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Nihari, haleem & slow-cookedPashtun and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recipes

Peshawari Mutton Dumpukht Recipe

پشاوری دم پخت بنانے کا طریقہ

Peshawari dumpukht: bone-in mutton, onion, salt and black pepper sealed in a pot with dough and cooked in its own juices until it falls off the bone.
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Illustration of Peshawari Mutton Dumpukht

Prep

20 min

Cook

2 hr 45 min

Total

3 hr 5 min

Serves

5

Difficulty

Medium

Spice

Mild

Dumpukht means cooked by its own steam, and the Peshawar version is the purest form of it: mutton with its fat, a few onions, salt and black pepper, sealed under a dough-lined lid and left on the lowest heat. No water is added. The meat gives up its juices, steams in them and comes out soft, pale and full of flavour, with whole tomatoes and potatoes cooked soft on top.

Ingredients

5 servings

For 5 servings

Measures

Dough to seal the lid

Method

  1. Knead the atta with just enough water to make a stiff dough and roll it into a long rope. Keep it covered.

  2. Heat the ghee in a heavy pot with a tight lid on medium-high heat. Add the mutton and garlic and sear until the meat is lightly browned all over and the raw smell has gone.

    ⏱ 12 min

  3. Add the ginger, onion, salt, crushed peppercorns and ground pepper and toss everything together. Do not add water.

    ⏱ 3 min

  4. Arrange the potatoes, tomatoes and green chillies on top of the meat. Press the dough rope around the rim, put the lid on and press down so the pot is completely sealed.

  5. Put a tawa under the pot and cook on the lowest possible heat. Do not open it. The meat will cook in its own steam.

    ⏱ 150 min

  6. Break the seal at the table. The meat should be falling off the bone in a little clear, fatty broth. Taste the broth for salt and serve.

Tips for the best result

  • In Peshawar a piece of dumba (sheep tail fat) is melted first and the meat cooked in it. If you can get it, use 150 g in place of the ghee.
  • Lamb or young mutton works best. Old, tough meat may need 30–45 minutes more on dum.

Common mistakes

  • Opening the lid to check. Every time it opens, steam escapes and the meat can catch and burn.
  • Cooking on a medium flame. Without enough juices to protect it, the bottom burns; the heat must be very low, with a tawa under the pot.

How to serve

Serve straight from the pot with naan, the broth spooned over the meat, and kachumar salad.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge. Reheat covered on low heat with a splash of water.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
1115kcal
Protein
57g
Fat
75g
Carbs
52g
Fibre
8.1g
Sodium
1360mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 750

Whole dish ≈ Rs 3,760 · 97% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Peshawari Mutton Dumpukht: questions people ask

Can I make dumpukht without water?

Yes, that is the point. Mutton and onions release enough liquid in a sealed pot. If your pot is thin or the heat will not go very low, add a quarter cup of water as insurance.

Can I cook dumpukht in the oven?

Yes. Seal the pot the same way and cook it at 150°C for about 2.5 hours. The oven gives very even heat and there is less risk of burning.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All slow-cooked recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: پشاوری دم پخت بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/dumpukht · Handi, DanixSoft