Nihari is a deliciously smooth flour based mutton stew of slow cooked in a myriad of spices. Reserved for royal kitchens in the past, nihari masala is a delicacy, now found in many restaurants in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time6 hourshrs
Total Time6 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Non-vegetarian
Keyword: mutton recipes
Servings: 6
Calories: 556.6kcal
Ingredients
1kg mutton, preferably shank portion (cut into 8-10 pieces)
4tbsp Ghee/ Clarified butter
2medium onions, finely sliced
1tsp ginger paste
1tsp garlic paste
Salt to taste
2tsp coriander powder
1/2tsp turmeric powder
3tbsp wheat flour
3tbsp nihari masala
WHOLE SPICES TO MAKE YOUR OWN NIHARI MASALA FROM SCRATCH
1tbspcumin seeds
2tspfennel seeds
1tspsoonthdry ginger
5-6green cardamoms
2black cardamoms
4-5cloves
1bay leaf
1inchcinnamon stick
8-10black peppercorns
1/4tspgrated nutmeg
for garnish
1inch ginger, cut into this strips
4-5stalksfresh coriander leaves
1tbsplime juice
Instructions
To make Nihari Masala
To make your own Nihari masala from scratch, dry roast all the whole spices for the masala; cool; and grind them to a fine powder.
To make Nihari curry
Heat Ghee (you can use oil as well but ghee makes it tastier) in a deep bottom stock pot. Once the ghee is hot, add the sliced onions and fry till they start to turn brown.
Add mutton pieces, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well to coat the mutton in ghee and spices. Sauté for 5 mins.
Add the nihari masala and 8 cups of water. Mix well, cover and cook on very low heat for about 4 hours until the meat is tender. Keep checking in between. The way to know that the meat is cooked is when it breaks easily with a wooden spoon.
Dissolve wheat flour in half cup of water such that there are no lumps. Slowly add it to the gravy. Stir to mix it well in the gravy and let it simmer for another 10-15 mins till the gravy thickens.
Sprinkle some lime juice and garnish with ginger strips and fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Notes
Nihari masala is great for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries. You can use it in recipes like chickpea curry, or rajma masala.