This Beef Nihari recipe is a rich, slow-cooked stew infused with aromatic spices. Toast and grind your own spice blend to create deep, flavorful layers. Brown the beef and bones with onions and ginger-garlic paste, then simmer in hot water for several hours until tender. Thicken the gravy with a flour slurry and finish with a garnish of fresh ginger, cilantro, and lemon wedges. Perfectly paired with naan or rice, this dish offers a satisfying and comforting meal.
Tips for Making Perfect Beef Nihari:
1. Soak the Beef and Bones: Before cooking, soak the beef and bones in cold water for 1 to 2 hours to draw out excess blood and impurities, ensuring a cleaner and more refined dish. After soaking, discard the bloody water and drain the meat, preparing it for use.
2. Use Bone-In Beef: Bone-in cuts like beef shank add richness and depth to the stew. The marrow enhances the flavor and creates a silky texture.
3. Toast and Grind Fresh Spices: Toasting whole spices and grinding them fresh gives a more intense flavor than pre-ground spices, making your Nihari more aromatic and flavorful.
4. Simmer Slowly: For the most tender beef and rich flavor, let the Nihari simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors meld together. To save time, you can also use an Instant Pot, cooking on high pressure for 45 minutes. With the Instant Pot, you’ll still get a flavorful dish, but the nuances of slow-cooked spices and the gradual breakdown of the meat may be less pronounced.
5. Add Hot Water to Hot Meat: After sautรฉing the beef, or if you need to add more water during slow cooking, always use hot water. Adding cold water to hot meat can cause it to shrink excessively, become tough, and absorb less flavor from the spices. Hot water helps maintain a consistent cooking temperature, keeping the meat tender and flavorful.
6. Thicken Gradually: When thickening the gravy, add the flour slurry slowly while stirring to avoid lumps. You can adjust the amount of slurry based on how thick you want the gravy.
7. Use Beef Nihari to Make Kottu Roti: Cut roti into small pieces. Sautรฉ chopped onions and carrots in oil until soft, then add sliced cabbages. Mix in the leftover Beef Nihari and cook until heated through. Add the roti pieces and stir until well-coated. If desired, scramble eggs into the mixture for added texture.
Equipment
- Small skillet (For roasting the spices)
- Spice grinder or mortar and pestle (For grinding the spices)
- Large frying pan (For sautรฉing the beef)
- Large stew pot or Dutch oven
- Measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
- 2 lb beef shank (cut into 2 to 3-inch chunks)
- 1 lb marrow bones (optional; for better flavor)
- 4 tbsps ghee (or cooking oil)
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
– Spices to be ground:
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 star anise
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ยฝ piece nutmeg
- 1 mace
– Spices to be added to the beef:
- 1ยฝ tbsp ground spices (see ingredients above)
- 1ยฝ tbsp red chili powder (use 1 tbsp if you want your beef nihari to be less spicy)
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt (Add 1 to 2 tsps of salt to your taste)
- hot water (Add enough until cover the meat)
- sugar (Add towards the end of cooking and adjust to your taste.)
– Other ingredients:
- 2 tbsps flour
- ยฝ cup cold water
- 2 tbsps Fresh ginger (julienned)
- ยผ cup Fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 lime (wedged)
Instructions
1. Place a small dry skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add all the spices to be ground (see ingredient list above) to the pan. Stir the spices frequently for 2-3 minutes, or until they become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. The goal is to release the essential oils and enhance the aroma.
2. Once toasted, remove the spices from the skillet and let them cool. Place the toasted spices into a spice grinder (or use mortar and pestle) to grind them to a fine powder. For this dish, you will need only 1ยฝ tablespoons of the ground spice powder. Store any remaining powder in an airtight container for future use.
3. Heat ghee (or cooking oil) in a large pan. Add sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste and sautรฉ until golden brown.
4. Add the beef pieces and bones cook on medium high heat until browned.
5. Add the ground spices (made in step 2), red chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Stir well to evenly coat the beef and bones with the spices. If using a Dutch oven, transfer everything to it at this point.
6. Pour in hot water until cover the meat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender.
7. In a small bowl, mix flour with water to make a smooth slurry. Slowly add this slurry to the simmering Nihari while stirring continuously. Allow it to cook until the gravy reaches your desired thickness.
8. Serve the beef nihari hot with naan or rice, garnished with fresh ginger, cilantro, and lemon wedges.
My other beef recipes you will also like:
Beef Nihari
Equipment
- Small skillet (For roasting the spices)
- Spice grinder or mortar and pestle (For grinding the spices)
- large frying pan (For sautรฉing the beef)
- Large stew pot or Dutch oven
- Measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
- 2 lb beef shank (cut into 2 to 3-inch chunks)
- 1 lb marrow bones (optional; for better flavor)
- 4 tbsps ghee (or cooking oil)
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
Spices to be ground:
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 star anise
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ยฝ piece nutmeg
- 1 mace
Spices to be added to the beef:
- 1ยฝ tbsps ground spices (see ingredients above)
- 1ยฝ tbsp red chili powder (use 1 tbsp if you want your beef nihari to be less spicy)
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt (Add 1 to 2 tsps of salt to your taste)
- hot water
- sugar (Add towards the end of cooking and adjust to your taste.)
Other ingredients:
- 2 tbsps flour
- ยฝ cup cold water
- 2 tbsps Fresh ginger (julienned)
- ยผ cup Fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 lime (wedged)
Instructions
- Place a small dryย skilletย or frying pan over medium heat. Add all theย spices to be ground (see ingredient list above)ย to the pan. Stir the spices frequently forย 2-3 minutes, or until they become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. The goal is to release the essential oils and enhance the aroma.
- After toasting, remove the spices from the skillet and let them cool. Transfer the toasted spices to a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle) and grind them into a fine powder. For this dish, you will need only 1ยฝ tablespoons of the ground spice powder. Store any remaining powder in an airtight container for future use.
- Heat ghee (or cooking oil) in a large pan. Add sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste and sautรฉ until golden brown.
- Add the beef pieces and bones cook on medium high heat until browned.
- Add the ground spices (made in step 2), red chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Stir well to evenly coat the beef and bones with the spices. If using a Dutch oven, transfer everything to it at this point.
- Pour in hot water (*see note 1 below) until cover the meat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender.
- In a small bowl, mix flour with water to make a smooth slurry. Slowly add this slurry to the simmering Nihari while stirring continuously. Allow it to cook until the gravy reaches your desired thickness.
- Serve the beef nihari hot with naan or rice, garnished with fresh ginger, cilantro, and lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
hi ms shi! I love your videos and recipes so much (ะพยดโ`ะพ)
could you post the naan recipe, please? thank you!
1