Crisp deep-fried flatbreads served with cumin-spiced chana dal and sweet tamarind chutney — Karachi's iconic Sunday breakfast.
Daal pakwan is the Sindhi Sunday brunch — a deep-fried disc of unleavened dough (pakwan) shaped like an oversized cracker, eaten alongside chana dal cooked with cumin, turmeric, ginger, and green chili (the pakwan dough itself often seasoned with ajwain and crushed black pepper). The plate gets dressed with sweet tamarind-date chutney, fresh green chutney, chopped raw onion, and lemon — each diner builds a bite of dal and chutneys on top of a piece of pakwan. The contrast is the point: crisp shell, soft savory dal, sour-sweet chutney.
Crispy fried bread the size of a saucer, paired with thick chana dal and a small bowl of sweet-sour tamarind chutney. Crack the bread, dip in dal, top with chutney — Karachi's universal Sunday breakfast.
The pakwan dough is unleavened, rolled thin, and pricked all over with a fork before frying — the docking lets steam escape so it stays flat and crisp instead of ballooning into a puri. Fried at moderate heat it slowly dehydrates into a shatter-crisp, flaky disc. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside sets; too cool and it absorbs oil and turns greasy.
Variations
Sindhi Hindu communities in Mumbai eat daal pakwan with phulkas; Karachi-original versions stick to fried pakwan; Hyderabadi versions add more tamarind chutney — the recipe stays the same, the proportions drift.
On the Palate
Where Daal Pakwan sits in the Pakistani flavor cloud
Prick the rolled dough all over and fry at a moderate 175°C — the docking lets steam escape so the pakwan stays flat and shatter-crisp instead of puffing into a puri.
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
5 steps · 1 hour 2 min active + 28 min waiting
- 118 min
Dal: cook 250g chana dal (soaked 30 min) in 1.2L water with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt 40 min until soft but holding shape. Stir in 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, 2 chopped green chilies, juice of half a lemon. Keep warm.
Watch outThe dal is done when a grain crushes softly between your fingers but the pot still looks like distinct beans, not paste.
- 218 min
Pakwan dough: mix 300g all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seed), 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp oil. Add water gradually to a stiff dough. Rest 15 min.
- 318 min
Divide into 12 pieces; roll each thin (3mm) into 15cm rounds. Prick all over with a fork.
- 418 min
Heat oil to 175°C. Fry pakwan one at a time, 90 seconds per side, pressing gently — should puff slightly and turn crisp pale gold. Drain.
Watch outAt the right heat the pakwan sizzles gently and turns pale gold in 90 seconds a side — press it lightly to keep it flat as it crisps.
- 518 min
Plate: a pakwan, a spoon of dal, dollops of tamarind chutney and green coriander chutney, chopped onion, lemon. Eat with hands, building each bite.
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