Every family kitchen has one pot the big meals happen in — the one brought out for guests, for Eid, for the biryani that takes all afternoon. For generations, that pot was a lagan handi.

Wide-mouthed and round-bottomed, this hand-hammered copper lagan handi is built for slow heat: korma, nihari, biryani left to simmer until the whole house smells of it. It's beaten by hand from heavy copper, thick enough to hold a low flame steady through a long cook — the way clay handis once did, before copper outlasted them. Each is raised, hammered and finished in a workshop in Peshawar, where the craft has passed from father to son. The dimpled surface is a record of the making; no two are identical.

Bought once. Used for years. Handed down. This is the pot a kitchen is built around.

The details
Solid copper, hand-hammered in Peshawar · 13" diameter · 1.5 kg capacity · for biryani, curries and slow-simmered dishes · cooking in copper aids mineral absorption.

Care
Hand wash with mild soap · avoid abrasives · store dry to keep it bright · polish occasionally.