Nalli Nihari is something that I cook every winter and yet I haven't written the recipe over the years. One of the main reasons was the pictures. I wasn't able to click the pictures over the years or whatever I captured I wasn't happy with those. I have eight sets of Nihari pictures available from 2017, 2018, and also from 2019. Even this year I captured the beauty of Nihari two times and I finally was satisfied with one set of pictures. It was weird that somehow, I wasn't able to capture the beauty of the winter special over the years. Now that I have the pictures, I think this is the right time to write down the recipe.
Jump to:
- Nalli Nihari, the winter favorite!
- History of Nihari!
- Mutton Nihari, cooking process!
- My Nihari preference! Kolkata's favorite winter delicacy, Nalli Nihari!
- Here's how I cook Nalli Nihari at Debjanir Rannaghar
- Recipe
- Mughlai Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Have you tried the Gosht Nihari recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Here's the Mutton Nihari Pin for your Pinterest Board!
Nalli Nihari, the winter favorite!
Nihari is a slow-cooked and flavored stew cooked with the shank meat and marrow bones. Beef, Lamb, Mutton, and even chicken are widely used in making Nalli Nihari. Shank is mainly the round thigh meat. The muscles of the upper thigh of the animals due to their bone structure are having tough and dry and also full of marrow. This particular type of bone is the source of gelatin. Gelatin is a degraded form of collagen and hours of cooking release the collagen into the stew.
History of Nihari!
The Mughals introduced Nalli Nihari in the Indian subcontinent. Initially, Mutton Nihari was favored by the noble lot, however, over the years other types of meats such as beef, buff, etc. were introduced. In Pakistan, Nihari is mostly cooked with beef. These days, Chicken Nihari is equally popular. In India, you can see different versions of Nihari cooked with Beef, Mutton, or Chicken. Nihari even is available in the villages during the winter. I have had hearty Nihari in Birbhum during the winter from the street side shops.
Mutton Nihari, cooking process!
Traditionally Nihari is cooked with Ghee, a special mixture of spices, and obviously shank meat for around 8 hours. These days to cut the calories people use oil instead of ghee or use a mixture of both. I prefer to use a mixture of both instead of skipping ghee completely. Ghee is having several medicinal properties and, in the winter, there is no harm in adding little ghee while cooking Nihari. Though not 8 hours but I cook the meat for at least 6-7 hours. I start cooking it at 4 a.m. and finish cooking by 11 a.m. Nihari derived from the Arabic work Naahar which stands morning. It is said that the Nawabs used to eat it as part of breakfast after the Fajr. I am not a religious person yet I prefer cooking it in the early morning. I somehow feel the early morning helps in making the Nihari subtle!
My Nihari preference! Kolkata's favorite winter delicacy, Nalli Nihari!
Talking about the process, I in general, do not add onion while cooking Nalli Nihari. I make the spice mix at home instead of purchasing the readymade Nihari Masala. Not that the store-bought spices are bad, however, I prefer certain blends and making the mix at home gives me that flexibility. In this post, I am sharing the recipe of Mutton Nihari as that is what I cook at home most. We prefer eating beef Nihari from Sufia located at Zakaria Street and don't in general cook it at home. Chicken Nihari is not something I am very fond of. the dish after all calls for hours of cooking and that's what we can't do with chicken in general! However, for the sake of the readers, I will share the recipe soon. Some people add brain and chunks of mutton fat while cooking Nihari apart from the Marrowbone and I am one of those. I prefer to use a heavy-duty vessel with a lid to cook Nalli Nihari.
Here's how I cook Nalli Nihari at Debjanir Rannaghar
PrintRecipe
Nalli Nihari | Mutton Nihari Recipe | Gosht Nihari
- Total Time: 6 hours 30 mins
- Yield: 6 people 1x
Description
Nalli Nihari aka Mutton Nihari is a heritage Mughlai winter delicacy where shank meat is cooked with selected spices for hours to reach the level of perfection
Ingredients
- 1 kg Mutton Shank Meat (cut into pieces with the marrowbone)
- 100g Fat from the portion near to liver of mutton (cut into chunks) (optional)
- 100g lamb brain (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. Garlic Paste
- 2 Tbsp. Ginger Paste
- 3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 3 Tbsp. Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Tbsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 Tsp. Salt or to taste
- 150ml Vegetable Oil (1 Cup)
- 2 Tbsp. Ghee
Nihari Masala:
- 2 Star Anise
- 1 Nutmeg
- 3 Bay Leaf
- 3 pieces Cinnamon Stick (1" each)
- 20 Black Pepper
- 15 Green Cardamom
- 1 Tbsp. Coriander Seed
- ½ Tbsp. Cumin Seed
- 1 Tbsp. Fennel Seed
- 10 Cloves
- 1 Tbsp. Dry Ginger (Powder)
- 1 Tbsp. Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Turmeric Powder
For Garnishing:
- 3 Tbsp. Ginger (Julienne Cut)
- 1 bunch Cilantro (chopped)
- 4 Lemon Slice
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry meat chunks.
- Marinate meat with ginger and garlic paste while making the Nihari Masala.
- Take all the whole spices mentioned under "Nihari Masala" in a blender and make a coarse powder of the spices.
- Now add 1 tablespoon each of dry ginger powder, red chili powder, and also turmeric powder to the spice mix.
- You can store this mixture in an airtight container.
- From the mixture, you will need 3.5 Tbsp. Powder to make nihari with 1 Kg meat.
- Boil around 2 liters of water. Heat oil and ghee in a deep bottom pan.
- This pan should have a tight lid.
- Once the ghee and oil mixture is properly heated add mutton chunks and fry for around 5 minutes on low flame.
- Now add 3 Tbsp. of the spice powder to the meat and mix well.
- Keep the flame low and cook for 5 more minutes.
- The meat by this time will release moisture.
- Now add the boiling water and keep the flame low.
- Add salt to taste and chili powder if needed.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low flame for 5 hours without stirring the meat.
- In between if needed add boiling water to keep the curry runny.
- You may need to add 500ml water.
- After 4 hours the meat will be properly cooked and oil will start floating on the top of the curry.
- Strain the oil from the top with the help of a spoon.
- Keep the oil reserved in a bowl.
- Now mix 3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour with 1 cup of hot water to make a semi-runny mixture.
- Strain this mixture through a strainer and mix with the curry lightly from the side.
- Nihari does not call for overmixing.
- Now cook for 1 more hour without stirring the curry.
- After around 6 hours of cooking the meat, switch the flame off.
- Add ½ Tbsp. spice mix followed by lemon juice and mix lightly.
- Top it with the reserved oil and ghee mixture.
- While serving garnish with ginger julienne, lemon slices, and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- I don't believe in the shortcut method of cooking Nihari. This dish calls for hours of cooking.
- The pieces of meat have to be chosen carefully. Shank is a must. Brain and fat are, however, optional but makes it way better.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Mutton
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Mughlai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 225g
- Calories: 818
- Sugar: 0.8g
- Sodium: 758mg
- Fat: 63.4g
- Saturated Fat: 20.3g
- Carbohydrates: 10.5g
- Fiber: 2.7g
- Protein: 50.6g
- Cholesterol: 463mg
Keywords: Nalli nihari recipe, winter nihari recipe, mutton nihari recipe. kolkata nihari recipe, debjanir rannaghar
Mughlai Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Kolkata Style Mutton Rezala (Also known as Mughlai Gosht Rezala)
- Kolkata Mutton Biryani (also known as Calcutta Biryani)
- Kolkata’s Mutton Tikia (Also known as tikia Kebab)
- Hyderabadi Haleem (also known as Mutton Haleem)
- Awadhi Vegetable Tehri (also known as Tahiri)
- Mutton Handi Kebab (also known as Handi Kebab)
- Restaurant Style Chicken Malai Kebab (also known as Chicken Reshmi Kebab)
- Chicken Chaap (also known as Kolkata style Chicken Champ)
- Tandoori Chicken (Also known as Tanduri Murg)
- Restaurant Style Navratan Korma (also known as Navaratan Korma)
- Shahi Paneer Korma (Also known as Shahi Paneer)
- Malai Kofta (also known as Paneer ke Kofte)
- Sheer Khurma (also known as Seviyan)
- Hyderabadi Double ka Meetha (also known as Sahi Tukda)
Have you tried the Gosht Nihari recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here on dolonchttrj@gmail.com. Meanwhile, on Instagram, you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
Here's the Mutton Nihari Pin for your Pinterest Board!
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