Did I tell you that Nihari is my favorite dish of all times! It's deeply spiced, fall-apart tender, and cooked low and slow to perfection. If you’ve ever tasted a bowl of authentic Nihari, especially from Burns Road in Karachi, you know exactly the kind of rich, velvety gravy I'm talking about.
Why You'll Love This Nihari Recipe
- Authentically spiced
- Deep, complex flavors without relying on artificial mixes
- Family-tested; my dad was obsessed when I made this over the weekend
- Can be cooked low and slow, or if you don't have time, use an Instant Pot + stove method
What is Nihari?
Nihari is a slow-cooked beef stew known for its deep flavors and melt-in-your-mouth meat. It’s typically made with beef shanks, but can also be prepared with mutton or chicken.
The dish gets its signature richness from marrow bones (aka nalli), a spice blend of 10+ spices, and a slow simmer that extracts flavor from every ingredient. The gravy is then thickened using a whole wheat flour slurry, to give it a silky, smooth texture.
Where Did Nihari Originate?
Nihari has its roots in the royal kitchens of Mughal India. The word "nihari" comes from the Arabic word nahar, meaning “morning,” as it was traditionally eaten after Fajr prayers by the the laborers to fuel a long day of work.
The dish was popularized in cities like Delhi, Lucknow and Bhopal and became a staple among Muslim households. After the Partition in 1947, it made its way to my motherland Pakistan, and quickly became the National dish- it's especially loved in Karachi.
Tips for the Perfect Nihari
1. Use Shanks from the Butcher
Shanks are full of connective tissue, collagen, and marrow, which break down during the slow cook. I use boneless shanks and a small quantity of bones.
2. Marrow = Flavor
Try to get bones with marrow if you can. You can also reserve the marrow, heat it, and serve it on top when plating. If it doesn't get lost in the stew, that is :p
3. Sear Before Simmer
Searing the meat in oil and spices before slow-cooking locks in moisture and helps develop a rich base.
4. Make It a Day Ahead
Nihari tastes even better the next day. The flavors deepen overnight, making it a perfect make-ahead dish for gatherings.
How to Make Nihari Step-by-Step
Step 1: Brown the Onions
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil and ghee. Add thinly sliced onions and cook until golden brown. This builds the base flavor.
Step 2: Sear the Meat
Add your beef shank pieces (or meat of choice) to the pot. Stir on high heat for 3–4 minutes.
Step 3: Add Ginger-Garlic
Add freshly crushed or paste ginger and garlic. Cook for another 2–3 minutes to remove rawness.
Step 4: Add Spice blend
Add my homemade Nihari masala freshly pulsed. Stir well to coat the meat evenly in spices.
Step 5: Add Broth
Pour in the broth that we made by pressure cooking the meat. You need enough broth because it is a stew.
Nihari
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 2.5 lbs beef shanks boneless
- 1.5 lbs beef bones with marrow
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves and 1 piece ginger
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
Nihari Masala (whole spices to grind)
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ piece dry ginger thumbsized
- 1 cumin seeds
- ½ tablespoon whole black pepper
- 3-4 long black pepper "pipli"
- ¼ piece nutmeg
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- 5 green cardamom
- 2 inch cinammon stick
- 4 all spice berries "pimento"
- 1 star anise
Ground spices (to add to the above blend)
- 1 teaspoon red chili adjust to your heat preference
- 1.5 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kashmi red chili
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon salt
Flour Slurry
- ½ cup whole wheat flour "atta" you can use all purpose flour as well
- water to think it out
Garnishes
- Julienned ginger, lemon, cilantro and green chillis
Instructions
Make the Spice Blend
- Add the whole spices to your spice blender and pulse till ground. Add the ground spices to this mix and your Nihari Masala is ready!
Pressure Cook Meat
- In an Instant Pot, add your meat and bones with water up to the max line. To this add coriander seeds, bay leaves, whole ginger and garlic and black pepper and pressure cook on high for 7 mins (this is partial cooking only just to extract some stock). Separate the meat and bones and reserve the broth.
Make the Nihari
- In a large heavy bottom pot, sauté onions in oil till nice and brown, then add the partially pressure cooked meat and stir.
- Add ginger garlic paste and mix well, then add the Nihari masala that you have freshly made. You can add a touch of water so the spices don't burn. Mix for 5-6 minutes really well.
- Next, add your reserved broth until it is 4-5 inches above the meat. You're basically going to add as much as you like to create a nice stew. I ended up adding ¾ of the stock I got from the Instant Pot.
- Cover with a lid and let it cook on low heat for 75 minutes. The broth should simmer only slightly. After 75 minutes, the meat should be fall-apart tender. You can cook this for as long as you like on slow heat but keep in mind that we did pressure cook it in the beginning so it will get tender faster.
- When the meat is to your desired tenderness, mix whole wheat flour with water really well, then add it to the Nihari in a thin stream while continuously stirring. Don't rush because you don't want the flour to create lumps.
- Plate out the Nihari and top with the garnishes and serve with naan.
Muneerah
Hi Izza!
Thanks for posting this recipe! What do you suggest to replace the berries with?
Thanks!
Muneerah