NIHARI

Ingredients 

• 2.5-3 lbs. of Beef Shank (bone-in preferred)

• 3 TBS of oil (I like Olive Oil)

• 1 TBS of chopped fresh ginger

• 6 cloves of chopped garlic 

• ¾ tsp of ground nutmeg (freshly grated is better)

• ½ tsp of fennel powder

• 1 TBS of garam masala

• 1 ½ TBS of sweet paprika

• 2 TBS of a good Nihari spice mix (I use the Shaan Brand)

• 1 ½ tsps. of salt

• 1/3 cup of fried onions

• 1/3 cup of all purpose flour

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Method: 

Heat 3 TBS of oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven that has a good fitting lid on medium high and brown off the meat on both sides. Turn down the heat to low and add the chopped fresh ginger and garlic to the pot along with the ground nutmeg (freshly grated is better). Then add the fennel powder, which is not only aromatic but very good for your digestion, the garam masala, sweet paprika, Nihari spice mix (I use the Shaan Brand) and salt.

Then add the fried onions and crush them in your hand as you add them in—they dissolve better in the curry this way. Fry this together for a minute before adding enough water to cover the meat. I use about 4 ½ cups of water. Stir to incorporate and bring the heat back up to medium high to let everything come up to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to med low and cover for an hour.

In the meantime, take the all-purpose flour and lightly toast it over medium heat in a shallow pan. Stir it often until it changes to a light golden color. This will enhance the flavor of the curry and make it nutty. 

Then, whisk the flour into a half cup of water until really well dissolved. Then, uncover the pot, remove the meat and whisk the flour mixture into the curry so that there are no lumps. Now add the meat back in, cover and cook on medium low (low simmer) for another 2 1/2 to three hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Lastly, squeeze in the juice of half a fresh lemon a few minutes before the curry is done. If you want a thicker gravy, uncover the pot and cook on medium heat for the last 10 minutes.

One of my favorite parts about eating this very delicious comfort food is that I can customize the flavors on my plate by adding slivers of fresh ginger, chopped cilantro, slices of green chilis and some extra fresh lemon juice on top. Perfect with a bowl of steaming rice or chewy Naan, Nihari is a curry I recommend you have in your repertoire of impressive recipes that you can make for your loved ones. Nihari tastes best the day after, so you can easily make this in advance to enjoy at your convenience. I do hope you try this out!

Enjoy!!