DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Pakuwa
The Nepal Tourism Board’s pakuwa recipe slowly cooks marinated boneless mutton with mustard oil, onion and spices until tender and dry.
About Pakuwa
Research draft based on the references below. These notes describe particular recipes and presentations; ingredient connections are still being reviewed.
The Nepal Tourism Board’s heritage cookbook presents pakuwa as meat cooked slowly until dry. Its selected recipe uses boneless mutton, while its note also mentions chicken and buffalo versions.
The mutton is cut into even cubes and combined with mustard oil, sliced onion and ginger-garlic paste. Turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, garam masala and salt complete the marinade.
The marinated meat rests in the refrigerator before being transferred to a heated, thick-bottomed karai or wok. The same marinated batch goes into the cooking vessel.
It cooks over a low fire with the lid on. The lid is opened from time to time to stir the meat, continuing until it is tender.
Coriander leaves finish the cooked meat as a garnish. The cookbook describes pakuwa as a traditional cooking method used mainly for mutton.
Ingredients in Pakuwa
Recorded ingredient connections, rather than a complete recipe. Explore an ingredient for more detail.
- Buffalo Meatprotein
- Garlicseasoning
- Cumin Seedseasoning
- Dried Red Chili Pepperseasoning
- Saltseasoning
- Gingerseasoning
Ingredient connections awaiting review. Versions and preparation vary.
Origins & food traditions
Explore the countries and cooking traditions associated with this dish. These connections do not establish a single birthplace or limit where the dish is eaten today.
Countries
Cuisines & regions
Associations in the cited sources
These describe source-specific cultural or geographic connections. Catalogue links may still need review.
- Countries & places
- Nepal
- Cooking traditions
- Nepali