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Pakistani lamb nihari garnished with sliced ginger and lemon.
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5 from 15 votes

Nihari

Traditionally enjoyed for a weekend brunch, this meltingly-tender lamb nihari has aromatic gravy with well-balanced spice. It is so flavorful and delicious to eat with your naan bread.
Author: Devy Dar
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Pakistani
Servings: 6 portions

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls.
  • Spice grinder
  • Frying pan
  • Blender.
  • Slow cooker

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • 3.5 -4 pounds lamb shanks approximately 3 pieces.
  • 3 medium brown onions finely sliced, and deep fried until golden brown and crispy.
  • 2 tablespoons wholemeal flour/ chapati flour.
  • 8 tablespoons oil for frying.
  • 25 fluid ounces water.

Nihari masala:

  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt or according to taste.
  • 2 small pieces of mace.
  • ¼ whole nutmeg crushed.
  • 2 inches/ 5 cm of ginger peeled and chopped.
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
  • 2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds.
  • 2 inches cinnamon stick broken into smaller pieces.
  • 2-3 bay leaves.
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder.
  • 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder or cayenne pepper.
  • 1 teaspoon red paprika powder.

Instructions

  • Prepare the lamb shanks, wash and dry them. Using a skewer or a fork, pierce the meat all over. This can help the spice and flavour be absorbed better. 
  • Brown lamb shanks on a skillet/ frying pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Set aside.
  • Grind the nutmeg, whole fennel seeds, bay leaves, mace, and cinnamon until you get a fine mixture. You can use a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Add the ginger powder, ground black pepper, and salt. Set aside.
  • Fry the ginger paste in 6 tablespoons of oil for about 20 seconds. Then add Kashmiri red chili powder and paprika powder.
  • Add the fried onion slices to the spices, followed by the ground spices mixture. Fry for about a minute or until the spices release a delicious aroma. Add about ½ cup of water and stir well.
  • Place the lamb shanks in the slow cooker/ crockpot bowl. Then, spoon the spice mixture all over the lamb shanks. Spread it as evenly as possible. 
  • Pour the remaining water into the bowl and set the microwave/ crockpot to high. Cook on high for about an hour, then turn it to low. Leave to cook for 5 hours. If possible, turn the meat halfway through.
  • Mix the wholemeal flour with 3 tablespoons of water until smooth, and then stir it in the nihari gravy. Put the lid back on and cook further on high for an hour or until you see the gravy is simmering again. 
  • Serve the nihari with crispy fried onions, sliced ginger, lemon and chopped fresh green chillies. 

Notes

  • To make the grinder work better, cut your mace, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks into small pieces before you grind them. This way, you’ll get a finer mixture easily. 
  • If you want to cook this nihari overnight, or over a longer time such as from morning to evening, you can skip the first hour of cooking it on high. Just set it on low from the beginning. 
  • When cooking on low for a longer time, try to add the flour mixture about 2 hours before your nihari is ready. 
  • You can use cayenne pepper to replace Kashmiri chili powder.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1715kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 164g | Fat: 100g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 58g | Cholesterol: 595mg | Sodium: 1050mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

Disclaimer

Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.