The Lahori Flame

Bilal Anwar

Born in Lahore's old city, Bilal learned to coax depth from a karahi over a single roaring flame before he could read. He now runs a tiny home kitchen in l'Hospitalet, on Barcelona's southern edge, where homesick Pakistani taxi drivers and curious neighbors line up for his slow-cooked nihari and chicken karahi. He believes good meat needs time, not shortcuts, and that a pot of daal should never leave anyone hungry.

PakistaniNorth IndianHalal

Voice · warm, robust, hospitable, proud, unhurried

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Bilal's favorites.

55 MIN

Smoked Paprika Chicken Tikka on Yogurt Toast

Tender charred chicken thighs coated in a bold smoked paprika and yogurt marinade, served over crispy garlic yogurt toast with a squeeze of lemon and fresh cilantro.

25 MIN

Scallop Skewers with Ginger-Cumin Butter

Tender sea scallops threaded on skewers and seared to a golden crust, finished with a fragrant compound butter spiked with ginger and cumin — warm, bold, and bright.

50 MIN

Smoky Butternut Squash Chaat with Yogurt and Cilantro

Roasted cubes of butternut squash tossed in a smoky spice blend, served over cool yogurt and finished with bright cilantro and a squeeze of lemon. Warm, tangy, and bold—Lahori chaat energy without the meat.

35 MIN

Almond Flour Yogurt Pancakes with Ginger and Saffron

Fluffy almond flour pancakes enriched with tangy yogurt, warm ginger, and delicate saffron threads — a luxurious weekend breakfast with Lahori-inspired warmth.

47 MIN

Spiced Buckwheat Yogurt Cake with Ginger and Star Anise

A warmly spiced, nutty buckwheat cake made tender with yogurt and perfumed with ginger and star anise. The Lahori Flame gives this humble cake the love of a karahi — rich, fragrant, and never bland.

40 MIN

Star Anise Rice Pudding with Rose Water and Pistachios

A fragrant, creamy rice pudding infused with whole star anise, finished with a whisper of citrus and crunchy pistachios. Bilal brings his bold-spice philosophy to dessert with gentle warmth from the spices and a nod to his South Asian heritage in the floral finishing note.

75 MIN

Creamy Yogurt Chicken with Ginger and Cumin Slow Braise

A slow-braised chicken dish where bone-in thighs meld with aromatic ginger-garlic paste and warming cumin, finished with a velvety yogurt cream that clings to every tender morsel. Bilal's take is unhurried and generous, built on a Lahori foundation of bold spice and tangy yogurt.

20 MIN

Tangy Chickpea Salad with Radish, Cilantro and Cumin Dressing

A vibrant cold salad with tender chickpeas, crisp radishes, and a creamy yogurt dressing spiked with toasted cumin and a kick of cayenne — the kind of bright, tangy dish Bilal loves to balance out a rich karahi.

60 MIN

Whole Spiced Cauliflower, Turmeric and Yogurt Roast

A whole cauliflower roasted in a bold yogurt-spice marinade until golden and charred at the edges, fragrant with turmeric and cumin, finished with fresh lemon and cilantro.

50 MIN

Fresh green chilies, roughly chopped

A bold Pakistani-style karahi starring tender beef-steak seared at high heat with plump tomatoes, aromatic ginger and warming spices. Channeling Chef Bilal's Lahori flame — this is karahi as it should be, smoky, fiery and deeply satisfying.

70 MIN

Fragrant Basmati Rice with Saffron, Cinnamon and Fried Onions

A celebration rice where long-grained basmati soaks in saffron's golden perfume, a cinnamon stick lending its woody warmth, and crispy fried onions scatter on top like savory confetti.

45 MIN

Lentil and Tomato Dal with Garlic Tarka and Fresh Lime

A warming Pakistani-style red lentil dal simmered with tomatoes and aromatic spices, finished with a sizzling garlic tarka and a bright squeeze of fresh lime.

45 MIN

Spiced Lamb Chops with Yogurt Marinade and Charred Ginger

Bone-in lamb chops marinated in tangy yogurt with bold spices, seared to perfection and served alongside smoky charred ginger. A Lahori-inspired feast that rewards patience with deep, complex flavor.

55 MIN

Smoky Chicken Thighs, Yogurt and Cumin Charcoal Grill

Charred chicken thighs marinated in tangy yogurt and earthy cumin, kissed with lemon and fresh cilantro — a smoky karahi-inspired masterpiece from the streets of Lahore to your backyard flame.

54 MIN

Ground Beef and Potato Curry, Cayenne and Yogurt

A hearty Pakistani-style keema curry with tender ground beef and potatoes simmered in a rich, spiced yogurt gravy with a cayenne kick.

50 MIN

Chickpea and Spinach Stew with Toasted Cumin and Turmeric

A hearty Pakistani-inspired stew where tender chickpeas and wilted spinach swim in a golden spiced broth. Bilal toasts whole cumin until fragrant, then builds a deep foundation of ginger-garlic and tomato before letting everything simmer into rich, warming harmony.

75 MIN

Chicken Karahi: Pakistan's Wok-Fire Chicken with Tomatoes and Ginger

A fiery, tangy Pakistani wok dish where bone-in chicken absorbs deep tomato and ginger flavors over high heat. This karahi delivers smoky char, bold spice, and a finish of fresh cilantro and lemon.

240 MIN

Lahori Nihari: Slow-Smoked Beef Stew with Yogurt and Warm Spices

A traditional slow-cooked beef stew from Lahore, featuring tender bone-in beef simmered for hours in a fragrant yogurt-spice gravy with a toasted cumin and clove backbone, finished with fresh ginger and cilantro.

45 MIN

Maa's Chilled Dal: Overnight-Soaked Red Lentils with Cumin and Charred Onion

A deeply comforting red lentil dal soaked overnight for a silky texture, finished with a smoky charred onion topping and fragrant cumin tempering. Bilal's mother served this cool, straight from the earthenware pot on summer afternoons in Lahore.

45 MIN

Tarka Daal with Sizzled Garlic and Cayenne

Lentils simmered long with turmeric and onion until they give up all resistance and become something close to velvet. The real drama is the tarka — garlic dropped into oil over high heat, going golden just at the edge of burning, then rushed straight to the pot where it hisses and smells like every good kitchen in Lahore. Cilantro to finish, and a pot of this should never leave anyone hungry.

45 MIN

Charred Yogurt Chicken Thighs, Cumin and Lemon

Chicken thighs coated in yogurt worked through with garlic, cumin, and cayenne, then laid under enough heat to char the surface while the yogurt keeps the meat underneath from drying out. Lemon goes in at the end, squeezed over the hot char so it hisses and lifts the whole thing. Straightforward and unapologetic — the kind of chicken that reminds you why thighs deserve the flame.

30 MIN

Chickpea Chaat with Mango and Lime

Cooked chickpeas tossed with sweet ripe mango, sharp raw onion, and enough lime to make everything sit up straight — cumin brings a smoky undertone that keeps this from tasting like fruit salad. It comes together in minutes but lands with real conviction: tangy, a little sweet, and exactly as bold as the cumin and cilantro insist on being. A dish that does not need heat to hold attention.

60 MIN

Pindi Chana with Toasted Cumin

Chickpeas cooked until deeply tender and then dressed with a masala of tomato, onion, and ginger that has been reduced until it is almost dry — the chickpeas then absorb what is left and turn dark and intensely flavored. Cumin, toasted until fragrant before it goes in, gives the dish its signature earthy depth. Cilantro scattered at the end is the one bright note in an otherwise serious pot.

200 MIN

Slow Beef Nihari with Ginger Threads

Hours on low heat is what turns tough beef into something that pulls apart without protest, the broth deepening with turmeric, cayenne, garlic, and onion into a gravy that is almost too good to eat without bread. Ginger is added twice — once early for body, then again at the end as long thin threads laid over the top for fragrance and a little clean heat. This is the dish Bilal grew up eating at dawn, and it still asks for patience.

45 MIN

Daal Palak with Garlic Tarka

Lentils cooked soft with turmeric and cayenne, then spinach folded through until just wilted and the whole pot made deep green and golden at once. What sets it apart is the tarka: garlic sliced and sent into hot oil until the edges darken, then poured over the top where it sizzles and perfumes everything beneath. Humble food, made with full conviction.

60 MIN

Beef Keema with Onion and Potato

Ground beef browned with onion until the moisture is gone and the meat begins to catch on the bottom of the pan — that is when the turmeric and cumin go in, and the whole thing changes register. Potato pieces cook down alongside, absorbing the fat and the spice until they are soft through and gilded. Cilantro to finish, and this is the weeknight dish that asks for nothing more than rice and time.

75 MIN

Butter Chicken in Tomato Cream

Chicken thighs go into a tomato base built with ginger, cayenne, and enough butter to make the gravy glossy and generous. Heavy cream is stirred through at the end off the heat, turning the sauce from vivid red to the color of late afternoon light. It is a dish that earns its reputation by being genuinely comforting — warm without being cloying, spiced without being harsh.

80 MIN

Whole Roast Masala Chicken, Yogurt and Lemon

A whole bird rubbed inside and out with yogurt, garlic, cumin, and enough cayenne to blush, then left to sit before going into a hot oven where the yogurt crust tightens and chars at the edges. The lemon goes in with it, roasting down until its juice turns concentrated and almost jammy against the skin. Sliced at the table, this one feeds everyone without ceremony.

60 MIN

Weeknight Chicken Biryani, Saffron Rice

Bone-in chicken thighs marinated in yogurt and cayenne go into the pot first, then saffron-steeped basmati is layered on top with the sweetness of slowly browned onion. The steam trapped inside does the real work, perfuming every grain with the meat below. This is not a shortcut biryani — it is simply one that respects your evening.

50 MIN

Smoky Eggplant Bharta, Tomato and Ginger

Eggplant charred directly over a flame until the skin is blackened and the inside has collapsed into a smoky, silken interior — then peeled, mashed, and folded into a masala of tomato, ginger, and cumin-tempered onion. The smoke is the whole story, the ingredient that cannot come from a bottle or a shortcut. Cilantro to finish, and this bharta is as honest as a dish gets.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

cuminturmericcayennecinnamongingergarlicyogurtbasmati-ricecilantroyellow-onion

Favorite tools

WokTongsMortarAndPestleChefKnife

Reaches for

chicken-thighground-beefbeef-steakchickpeaslentilsyogurtgarlicgingertomatoyellow-onion

Steers clear of

pork-bellypork-loinbaconhamsausage

Flavor Profile

The Loves

bold spicedeep slow-cooked meatsmoky charginger heattangy yogurt

The Defaults

a toasted cumin-and-clove backbonecayenne for real heatginger-garlic to startfresh cilantro to finish

The Avoids

bland under-seasoningwatery thin gravysweetened savory dishesrushed meat