Pakistani Food Week

the best (stressful) few days in Prague!

Mar 04, 2025

I recently had the opportunity to be invited by the Pakistani ambassador to the Czech Republic to Prague to be a guest chef representing Pakistani cuisine. The embassy collaborated with SILQ restaurant in Prague to develop and run a menu for a week- celebrating Pakistan’s rich and diverse culinary traditions.

When the ambassador reached out to me, I immediately recognized the massive honor being bestowed upon me.

While it was a massive undertaking and resulted in quite a few sleepless nights, the event went off without a hitch, and I had such an amazing time working with the incredible team of chefs, FOH, and everyone involved.

I wanted to show what Pakistani food can look like if combined with the Western cooking techniques I have learned, along with some innovation. So, I kept some of the classics and changed up some of them to be a little more daring. I really wanted to emphasize street food due to its massive influence on the Pakistani food scene. So, all my starters come from popular street food items, while my mains are a bit more traditional.

I kept chicken biryani and daal tharka the same as I feel that some things just shouldn’t be messed with.

However, I turned Nihari into nihari ravioli… and the lamb chops got paired with a spiced cauliflower puree that was essentially a cauliflower curry blended up.

For desserts, I wanted to showcase the flavors of the country without dipping into the often excessive sweetness that accompanies South Asian desserts.

So, I came up with a chai masala ice cream and a cardamon and saffron cake. They were so delicious and an absolute hit- the desserts were probably my favorite recipe testing of the whole lot.

I’m attaching my speech down below and some pictures- I hope you enjoy looking!

Salam

Dobrý den,

je kway jeh istah dorazelay

I first want to thank the amazing team at SILQ, both front and back of house. A menu is only a menu until people come together to bring it to life.

A special thank you to

Lukas

Daniella

Diana

for organizing everything

and the chefs I’ve worked with

Petr

Ondra

Honza

Radek

Matthew

Tomáš

Klara

and especially the helpers and dishwashers who a kitchen wouldn’t operate without

Anna

Luda

I want to give a very big thank you to Her Excellency Ambassador Ayesha Ali for inviting me to take part in this event and hosting me in her beautiful home.

I’m beyond honored to be representing Pakistani food in this beautiful setting, and my hope is that the menu represents the beauty and complexity of our cuisine. For me, it represents what can arise when you mix tradition and innovation- and it is a reflection of the inspiration my grandmother has given me throughout my life, along with the skills I have acquired since I began pursuing this career.

Of course, I would be remiss not to thank the most important people in my life. My mother and father (who’s actually here today!). They are my biggest supporters and are the reason why I am where I am today. My brothers and sister, Humza, Ali, and Sakina, who always encourage me to chase my dreams. And my Nani and Dadi, who have both shaped my relationship with Pakistan and my cooking journey.

My partner Darius was the first one who supported me and encouraged me to pursue culinary school. He always calms me down when I panic before events like this and is my biggest provider of peace.

I’m extremely proud to be here as a female chef and a woman of color. It’s not the easiest to be a woman of color chef in this industry, but I’ve been lucky to work with an amazing female head chef and an amazing team comprised of strong women and strong but also supportive men.

I aspire to be great, and I am always grateful for any opportunity that pushes me out of my comfort zone. I truly hope you enjoy the food, there was a massive amount of effort and intention in each dish. I hope it surprises you and challenges your idea of what Pakistani can be.

Thank you so much!