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Nihari (Urdu: نہاری ) is a popular dish in Pakistan and among Muslims in India. The word Nihar (Urdu: نہار ) means morning in Urdu and this dish was usually eaten in the late morning.
Nihari is a stew made from the shank of beef (or lamb) and spices. Originated in Delhi, it is now most popular in Pakistan and (along with its cousin Siri paya) in India & Bangladesh. The Muslims of Delhi are the ones who brought it to Pakistan and popularized it there. Nihari is known for its spiciness and taste. Nihari is also known in India as the breakfast curry, as it is traditionally eaten before a day of manual labour. It is originally more of a delicacy with myriad variations on spiciness and texture.
However, Nihari originated as a dish of the Muslim upper class society in Delhi. It passed to other classes as Muslim ascendancy and power declined. This was after the waning of Mughal power in the mid to late 18th century when many Muslim families from the Mughal nobility became impoverished.
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Preparation
Nihari is cooked overnight in various vessels, sometimes even buried underground while it cooked, as Shab Deg is, which results in extremely tender morsels of meat, including the flavourful bone marrow. It is served with a number of side dishes. The bhaghaar is lightly fried ghee to reduce the heat of the included chilis and the tarka is an additional oily chilli to spice up the flavour. In addition cooked brains and bone marrow are served alongside the stew. The Nihari is garnished according to individual tastes with coriander leaves, fried onions, green chillies, strips of ginger, lemons and sliced white radishes. In addition, garam masala, a blend of powdered spices is sprinkled over the stew. Salt is added to taste. In restaurants many of the garnishings are already added so as to increase customer turnover.
Traditional Nihari recipes call for 6-8 hours of cooking time, in addition to the preparation of the ingredients. This is much less common today with the use of tenderer cuts of meat (i.e. sirloin) instead of the tougher shank. Traditionally the dish is eaten in the early hours of the morning. Because the stew is so rich, one is supposed to have an extended nap till the afternoon Muslim zohar prayers which occur after midday.
Here is a version of Nihari popular in Hyderabad (India): prepare the broth by boiling water along with goat or beef shanks (sometimes chicken) or vegetables (if you want to make a vegetarian version of it) along with some salt. If you are using mutton paya, then the process takes longer.
Grind onions, shahi zeera (black cumin), cloves and cardamom together. Once the broth is ready, heat oil in a large pan, add the spice paste and let it fry till the raw smell of onion disappears, then add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a few more minutes, add salt, chili powder and the broth and let it cook over medium heat till all the spices have blended well into the soup. The Nihari is ready.
Best enjoyed during winter or when down with a cold and best eaten with bread or phulka (Indian bread).
Nihari Shops
Famous Nihari shops in Pakistan are located in Karachi and Lahore; some examples are Waris Nihari Shop, Baoo Nihari House, Muhammadi Nihari House, Zahid Nihari, Javed Nihari,Rabban Dada Nihari, Malir and Sabri Nihari. In Delhi, most nihari shops (with the exception of Karim's) are modest affairs which largely serve the poor. That however doesn't make the taste of their nihari any worse than their Pakistani counterparts. Some of the best Nihari shops in Delhi include Kallu ki Nihari in Chatta Lal Mian (close to Daryaganj), Haji Noora in Bara Hindu Rao, and for mutton Nihari, Karim's near Jama Masjid. That said, almost every locale within old Delhi has its own favourite nihari shop, which it invariably considers far superior to the others. Lucknow's most famous nihari shop is Mubeen's, in Chowk. The city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is home to Delhi Restaurant (Frijjumuraj Road) which is also famous for its Nihari. It is very popular with Pakistani and Indian residents of Dubai as well as the local Arabs!
Arguably, however, the best Nihari in the Indian subcontinent is made privately by Muslim families originally from Delhi. Authentic Nihari can also be found at a small "home-kitchen" style Pakistani restaurants in various parts of the United States.
Other kinds of the dish
The Hyderabadi version of the Nihari contains lamb bones and tongue. Another version of Nihari, popularised by the spread of quick-cooking spice recipes from brands like Shan and National Foods, uses chicken to make a sort of thick chicken broth.
See also
Related Links
Paya Nihari Recipe - HyderabadPlanet.com
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- This page was last modified on 16 August 2008, at 13:15.
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