Samiya Rais
Recipes by Samiya Rais
Balochi Dampukht
Balochistan's above-ground sealed-pot slow-cook — meat layered over charbi (sheep tail fat) with whole unpeeled vegetables, lid sealed with flour dough, cooked for 2-3 hours in its own steam with no added water. Salt and black pepper only. The charbi renders and bastes everything from below. NOT an underground dish — that is Khaddi Kabab.
Balochi Rosh
Balochistan's slow-cooked mutton — either the Namkeen Rosh street version (salt only, no masala, cooked in water until fat renders into a clear broth) or the home version with whole spices. Always a broth dish — never dry. The namkeen (salted) version from Quetta's Kuchlack is the most authentic.
Balochi Dampukht Mutton
The ancient Balochi slow-cooked sealed meat — dampukht means 'cooked in its own steam' and this dish delivers mutton of extraordinary tenderness with minimal spicing and maximum natural flavour.
Fish Sajji — Makran Coast Style
From Balochistan's 760km Makran coastline comes this extraordinary whole-fish sajji — a coastal variation that the rest of Pakistan barely knows exists. Large sea fish skewered and roasted over driftwood coals with nothing but salt and lime.
Mutton Rosh — Wedding Feast Style
The elevated wedding-feast version of Balochi Rosh — larger portions, richer with dumba fat, and finished with dried fruit and a touch of rose water in true Baloch celebratory tradition.
Balochi Kaak — The Desert Dry Bread
Balochistan's ancient hardtack-like dry bread — double-baked until completely moisture-free, it keeps for weeks without refrigeration and was the traditional bread of Baloch nomads, shepherds, and desert travelers.
Balochi Gosht Karahi — Desert Style
Balochistan's version of gosht karahi — cooked with dumba (fat-tail sheep), finished with a distinct whole-spice profile and served with a drizzle of cold yogurt that cuts through the rich meat. Desert simplicity at its finest.