Dhungar: The Coal-Smoke Trick for Smoky Food at Home

The smoky flavour of food from a charcoal grill is one of the best things about Pakistani BBQ, and most home kitchens can’t reproduce it on a gas stove. Pakistani cooks solved this long ago with a technique called dhungar (sometimes dhuanaar): briefly smoking a finished dish with a piece of hot coal and a drop of ghee. It takes five minutes and transforms kebabs, keema, daal and tikka.

What you need

• A small piece of natural lump charcoal, about the size of a walnut
• A pair of tongs
• A small heatproof container: a steel katori (small bowl), an onion skin “cup”, or a piece of foil shaped into a little dish
• A teaspoon of ghee or oil
• A pot or pan with a tight-fitting lid
• Optionally, 2 or 3 cloves

Step by step

1. Put the cooked food in a pot with a lid, leaving a space in the middle. If it’s a curry or daal, make a small well in the centre.
2. Heat the charcoal. Hold it with tongs directly over a gas flame, turning it, until it glows red all over. This takes 4–6 minutes.
3. Place the container in the middle of the food and set the glowing coal in it.
4. Pour the ghee over the coal. It will start smoking heavily at once. Add a couple of cloves on top for a fragrant smoke if you like.
5. Cover immediately and tightly. Leave for 3–5 minutes for a gentle smoke, or up to 10 for a stronger one.
6. Remove the container and coal carefully with tongs, then stir the dish and serve.

Which dishes it suits

Dhungar works best with dishes that have a “barbecue” character:

• Kebabs and tikka cooked in a pan or oven: chicken tikka, seekh kebab, Bihari boti, gola kebab.
• Keema: smoked keema matar is a restaurant classic.
• Daal: dhaba-style daal mash and daal makhni are often smoked.
• Raita: a few seconds of smoke gives raita a lovely BBQ flavour.
• Baingan bharta: if you couldn’t roast the eggplant over a flame, a short smoke makes up for it.

It doesn’t suit delicate dishes like kheer or light vegetable sabzis, and it can overwhelm fish if left too long.

Safety indoors

Burning charcoal produces carbon monoxide, which is dangerous in an enclosed space. Use dhungar sensibly:

• Ventilate well: open a window and switch on the extractor fan.
• Never leave a burning coal unattended, and never leave one indoors after you’ve finished.
• Put the used coal in water, or carry it outside to cool completely before disposing of it.
• Use natural lump charcoal, not briquettes, which may contain chemical binders.
• Keep the container stable so the coal can’t tip into the food or onto a surface.

Getting the flavour right

The first time, start with a short smoke of 2–3 minutes and taste. It’s easy to overdo dhungar, and an over-smoked dish tastes acrid rather than smoky. Ghee gives a richer, rounder smoke than oil, and cloves add a sweet, aromatic note that many people love.

Once you’ve tried it, you’ll find yourself reaching for the coal every time you make kebabs indoors. For the full BBQ picture, see our guide to Pakistani BBQ at home.