Meat Nihari

This Christmas, while my 9 year old sister was baking a traditional plum cake (ably assisted by our mother 😉 ), I thought I’d cook something not so traditional for the main course – Meat Nihari!

Nihari used to be slow-cooked overnight in large pots in order to be given to labourers working on imperial construction projects. It is a dish rich in calories, to provide those engaged in hard manual labour energy through the day. Nihari was served free to imperial labourers.

When classically prepared, Nihari used to take approximately 6-8 hours just to stew, not to mention preparation time. Thankfully, with the help of modern technology and methods, it is much easier achieve the same result in less time.

Ingredients-

• 1 kg goat/lamb/beef
• Ghee ½ cup
• Thinly sliced Onions (medium) 2
• Ginger paste 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Nihari Masala – 3-4 tbsp
• Corinader powder ¾ tablespoon
• Turmeric powder ½ tsp
• Salt to taste

Niahri Masala recipe

• Coriander seeds 1 tbsp
• Fennel seeds ¾ tbsp
• Black peppercorn 10-12
• Cloves 4-5
• Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp
• Green cardamom 4-6
• Bay leaf 1
• Black cardamom 2
• Cinnamon stick 1 ½ inch
• Dry ginger powder 1 tsp
• Dry red chili (sabut laal mirch, substitute with 1 ½ tbsp red chili powder) 5-8, adjust according to spice preference

Garnish

• Coriander leaves
• Ginger

Instructions for Nihari Masala

1. To make Nihari Masala add all the given spices (except dry ginger powder and red chili powder if using) into a pan and dry roast on low heat.
2. Add the roasted spices in a grinding machine along with the ginger powder and make a fine powder.

Instructions for Curry

*Marinate the meat in ginger paste, garlic paste and salt for as much time as possible

1. Heat ghee/oil in a deep bottom stock pot and add in the sliced onions.
2. Once the onions are golden brown add in the marinated meat along with coriander and turmeric powder. Mix well and saute for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add in the Nihari masala and mix well, keep stirring the meat on medium heat for 10-15 minutes and then add water.
4. Once water is added stir the meat, cover and cook on low flame for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender and coming of the bone. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and thinly sliced ginger for better appearance before serving.

Enjoy 🙂