Nihari beef

nihari-beef

Peter Penguin says...

I'm in ni-hari to make this. :|

Nihari (Urdu: نهاری‎) is a stew consisting of slow-cooked beef along with bone marrow, garnished to taste and occasionally served with cooked brain. This dish was first developed during the Mughal Empire which ruled over a significant part of the Indian Subcontinent.

(Serves 3 to 4)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Kg. beef shank
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. red chili powder
  • ½ tsp. kashmiri chili powder
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tbs. coriander powder
  • 1½ cup oil
  • 3 tbs. white flour
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • ½ tsp. garlic paste

For garnish

  • 1 to 1 ½ inch ginger (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbs. chopped coriander leaves
  • 3 to 4 green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 2 lemons (sliced)

Nihari spice mix

  • 2 tbs. fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp. cumin seeds
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 10 cloves
  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg and mace
  • 2 tbs. coriander seeds
  • 1 star anise

Instructions

  1. Heat ½ cup oil in a pan. Add beef and fry it a little.
  2. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and ginger paste. Add a little water and mix well.
  3. Dissolve flour in 1 cup of water, add this to the meat and bring to boil.
  4. Grind all the Nihari spice mix ingredients, put the ground mixture of spices in a fine cotton cloth bundle and add to the meat.
  5. Add 5-6 glasses of water, cover and leave to tenderize on very low flame.
  6. When meat has softened (e.g. falling off the bone), remove the bundle of spices and cook the curry to desired consistency.
  7. Garnish: Fry some onion slices in a cup of oil until golden brown and add to Nihari.
  8. Also garnish with fresh ginger, fresh coriander and green chillies.