Nihari
Slow-cooked beef shank stew in a deeply spiced, thickened gravy, traditionally simmered overnight.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Dairy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
How this varies: Delhi-style ("Purani Dilli") nihari tends to be lighter in oil and uses goat/lamb more often than beef, while Lahori/Karachi nihari is richer, beefier, and swims in a layer of ghee/tarka on top — this recipe (beef shank, heavy ghee tarka) tracks the Pakistani/Lahori lineage.
Ingredients
- 1kg beef shank, bone-in, with marrow
- 500g beef bones or extra marrow bones (for richness)
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced and fried crisp (for tarka)
- 3 tbsp nihari masala (fennel seed, dry ginger powder/saunth, coriander seed, black cardamom, star anise, mace, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper — dry-roasted and ground)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/4 cup atta (wheat flour) or besan, toasted until light golden
- 4-5 tbsp ghee
- 8 cups water
- Julienned ginger, cilantro, green chilies, and lemon wedges, to garnish
Steps
- Heat ghee in a heavy pot, fry ginger-garlic paste until fragrant.
- Add beef shank, marrow bones, and nihari masala; sear until well coated and lightly browned.
- Add water and half the fried onions, bring to a boil, skim off foam, then cover tightly and simmer on the lowest possible heat for 6-8 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone and the bones' marrow has melted into the broth. (Traditionally this is a true overnight dam-style slow cook — the longer, gentler simmer is what builds nihari's signature depth.)
- Remove bones, shred or leave meat in large chunks.
- Toast flour in a dry pan until light golden and nutty-smelling, whisk with a little water into a smooth slurry.
- Stir slurry into the stew to thicken the gravy to a glossy, slightly gluey consistency; simmer 15-20 more minutes.
- Adjust seasoning; the gravy should be thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Serve garnished with remaining fried onions, julienned ginger, cilantro, green chilies, and lemon wedges.