Pulao is ordered less than biryani almost everywhere, and in most cases that is the wrong way round. Biryani is the louder dish. Pulao is frequently the better one, and it is the same price.
AED 10 small, AED 15 medium, AED 20 large, for all three rice dishes we cook.
Yakhni is the whole thing
If you take one idea from this page, this is it.
Yakhni is stock — meat and bones simmered with whole spices until everything they have has gone into the water. In a pulao, the rice is cooked directly in that stock and absorbs it as it swells.
That is the entire method and it has one enormous consequence: the flavour is inside the grain, not on it. Every grain tastes of the meat it was cooked with, evenly, right through the pot. There is no sauce, no masala layer and nothing stirred in at the end.
Which also means there is nowhere to hide. If the yakhni was thin, the rice is bland and no amount of garnish fixes it. A pulao is a direct report on how seriously a kitchen made its stock.
Ours is made on the whole stock, with no shortcuts — which is the only claim on this page and the one that matters.
Beef or chicken
Same method, different stock.
| Small | Medium | Large | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special beef pulao — rice cooked in beef yakhni | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Chicken pulao — the same method with chicken | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Chicken biryani — layered, for comparison | 10 | 15 | 20 |
The special beef pulao is the one most regulars order. Beef yakhni is deeper, rounder and more savoury than chicken, and it stands up better to being the only thing on the plate. It is also the dish that would be unusual on an Indian menu — more on why.
Chicken pulao is lighter and more delicate, and it is the mildest main on our entire card. If you are feeding a child, or somebody who does not want chilli anywhere near them, this is the order at AED 10.
Pulao vs biryani, properly
People use these interchangeably and they are different dishes made by different methods.
| Pulao | Biryani | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | One pot. Rice cooks in the yakhni | Layered. Rice and masala cooked apart, then steamed together |
| Flavour | Even through every grain | Banded — a mouthful of masala, then one of rice |
| Spice | Aromatic, mild | Considerably more |
| Colour | Uniform, pale gold | Patchy — white, yellow and orange grains together |
| Served with | On its own, or a salan | Raita |
Neither is better. They answer different questions. If you want a dish that changes as you eat across the plate, order biryani. If you want something gentler, more consistent and more aromatic, order the pulao.
One useful tell: a biryani that is uniformly orange has been stirred through and is not really layered. A pulao that is uniformly coloured is correct — that is what the method does.
More on biryani portions and how to order it and on the Hyderabadi, Sindhi and Pakistani styles.
What to eat it with
Pulao does not need anything, which is part of its appeal — it is a complete dish in one bowl and it is AED 10.
But if the table wants more:
| Add | AED |
|---|---|
| Daal of the day | 5 |
| Vegetable of the day | 5 |
| Chicken qorma, from the weekly menu | 8 |
| Zafran chicken karahi, half | 15 |
| Lassi | 5 |
A small beef pulao at AED 10 with a daal at AED 5 is a AED 15 meal and one of the better plates on this card for the money.
For two: a half chicken karahi at AED 15 and two small pulao at AED 20 — AED 35, with one dry dish and one rice dish, which is the balance a desi table is built around.
It is also the quick order
Worth knowing if you are on a lunch break.
Pulao and biryani are cooked in batches and plated immediately, so they arrive in a couple of minutes. A karahi is fifteen to thirty minutes because it starts when you order it.
If you have fifteen minutes, this section is the answer. More on lunch in Ajman.
Finding us
Shop 8/1, ground floor, Amman Street, Ajman Industrial Area 2, beside Nesto Hypermarket. Free street parking directly outside, step free from the pavement, indoor and outdoor seating, families welcome at every table.
Open 7:30 am to midnight, every day. Call or message 050 720 8707. We answer in English, Urdu, Hindi and Arabic.
We do not deliver. You can eat here or collect at the counter, and of the hot dishes a pulao is one of the few that genuinely survives the trip. The full menu with every price is on this site.
Common questions
- How much is beef pulao in Ajman?
- Special beef pulao at Zafran Kitchen in Ajman Industrial Area 2 is AED 10 small, AED 15 medium and AED 20 large. Chicken pulao and chicken biryani are the same three prices.
- What is yakhni?
- The stock made by simmering meat and bones with whole spices. In a pulao the rice is cooked directly in that stock and absorbs it as it goes, so the flavour runs evenly through every grain. Yakhni is the entire difference between a pulao and plain rice with meat on it.
- What is the difference between pulao and biryani?
- Pulao is cooked in one pot: the rice absorbs the yakhni as it cooks, so the flavour is even, aromatic and mild throughout. Biryani is layered: the rice and the masala are cooked separately and then steamed together, so you get distinct bands of flavour and a good deal more spice. Pulao is the gentler dish of the two.
- Is pulao spicy?
- No, and it is deliberately the mildest main on our card. Pulao is built on whole spices in a stock rather than ground chilli, so it is aromatic rather than hot. It is the dish to order for children, for anybody avoiding chilli, or for a first visit to a Pakistani restaurant.
- Which is better, beef pulao or chicken pulao?
- They are made by the same method and the difference is the stock. Beef yakhni is deeper and more savoury, and the special beef pulao is the one most regulars order. Chicken yakhni is lighter and more delicate. Both are AED 10 small, AED 15 medium and AED 20 large, so it costs nothing to find out which you prefer.
- How many people does a large pulao feed?
- A large at AED 20 is a generous single portion or a light meal for two. For two people eating properly, two mediums at AED 15 each works better than one large, and adding a salan or a karahi to share is better still.
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- pulao vs biryani
Hungry now
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The kitchen is open every day from half past seven in the morning until midnight.