Citizens, it is LONG overdue for a visitation to the cuisine of Pakistan, where this delicious stew is the national dish and the marrow in the bones is the most coveted part! 🙂 The mighty TFD knows no fear in exploring recipes from the furthest corners of the Planet, and this delicious meal is worthy of any amount of travel!
Nihari is a stew from the Indian subcontinent consisting of slow-cooked meat (mainly shank meat of beef or lamb or mutton) along with bone marrow.
The word Nihari originated from the Arabic word “Nahar” (Arabic: نهار) which means “day” as it was typically served after sunrise Fajr prayers.
According to many sources, Nihari either originated in Hyderabad, Old Delhi in the late 18th century during the last throes of the Mughal Empire or in the royal kitchens of Awadh, in modern-day Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Alternative origins puts roots in the Muslim Nawab kitchens, having achieved fame via the storied royal kitchens of Lucknow.
Nihari developed with the overall cuisine of Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It has been an old popular delicacy in parts of Bangladesh, particularly Dhaka and Chittagong. People cooked it for one whole night and they ate it in the early morning at sunrise.
It is a popular dish and is regarded as the national dish of Pakistan. The dish is known for its spiciness and taste. It was originally more of a delicacy with myriad variations on spiciness and texture.
Nihari is a traditional dish of Muslims of Delhi, Bhopal and Lucknow. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, many Urdu speaking Muslims from northern India migrated to Karachi and Dhaka in the eastern wing (now in Bangladesh), and established restaurants.
In Karachi, Nihari became a roaring success and soon all over Pakistan. Now Nihari is available in Pakistani restaurants around the world and those in the West who have tossed aside their marrow-based prejudice have discovered a true new taste treat.
In some restaurants, a few kilos from each day’s leftover Nihari is added to the next day’s pot. This re-used portion of Nihari is called Taar and is believed to provide the unique flavor. Some Nihari outlets in old Delhi still boast of an unbroken taar going back more than a century.
Nihari is also used as a home remedy for Common cold, Rhinorrhea and Fever. According to a legend, it was concocted at least a hundred years ago in Delhi by a Hakeem.
TFD‘s version of this meaty stew blessed by the presence of marrow is redolent of spices and rich with marrow and oil. I guarantee you will find favor with this delicious recipe, ! 😀
Battle on – the Generalissimo
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The Hirshon Pakistani Beef and Marrow Stew – نہاری
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef shank, traditionally Pakistani beef bong
- 1 pound beef bone marrow
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- ***
- Whole spices:
- 4 whole green Cardamom, cut in 1/2
- 1 whole Star Anise
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Black Cardamom Badi Elaichi, cut in 1/2
- 2 Bay Leaves Tej Patta
- ***
- For seasoning:
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
- salt to taste
- ***
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, julienne cut
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger/garlic paste
- 1 cup plain whole fat yogurt
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 fresh green jalapeños, chopped finely, if desired
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (TFD prefers lime), more if desired
- 1 1/2 cups cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large cooking pot, and fry the onion till golden brown.
- Add ginger-garlic paste. Add ½ the powdered spices. Add yogurt and mix well, you will have a gravy-like consistency.
- Add meat. beef shanks (beef bong) should be cut into very large pieces, about the size of your palm, so meat doesn’t take too long to cook. Add bone marrow (you can buy bong meat and bone marrow at any Pakistani store that sells fresh meat products).
- Combine whole spices in a muslin cloth (if you don’t have muslin cloth, you can use any thin clean cotton cloth like cheesecloth, size of a large handkerchief, but use it only for cooking!), add then place it in the pot.
- Cover the pot with lid, and cook on low heat.
- When the meat is extremely tender, take out the muslin cloth.
- Spoon out the oil from the gravy surface, and reserve it in a bowl.
- In a saucepan, add a little water (about ¼ cup), mix the flour in it well, then add it to the gravy, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ½ of the powdered spices, and let it simmer on low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Pour the reserved oil back in the gravy, and turn off the heat (if the fat/oil seem too much on the top of the gravy, skim it off).
- Add chopped green chili, finely chopped cilantro, fresh julienned ginger, and some fresh lemon or lime juice when serving the nihari in a large serving dish.
- Serve hot with tandoori naan or chapati.
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