Recipe Masala Mix

Both are Pakistani brands and both cover the same core dishes, so most people buy the one they grew up with. Shan packets are small, 35g to 60g for most dishes and 100g for the kebab masalas, and a packet is sized for about 1kg of meat. Laziza packs are 100g to 130g, and some are more than spice: the Complete Haleem mix is 375g because it includes the pulses and grains, and the Pakora mix is 200g. Where both brands make a dish, such as Shan Korma and Laziza Qorma, the flavour is close and the pack size is the practical difference.

Shan Biryani Masala is the everyday one; Bombay Biryani is tangier, Sindhi Biryani is the spicier one, Memoni is written for mutton, Malay Chicken Biryani and Karachi Beef Biryani are the regional styles, and Pilau Biryani is milder. Laziza offers Biryani, Zafrani Bombay and Sindhi. For the meat, mutton bone-in cuts in 25-30g pieces or a whole chicken cut into 8 are the usual choices.

Nihari: Shan Nihari or Laziza Nehari with bone-in beef shin or mutton hind shank, simmered for four to six hours or about an hour in a pressure cooker. Haleem: the Laziza Complete Haleem mix already contains the pulses and grains, so you add only boneless meat such as mutton shoulder or beef chuck, diced. Paya: Shan Paya Masala with lamb paya, three to four hours on a low heat. Each packet gives the water and timing on the back.

For mince: Shan BBQ Seekh Kabab, Laziza Seekh Kebab, Shan Chapli Kabab, Shan Kofta, Laziza Kofta and Shan Shami Kebab, with 20% mutton mince or 20% beef mince. For strips and chunks: Shan BBQ Bihari Kabab and Laziza Behari Kebab on boneless lamb leg strips, Shan BBQ Tandoori Masala and Laziza Tandoori BBQ on chicken. If you would rather skip the marinating, the marinated meats page sells the cuts already seasoned.

Most Shan packets are sized for about 1kg of meat, and the back of the pack gives the exact weights for meat, onions, yogurt and water; Laziza packs are larger and are usually split across two cooks. If you like a milder dish, use two thirds of the packet and add the rest at the end if it needs it. Single spices for blending your own are on the spices, herbs and seasoning page, and Tooba ginger and garlic paste saves the chopping. Everything in the Spice Bazaar ships in the same box as the meat.