Beef Nihari (Slow-Cooked Pakistani Stew)

Beef Nihari (Slow-Cooked Pakistani Stew)

Beef nihari is the slow-cooked stew Old Delhi's cooks brought to Karachi, and today it is one of Pakistan's best-loved dishes. Tender beef shank is cooked for hours in a silky, deeply spiced gravy, then finished at the table with ginger, green chillies, coriander and lemon. In Karachi and Lahore it is eaten for breakfast with fresh naan; in Pakistani homes in the UK, US and the Gulf it is the classic weekend and Eid dish.

The flavour comes from a homemade nihari masala of fennel, dried ginger, long pepper and warm spices, and from time. Beef shank with the bone, or a mix of shank and bone marrow, gives the gravy its body. This recipe gives stovetop timings plus slow cooker and pressure cooker options, so you can make it on a busy weeknight or leave it to cook gently overnight.

The gravy is thickened at the end with a little toasted atta (wholemeal flour) mixed with water, which gives nihari its glossy, velvety texture. Ask your butcher for beef shin or shank; in the US, bone-in beef shank is easy to find. Serve with naan, ginger, chillies and lemon on the side.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) beef shank or shin, bone-in, in large pieces
• 2 marrow bones (optional)
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil or ghee
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
• 1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric (haldi)
• 8 cups (2 litres) water
• ¼ cup (30 g) atta (wholemeal chapati flour)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, for the nihari masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, for the nihari masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, for the nihari masala
• 4 cloves, 1 black cardamom and 4 green cardamom pods, for the nihari masala
• 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 bay leaf, for the nihari masala
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns and 2 long peppers (pippali, optional), for the nihari masala
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder (sonth) and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, for the nihari masala
• Julienned ginger, sliced green chillies, fresh coriander (cilantro) and lemon wedges, to serve

Directions

1. Make the nihari masala: dry-roast all the whole masala spices in a pan for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, cool, then grind to a fine powder with the dried ginger and nutmeg.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and fry the sliced onion for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Lift out half of the onions and set aside for garnish.
3. Add the beef and marrow bones and sear on high heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, turmeric and 2 tablespoons of the nihari masala, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 3½ to 4 hours until the meat is very tender. (Slow cooker: 8 hours on low. Pressure cooker: 50 minutes at high pressure.)
5. Dry-roast the atta in a small pan for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells nutty, cool slightly, then whisk with 1 cup (240 ml) of water into a smooth paste.
6. Stir the flour paste into the nihari a little at a time and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick and glossy. Stir in the remaining nihari masala.
7. Let it rest for 5 minutes until a layer of oil rises to the top. Ladle into bowls with plenty of oil and gravy.
8. Garnish with the fried onions, ginger, green chillies and coriander, and serve with lemon wedges and naan.