (Remember, I also enjoyed my ride on the NATCO bus.)
This tea’s definitely an acquired taste. But if you are in Skardu, you should try it once, just to get, you know, an ‘experience.’ (The teenagers were right, I do use this word a lot.)
Other Delicious Food at Other Places
Food wise this trip was mostly great. After our epic and difficult 18-hour bus ride on NATCO, when we finally arrived at our hotel, we were tired & looked like hobos. The hotel staff kindly didn’t shoo us away (Nobody could blame them if they had taken us as beggars.) They showed us our room, and then they made us a Balti dish, Kaisar. It’s like a pancake or cheeseless pizza. I enjoyed it. The teenagers didn’t, whatever.
Apparently, the hotel’s chef had run away to his hometown of Shigar, so somebody else made it, and after that, they couldn’t offer us any other Balti or non-Balti dish. Bus us kay baad charaghon may roshni na rahie.
Chicken Pulao at Blind Lake
Blind lake’s one of the most amazing and stunning places around Skardu. It’s in a somewhat remote area, and the ecosystem around the lake is intact. We saw various sorts of bumble bees, birds, etc. The villagers’ cows were grazing nearby. I’ll write more about its beauty in some other post. For now, let’s focus on the food.
So with that sort of scenic beauty, they had this small hole-in-the-wall kitchen offering only Karahi & Chicken Pulao. I had boycotted Karahis by then, so we ordered Chicken Pulao. And it was the simplest chicken Pulao ever, without any sort of my ancestors’ garam masala, but it was so good. Especially with that lemon-laced raw onions. Maybe I was just too hungry, but I loved it.
While waiting for our food, my niece looked at somebody sitting across from us and found them to be familiar. And I told her ‘Oh, that’s Sarmad Khoosat, the director guy.’ He was talking to some folks, maybe discussing a project or scouting a location. But he was drinking tea. He missed out on the pulao, he should’ve tried the pulao.
Later, we crossed the lake in a rowing boat. It was a lovely life: eating pulaos and riding boats.
And Then What Happened In The End?
We finally left Skardu, made our way to Islamabad, and what did we eat that very evening? Not Balti food. We eat Pulao. Because that’s how it works, pulaos are fine in Islamabad, not so much fine in Skardu.
We visited the most recommended Islamabadi Pulao place: Malang Jo Pulao. We eat it, and perhaps that was the right time to finally let my inner hulk out, flip that table because that Pulao was Oh my God. Karachi has nothing in competition with that Pulao. If you are in Islamabad or Pindi, you gotta check that Pulao. And the chapli kebab was also so juicy. I’m craving it right now.
I was also very impressed with Punjabi women eating a full plate of 1/2 kg Pulao by themselves, the same plate that the four of us Karachites shared. God bless you, women.
The End.
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