Hotel-Style Beef Nihari at Home: A Slow-Cooked Recipe With Meat That Falls Off the Bone
The word nihari still carries the mornings of the old city with it. The dish was traditionally eaten just after dawn, which is where the name comes from, and a good one is judged on two things alone: meat soft enough to break with a spoon, and a gravy thick enough to coat it. There is no expensive secret here. Nihari does not need more spice, it needs more time. A low flame and a bit of patience will do what no shortcut can.
Ingredients
One kilo of beef shank in large pieces, half a cup of ghee, two large onions finely sliced, two tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste, two tablespoons of nihari masala, one tablespoon of red chilli, one teaspoon of turmeric, salt to taste, and six to seven cups of water or stock. For thickening, dissolve three tablespoons of flour in half a cup of water. To serve: julienned ginger, green chillies, fresh coriander and lemon wedges.
Method
Fry the onions in ghee in a heavy pot until golden, then lift them out and set aside. In the same ghee, fry the ginger-garlic paste until fragrant, add the meat and sear it on high heat for five or six minutes until it changes colour. Stir in the nihari masala, chilli, turmeric and salt, fry two minutes more, then pour in the water and bring it to a boil. Now turn the flame as low as it will go, cover the pot and leave it alone for four to five hours. Do not keep stirring; just check the liquid once or twice. When the meat gives way at the press of a finger, stream in the flour mixture while stirring, and cook fifteen minutes more until the gravy thickens on its own. Finish with the reserved fried onions spooned over the top. A separately simmered marrow bone, if you have one, doubles the pleasure.
Serving it properly
Ladle the nihari into warm bowls, scatter ginger, green chillies and coriander over it, and put lemon wedges on the side. The naan should be hot, straight from the tandoor or the pan. One kitchen truth worth knowing: nihari tastes even better the next day, so making a full pot is never a mistake. On a cold evening, this single dish can carry the whole table.
