ISLAMABAD: In a marked change from the usual fast food and oil laden desi cuisine, Khyber Dodai has brought the taste of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s homes to the capital.
For those who aren’t too familiar with KP’s cuisine, the restaurant offers the simple food from the province. And for those who have moved away from their homes in the north, the restaurant’s food is reminiscent of traditional home cooking. In the short while that it has been open, Khyber Dodai has also become popular with foreigners looking for a less spicy take on Pakistani food.
Tucked away on the third and fourth floors above Shaheen Cosmetics in Super Market, getting to the restaurant is a chore. While the three flights of stairs is likely to turn away some customers, an intricately decorated replica of a truck greets those willing to make the laborious climb.
The restaurant’s interior is designed to look like a traditional Pakhtun family’s dining room, as much as any restaurant can be made to look homey, with the ceiling and panoramic windows adorned with ethnic embroidered blinds.
The restaurant is likely one of the only places in the city that offers sohbat, also known as painda in Pashto. The dish is made using torn pieces of flatbread, which are laid on a flat metal dish, soaked in gravy and garnished with a dollop of desi ghee and desi chicken.
Sohbat, or painda, is a traditional Pakhtun dish served in a large, deep container – typically earthen or metal – from which the entire family eats together. It is also served to special guest and is an expression of close ties. The dish is an important part of Pakhtun culture that leads to the bonding of families, tribes and friends.
The light rubab playing in the background is reminiscent of KP villages, where visitors are served sohbat and lassi while a local musician plays melancholy tunes on the rubab.
To really enjoy the dish, it must not be served in portions and should be eaten from the same dish with one’s hands. The torn flatbread is dunked into the light gravy, which is made from vegetable and chicken stock mixed with crushed mint leaves and dried coriander, and seasoned with salt, pepper and turmeric.
The two page menu also offers various tikkas, karhais and a few specialties, including pulao and chapli kebab, all prepared by chefs from Peshawar’s famous Namak Mandi, according to restaurant manager Shaukat Ali Khan.
Unlike other eateries in the city, Khyber Dodai has succeeded in replicating the Peshawari homemade chapli kebab.
The kebabs are traditionally fried in vegetable oil instead of animal fat, and the mixed kebab meat should contain more sorghum than mince.
Homemade kebabs are therefore harder and less juicy than those found in the market. In keeping with the traditional tastes of the province, Khyber Dodai’s kebabs are milder in flavour, with a touch of diced green chillies and dried coriander. The kebabs also pair well with the Kabuli pulao, which is not as greasy as pulao offered by many other restaurants.
The green tea that follows the meal is also made in accordance with Pakhtun culture. In some parts of KP, guests are not served mass produced green tea but instead, as a sign of respect, are served tea made from organic tea leaves and cardamom.
The green tea at Khyber Dodai is accompanied by small pieces of sagodana, a richer and creamy version of jiggery that is used to sweeten the tea.
However, the eatery does lack a variety of desserts as it currently only offers kulfi. According to Mr Khan, they are working on including more sweets, particularly traditional halwas.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2016