
Beef Nihari
Beef shank slow-cooked in a spiced gravy thickened with toasted flour. A weekend project that mostly cooks itself.
Ingredients
Equipment: Heavy-based pan
Method
Fry the onion in ghee until golden, then lift out and keep for garnish.
Add beef and ginger-garlic paste; sear on high.
Add nihari masala, salt and 8 cups water. Cover and simmer on the lowest heat until the meat is fork-tender.
Dry-toast the flour in a pan until light brown, cool, then whisk with 1 cup water until smooth.
Stir the slurry into the pot and simmer, stirring, until the gravy thickens and turns glossy.
Serve with ginger, chilies, fried onion and lemon.
Cooking tips
- Skim the fat that rises during step 3 and spoon it back over each bowl as tari.
- A pressure cooker cuts step 3 to about 60 minutes.
Substitutions
- Beef → mutton shank, same timing
- Nihari masala → 2 tbsp garam masala + 1 tsp fennel + ½ tsp ground ginger
Serve with
Khamiri roti or naan, and plenty of lemon.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days; it tastes better on day two.
Reheating
Warm slowly with some water; it thickens as it cools.
Nutrition per serving, estimated
Estimated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands and portion size.
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