Rich and aromatic slow cooked Beef Nihari stew with aromatic spices, Nihari is one pot meal packed with flavour.
Nihari is a rich, slow-cooked meat stew flavored with spices and thickened with whole meal flour. The meat is slow cooked for 4-5 hours resulting in tender meat that melts in the mouth. Traditionally Nihari is made with beef and it’s a by far popular too, but it can be made with Mutton or chicken.
This recipe is a slow cook version. I prefer slow cook method as it gives rich deep flavours. I am all up for using quick cooking method but I feel some recipes are slow cook for a reason.
While the meat get completely tender when cooked in pressure cooker or Instant pot but I believe it lacks flavour and richness that comes from slow cook method.
The best part about Nihari is that it’s a whole meal in itself like Biryani . You don’t need any side dishes or anything to go along. All you need is soft naans to dip in luscious gravy.
A little bit about Nihari
Nihari has its origins from Mughal era. It was slow cooked all night and served for breakfast in the morning. A wholesome dish kept people fueled up all day.
Nihari is also popular dish occasions and celebration especially Eid.
Nihari Masala
The masala for Nihari is everything, the secret to good Nihari lies in freshly prepared masala. While you will find readymade masalas available but making your own is the best and satisfying experience.
The ingredients for Nihari Masala are Bay leaves, black cardamom, green cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, nutmeg, mace, fennel, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and cinnamon.
Grind all these in a spice grinder. This masala can be prepared and keep it in airtight container for up to 6 mths.
The remaining spices are turmeric, red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli, Fennel powder and ginger powder which are added separately when cooking the meat.
How to Make Slow Cooked Beef Nihari
- Fry onions until golden brown and add meat along with ginger garlic. Cook Until meat changes colour.
- Add turmeric, red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli and ginger powder. Add dash of water to prevent spices from sticking to pot. Fry meat for few minutes.
- Add 6-8 glasses of water, bring it to boil and then cover and cook for 4-5 hours.
- At this point the meat should be completely tender. Add 2 tablespoons of prepared masala and fennel powder. Cover and cook again for another 30 mins.
- Whisk wholemeal flour (atta) with water and make a thick slurry. Add it to nihari and stir. The nihari will get thick. Simmer for few minutes until it starts to bubbling and then turn the stove off.
Watch How to Make Slow Cooked Beef Nihari
Serving Nihari
Garnishes are essential part of serving nihari. Thinly sliced green chillies, julienned ginger and fresh coriander. Serve along with lemon wedges as a squeeze of lemon,
Nihari is best served with naan fresh from tandoor.
Other Meat Dishes to Try
Aloo Gosht (Meat Gravy with Potatoes)
Slow Cooked Beef Nihari
Ingredients
Nihari Masala
- 1 Tbsp Black pepper corns
- 1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
- ½ tsp Mace
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- 2 pcs Star Anise
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3 Small Cinnamon sticks
- 8 Cloves
- 3 pcs Cardamom
- 2 pcs Black Cardamom
Nihari Ingredients
- 800 g Beef See Notes
- 1 Large Onion (Sliced)
- 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
- 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
- ⅓ cup Ghee
- 1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1½ tsp Ginger Powder
- 1 tbsp Fennel Powder
- ½ cup Whole meal Flour See Notes
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 6-8 Cups Water
Garnish
- Ginger Julienned
- Green Chilli Sliced
- Lemon
- Coriander/Cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare Nihari Masala by grinding all the ingredients together into a coarse powder. We will only use 2 tbsp of this masala. The remaining can be stored and kept in airtight container for upto 6 months.
- In a large pot heat ghee and add onions. Fry them until golden brown. Add ginger garlic. Add Beef and sauté until it changes colour.
- Add red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, Turmeric, Ginger powder and salt. Mix and fry for a minute. Add splash of water to prevent spices from sticking to the pot. Saute the beef for around 5 minutes.
- Add 6-8 glasses of water and bring it to boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook until the meat is tender. This should take anywhere around 4-6 hours. You can check the meat with knife, if it cuts easily it means its ready.
- At this stage you will be able to see layer of oil separated on the top. Gently skim it and pour it into the bowl. Set it aside. Add fennel powder and prepared nihari masala (2 tbsp) into the nihari. Stir and cover, cook on low heat for another 30 minutes.
- In a bowl add whole meal flour and make slurry by adding 1 cup of water. Pour the slurry in while stirring. Allow it to simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. The gravy will thicken and once its bubbling its ready.
- Dish out nihari in a bowl. Pour the oil over that was separated before. Garnish with julienned ginger, sliced green chillies and coriander/cilantro.
- Serve it hot with lemon on side and naan.
Notes
- Use boneless beef cut into large pieces.
- Whole meal flour used is very fine which is commonly called atta. This whole meal flour is very fine, its not coarse like whole meal flour found in supermarkets. You can also use corn flour if atta is not available.
