Nalli Nihari :
Nihari is a slow-cooked and flavored stew cooked with shank meat and marrow bones. Beef, Lamb, Mutton, and even chicken are widely used in making Nalli Nihari. Shank is mainly the round thigh meat. The muscles of the upper thigh of the animals due to their bone structure are having tough and dry and also full of marrow. This particular type of bone is the source of gelatin. Gelatin is a degraded form of collagen and hours of cooking release the collagen into the stew.
The word Nihar originates from the Arabic word ‘Nahar’ which means ‘day’. It was served to the kings after the morning prayers.
One more story that I’ve heard that the word Nihari is derived from the Urdu word ‘Nir’ which means sufficient or adequate, & ‘Aahaar’ which means diet. Its mostly preferred in breakfast or brunch, as it is a high protein energy food.
This dish is mostly preferred by the middle & lower class people to get a good amount of energy before reporting to their respective work.
This dish is so famous & renowned because it is the only dish which traveled from ‘Dastarkhwan-e-Aam’ — food of common people, to ‘Dastarkhwan-e-khas’- food kings, emperors & nawabs.
Previously it was made by the tough meat cuts like lower back & vertebral cuts, but as it traveled from Dastarkhwan-e-Aam to Dastarkhwan-e-Khas rich cuts like Nalli & chops were added to the recipe.
This dish belongs to the Awadhi cuisine & we are going to prepare its lamb version. This dish requires time so be patient while cooking this dish, as you know good things are worth waiting. I have prepared this whole dish & accompanied it with some outsourced bread ‘sheermal’. so just have a look at my creation & donate some claps if you like it.
It's a bit tricky recipe so in case if you're facing any problems or have any doubts kindly mention them in the comments, I’ll be glad to answer them.
RECIPE
Serving : 5pax ; Time : 4–6 hour ; cooking temperature : slow ; Taste : Spicy
Ingredients for :
1. Curry:
Lamb Leg Pieces — 800 grams
Whole spices -(bay leaf-2),(clove-4/5),(black cardamom-1/2)
Powdered spice — (red chili P-10gm), (turmeric — 8gm), (coriander P — 15gm)
Mustard oil — 60ml
Desi Ghee — 30ml
Ginger garlic paste — 50gm
Salt to taste
Onions -350gm
Fresh yogurt — 200gm
Roasted chana powder/whole wheat flour-20gm
Kewra essence few drops.
2. Nihari Masala:
Green cardamom -5gm
Mace — 3gm
Cubeb berries -1gm
Long pepper — 2–3 nos
Stone flower — 2gm
Caraway — 3gm
Dried galangal — 2nos
Vetiver roots — 0.5 gm
Cinamon — 2gm
Black pepper — 20gm
Dried rose petals — 5gm
3. Garnish:
Fresh coriander
Green chili & ginger julienne
Rogan
Method:
STEPS:
1) Slice onions.
2) Heat mustard oil in a deep non-stick pan, add onions along with the mentioned whole spice and sauté till they turn golden. Add lamb leg pieces and mix well. Add salt and G.G paste, mix again. Cook for 4–5 minutes.
3) Whisk the fresh yogurt & add all the mentioned powdered spice in it while whisking & then add it into the pan. Cook it till the gravy loses the oil & lamb gets tender.
4) Take a separate heavy bottom nonstick frying pan, Dry roast all the Nihari masala ingredients till fragrant. Remove from heat, cool down to room temperature, and grind to a fine powder. Cook the masala on super low flame, in the desi ghee with some degi mirch powder, toss it with kewra in the end to prevent the burning of dry spices.
5) After checking the mutton whether it's raw or cooked, Mix the Roasted chana powder/whole wheat flour in water & add it into the gravy. Cook well till the gravy thickens up & serve hot.
6) Garnish it with the respective ingredient.
Serving tip:
Accompany it with any kind of fermented bread (kemiri roti/sheermal)
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 2129 Kcal
Carbohydrates: 65.44 gm
Protein: 126.56 gm
Fat: 151.4 gm
Other: Vitamin B12- 16.64mcg
