Nihari dates back to the 18th century. And it’s still wildly popular in India and Pakistan. Tradition says it’s a beef curry. But you can make it with lamb. Or goat. I’ve even seen it done with chicken. I like it best with beef. Some will say it has to be beef. Beef shin. Beef on the bone. But you can make it with oxtails. Or chunks of chuck. That’s what I usually do. Add some marrow bones. That’s really good. Or oxtails. Oxtails push it right over the top. Crazy good. Bones really do make stew better.
Nihari is breakfast food
Seriously. It’s breakfast food. Once upon a time anyway. And what a breakfast it makes. A bit of beef. That crazy gravy. And a chapati or some naan. My kind of breakfast. History says this was a dish they would start at night. So it would be ready first thing in the morning. That’s how they rolled. Awesome. If curry for breakfast isn’t your thing then have it for dinner. I’m guessing that’s how most people eat it. I like savoury for breakfast so I’m happy either way. As long as I get some nihari I’m good.
Nihari masala makes this dish
Don’t let the long list of ingredients in the nihari masala throw you. I know there are a lot. A bit daunting even. But each one adds a little something. Complex flavours. But that’s what makes nihari what it is. Think garam masala. This is just like that but a different blend. There are all sorts of masalas in Indian cooking. This is just another one of those. Not a big deal really. Roll up your sleeves and get it done. It doesn’t take that long. And you’ll have an arsenal of Indian spices at the end of it. If you really don’t feel like making nihari masala you can buy it. All the big spice mix companies make it. Check with your Indian grocer. It will still be good. Just a bit less special.
Fry your spices
I always do this. And so should you. Frying spices is part of the magic. They call it blooming. I call it mandatory. Because I cannot stand the jarring edges you wind up with if you don’t fry your spices. Seriously. Not. Good. Am I being unsubtle enough here? Just please fry your spices. There’s a fair bit of spice in this nihari. The other problem you run into if you don’t fry your spices is texture. You get this background grittiness. Maybe I’m over-sensitive. But why risk it? Just fry your spices and don’t worry about it.
Bones make for great nihari
Bones make better food. I really believe that. And Cook’s Illustrated has proven it. So if you can get bones into this dish just do it. I think that’s key for any homestyle curry. Or stew for that matter. It goes across borders. Stew is always better with bones. If you are serving guests remove the bones before you plate. Unless those guests are good friends. Then serve them bones. Let them enjoy the marrow. Messy. Tasty. Fun. If you can’t get bones I’ll let you in on a trick I use sometimes. It’s unorthodox but I like it. Stock. Veal stock in fact. That’s my secret for pretty much every beef stew I make. Because it adds the gelatin you get from bones. The flavour. The mouth feel. Crazy but it works. Every Indian reading this now thinks I’m crazy. But I’m only half Indian. The other half is French.
Make a roux to thicken the stew
That’s the French in me as well. Roux. And then an Indian equivalent of a béchamel. Actually technically it is a velouté because it’s not milk but let’s not sweat the small stuff. What it’s not is just a slurry of flour and water. Again against conventional thinking. But I don’t like raw flour any more than I like raw spices. When you pull the nihari from the oven you’ll see a bunch of red fat floating on top. That colour is an indication that the fat is loaded with all the fat soluble spice flavours. It would kill me to throw that away. That’s throwing away flavour. But I don’t want my stew swimming in fat either. Don’t get me wrong. I like some. Just not too much. So I use the fat to make the roux. It’s just exactly like making gravy. Spicy, magical gravy. Beef in spicy gravy. Not the best marketing in the world. But think about it. Beef. In spicy gravy. Who doesn’t want that? Comfort food meets Indian spice. It’s no wonder this dish is popular. It hits all the comfort food tick boxes. Indian style. There is nothing here not to love. Make it and see for yourself.
