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Pakistani spice mixes, one dish per box
Biryani, nihari and karahi from a Karachi box, with the recipe printed on the back.
$3–8
Find Shan masala on Amazon ↗1 more place to buy ↓If you buy through this link we may earn a small commission. It never changes your price.
The story
Shan Foods is a Karachi company that sells restaurant-style spice blends in small boxes, one dish per box, with the full method printed on the back. Its red boxes are on the shelf of almost every Pakistani kitchen, and in Pakistani grocers from London to Houston.
It is the easiest way for anyone to cook Pakistani food properly. Buy meat, onions, tomatoes and yoghurt, follow the box, and dinner tastes like Karachi.
In pictures
Photos coming soon. Each frame below says what it will show.
History
Home cooks in Pakistan traditionally roasted and ground their own spices. From the early 1980s Shan began selling ready blends for specific dishes, and they spread with the Pakistani diaspora around the world.
Other Pakistani brands, such as National Foods, sell similar boxes. When you shop online, look for the brand name and “Product of Pakistan”, because Indian brands use similar names for different blends.
How it’s made
Chillies, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and more.
Spices are roasted to bring out their oils.
They are ground and mixed to a fixed recipe for each dish.
Blends are sealed in sachets with the method on the box.
Kinds
Layered rice with meat. The best-seller.
Slow-cooked beef or lamb stew, a Karachi and Lahore breakfast.
Quick tomato and chilli wok curry.
And dozens more, one dish per box.
In Pakistan
Nearly every Pakistani kitchen has a shelf of these boxes, and students leaving for university abroad pack a suitcase full.
Buy it well
| Genuine | Likely a copy |
|---|---|
| Shan or National, Product of Pakistan | Similar-sounding blends from other countries |
Where to buy
We may earn a small commission. Your price is the same.
Find Shan masala on Amazon ↗We may earn a small commission. Your price is the same.
National Foods masala on Amazon ↗Typical price: $3–8, before shipping. Read the “Buy it well” checks above before you order, and ask the seller for photos of the exact piece.
Questions
Biryani, chicken karahi and nihari are the easiest wins.
The spices overlap, but Pakistani blends for dishes like nihari, karahi and Sindhi biryani have their own balance, usually more meat-focused and often hotter.
Yes, compared with Western food. Start with half the packet.
Keep exploring
Green ice cream soda
Karachi’s bright green ice cream soda.
Rose and herb syrup for cold drinks
The ruby-red syrup that opens the fast in every Pakistani home.
Strong black tea for milky Pakistani chai
The strong, granular tea behind Pakistan’s milky, sugary doodh patti.
Hand-painted metal kettle
The painting on Pakistan’s trucks, shrunk to fit a kitchen shelf.
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