Ingredients
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1kg Beef (large pieces)
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½ kg Bones
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1 Onion(cut finely)
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3 tbsp Fennel seeds
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8 Cardamoms
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1 tsp Turmeric powder
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1 tbsp Garlic/ginger paste
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1 tsp Hot spices powder
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1 tbsp Ginger(cut finely)
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6tbsp Dry ginger powder
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1 tbsp Red chilli powder
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3 tbsp Whole-wheat flour (roasted and made into paste with water
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6 Green Chillies
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5 cups Water(hot)
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To taste Salt
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½ cup Oil
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accompaniment Kulchay
Directions
Nihari is a classic South Asian meal. This dish since long has been associated with emperors, kings and nawabs of South Asia. Some believe this dish originated during the Mughal Empire to please the Mughal kings who were much fond of eating. And so many people come to call this Shahi (Royal) Nihari.
Nihari is a master blend of flavours, textures, color and aroma. In short it’s absolutely magical!
But why is this meal so much different than alu gosht (potato and meat curry) or a simple chicken ka saalan (chicken curry) that we have on our tables everyday? Well I believe the science behind the magical richness of nihari comes out of the cooking process. A shahi nihari is cooked to perfection after being slow cooked for hours and hours. On regular days, we do not have 10 hours to cook lunch. We only are given maybe an hour at most? And that is why the enhanced flavours, richness and textures are something to look forward to and to truly treasure.
Cooking shahi nihari will require a lot of patience and time, but trust me when I saw this, the result will accommodate all that waiting. While you slow cook this delicacy, using a very specific cut of meat, you are actually melting collagen that holds together the meat. As the collagen melts, it turns into gelatin. And it’s this gelatin that gives the shahi nihari its glorious shine and silky texture. Imagine how much thought and love goes in the process to make the perfect bowl of nihari.
To add to the flavour, a blend of spices is added to the lightly simmering broth. The spices usually include garam masala, coriander powder, cardamoms, turmeric, green chillies etc. So as the meat is becoming tender the spices are also infusing deep in the meat to make the taste richer and even better.
So the title “shahi” nihari has been earned by this seemingly simple dish of meat curry.
Hoping you enjoy making this nihari and enjoy it with your friends and family on a weekend breakfast.
P.s don’t forget to bake some roghni naan with your nihari to complement it best.
Steps
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1
Done
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Step: 1Heat oil in a pot and fry onion golden . |
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2
Done
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Step: 2Add garlic/ginger,turmeric,red chillies,½ hot spices and salt ;fry for 5 minutes. |
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3
Done
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Step: 3Add beef,bones and water. |
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4
Done
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Step: 4Tie dry ginger,fennel seeds and cardamoms in a muslin cloth;add to pot.cook over low flame with lid on. |
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5
Done
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Step: 5When meat is tender,squeeze muslin to expel juices. |
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6
Done
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Step: 6Add whole-wheat flour paste while stirring continuously. |
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7
Done
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Step: 7Add remaining hot spices and ginger;put on dum. |
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8
Done
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Step: 8Garnish with chopped green chillies and serve with kulchay. |
