Hey Guys!
Ramadan is almost upon us again, and if you’re like me, I AM NOT READY! This year is so different because we are stuck in quarantine and can’t enjoy the usual going to iftars, masjids and being with the community during this month.
The biggest focus this month is always around food. What to eat, what to make, what to feast on. Nihari can be a great idea for an iftar one of these days. I have been experimenting a lot during this lockdown and trying my hand at some authentic Pakistani dishes.
I will say, I was impressed with how this turned out for a first try! I followed my moms recipe, which she gave me about a week before because I had to go to the indian store to get some of the ingredients.
Follow below to make your own Nihari!
Nihari
• 1lb Beef Shank
• Flennel seeds grind 1 Tb sp
• Ajwain grind 1 tea sp
• All purpose 2 Tb spoon mix it
• Shaan masala 3-4 Tb sp
• Garam masala grind 2- tea sp
• Pisa zeera 1 tea sp
• Onion 2 medium cut in slices
• Garlic paste 2 Tea sp
• Ginger paste 2 Tea
• Hara dhanya and lemon for topping
• Fresh ginger cut in very thin strips for topping
Cooking
1. Heat oil
2. Put onion in it fry till very light brown
3. Add meat and stir/cook as much as u can
4. Add a little garam masala to get the smell out of it
5. Start adding garlic/ ginger/flennel powder/ajwain powder/Shaan Nihari Masala 2-3 spoons
6. Then bhunno (mixing to kill the smell) as much as you can until you see the oil
7. Once the smell is gone add 3-4 cups of water until the meat is completely drowning in the water
8. Cover the pot with the lid and leave it for at least 40 mins on medium heat
9. Then check if it’s tender turn up the heat if it is tender otherwise add a little bit more water and leave 10-15 minutes (DO NOT ADD WATER IF THE POT ALREADY HAS SOME)
10. Check again if it’s tender then add the all purpose flour with one hand and keep stirring the Nihari with the other hand
11. Leave it for 5 minutes
12. Your Nihari is complete just add the toppings when you eat!
13. Enjoy!
I will say some tips i learned from cooking this…the beef will take a solid hour to get tender, at least. So being patient is key while cooking this. Also, i know a lot of people make nihari in different ways, in instant pots (which i don’t have), or pressure cookers (i don’t have), i made it the most OG/Old school way ever with a straight pot. So it took almost 2 hours from start to finish. If you own any of these, you will get there quicker.
Let me know if you’ve ever made nihari and any tips or tricks you might have! ENJOY!
