A one pot authentic Nihari recipe that simplifies cooking Nihari! Keep reading for everything you need to do about making your masala, buying your meat, and cooking it stove top or in the Instant Pot!
There are a few Pakistani recipes that can stand on their own. That don't need a second fiddle, a side, anything else really except the garnishes that accompany it. Biryani is one such dish, Raan is another, but if I am to be honest than my favourite one dish meal is Nihari.
It comes to us as a 'workers' dish, the idea being that it cooked overnight to create something hearty that could be had for breakfast and fuel them for a day of labor. It has since then become an iconic part of Pakistani cuisine.
With it's strong spices, beautifully tender meat, the sourness of the lemon, that bright leafy cilantro. If I had a last meal request it would be Nihari.
I shared my recipe for Dum ka Qeema here recently and said that it was one of my bucket list foods, one of the dishes that I wanted to be able to make well from scratch. Nihari is another such dish.
A case for making your own masala (but you don't have to)
Nihari Masala sounds intimidating, but it's truly not. Combine, roast, and grind. Well worth the effort.
There are several masala brands that sell a Nihari spice mix, but there is something eminently satisfying about homemade. The flavour is decidedly different, earthier, more robust.
Homemade masalas also don't have any artificial ingredients or preservatives, just saying.
However if you like that particularly flavour but want a homemade base then feel free to add a tablespoon or so of it into your "tari" oil at the end.
Nihari Meat: A Quick Primer
Traditional Nihari meat is a bone in shank, that tells you everything you need to know about what meat to buy and what bones to acquire.
It was traditionally made with the whole shank piece, but in modern times we cut the meat and bones into chunks. The meat is there for the eating and the bones are there to give richness, depth, and another layer of flavour. If you can't get shank bones than anything rich in collagen like the joints works too.
In Pakistan the meat is typically beef, but you can always use mutton. In North America veal is often the meat of choice given that it's more tender with softer fibres.
To Instant Pot or not to Instant Pot
Okay before anyone comes at me let me say that your Instant Pot IS NOT JUST A PRESSURE COOKER. Did I just blow your mind? Just go see - there's a slow cook button. See it? Great. Let's talk now
Using the Slow Cooker Function: my favorite thing about this is that I can put my Nihari to cook here for 5 hours and while it's cooking I can't smell a thing. I also sometimes use it to make just a bone broth just fyi.
Pressure Cooking Nihari: 45-50 minutes is all you need for beautifully tender nihari. However, when a nihari slow cooks the spices develop their flavour and the bones release a depth that doesn't come with pressure cooking. If time isn't on your side though and the cravings are real then absolutely go for it.
Made the Nihari? Rate it below! Would love to hear from you!
Nihari
Ingredients
- 2 lb Large chunks of beef/veal - 3 inch pieces
- 1-2 lb bones
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp ginger paste
- 1 ½ tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Ghee/Oil for cooking
- 1 large onion
Nihari Masala
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1.5 tbsp saunf
- 1.5 tsp whole black pepper
- 1.5 tsp whole cloves
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 1-inch cinnamon sticks
- 2-3 piece mace
- 3 black cardamoms
- 4-6 green cardamoms
- 1 piece dried ginger (small, can sub with ½ tbsp of gingepowder)
- 6 whole red chillies (round)
- 1 tsp kalonji
- 2 pieces of peepli or 3-4 kabab chini (optional)
Garnishes
- lemon wedges
- sliced green chillies
- julienned ginger
Instructions
Nihari Masala
- Dry roast all the ingredients in a frying pan (no oil), grind to a powder. Set aside
Cooking the Nihari
- Heat oil in a large pot
- Thinly slice your onion, fry till golden brown then spread on paper towels to dry. (we will use these at the end)
- Add all the remaining ingredients in the first list and stir fry the meat until its browned and the masala is cooked - about 4-5 minutes
- Then add your Nihari Masala Mix and 7 cups of water and stir well.
- Pressure cook for 45-50 minutes or slow cook for 4-5 hours undisturbed to get beautifully tender meat. For slow cooking stove top, bring the mixture to a boil then let it simmer covered.
- Once the time is up skim any greyish scum that may rise to the top and discard.
- Crush the onions and mix in, bring the nihari to a boil
- If you are serving this another time then set it aside for the nihari to cool.
- When ready to eat then dissolve ⅓ cup atta in 1 cup water and whisk briskly as you add it to the nihari
- The nihari will thicken as it cooks - 10 to 15 minutes
- Adjust consistency per liking (more water or atta+water), just remember you need to simmer after adding it to lose the raw taste.
- Heat a few tbsp of oil in a small saucepan and add 1.5 tbsp of kashmiri laal mirch (for colour) and add it on top of the nihari like a tadka/baghaar.
Notes
Asa, I’m very new to cooking and have never made nihari before. How much oil or ghee should I use? Jzk
Wasalam and Welcome!!! Ok so for the initial cook I'd use 1/2 cup - if you find that after you fry the piyaz its too little add some more. Ghee will give it the BEST taste! In the end I'd say maybe 3-4tbsp of ghee for the tari (the last step). Do keep me posted on how it turns out!
What kind of meat do you recommend for nihari? I want to make sure I request the right one from butcher.
Shank! Traditionally it would be a big piece that's slow cooked but I have mine cube it. Also bones are key so for bones I like anything with joints or shank. If you are a marrow person then that works too! Let me know what you think!
Thanks for the recipe! How much of the nihari masala should be used for the recipe?
Thank You for stopping by! You should use the entire batch of Nihari Masala for this recipe! Do keep me posted on how it goes
How many will this serve? I am planning to make this for a dinner party for ~15 people and wondering whether to double or triple the recipe!
Hi Aliya! SO exciting! Ok so for 15 people I'd say doubling is enough. However if it is a sit down event with people you know are Nihari enthusiasts and the Nihari is your only main then I'd triple it just to be safe. Nihari also freezes beautifully so leftovers are a gift you're giving your future self!
"Nihari also freezes beautifully so leftovers are a gift you're giving your future self!" <--- this quote just made my day! thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, we're going to try it tonight or tomorrow!
I totally feel that way about it! How did it turn out?
Hi! Used the as a guideline to make Nihari for the first time from scratch (previously would only use Shan). It turned out amazing!! I did use 4lbs of beef (bigger party) and modified the spices and flour accordingly. But the flavor profile of the spice ratio you provided was perfect!! I did add a couple of tablespoons of fresh garam masala at the very end also. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. 💕
Komal, I can't even tell you how happy I am to hear that! There is something so incredibly special about a homemade Nihari and I am honored that you tried this recipe for your dawat!
Hi, can I use chicken instead of beef?
I’ve been craving chicken nihari and was wondering if there any other adjustments I need to make?
Planning to make this next week, hopefully, dependent on being able to gather all the ingredients under present circumstances.
The blog post i took the idea from was introducing readers to national dishes but no recipe. I found your recipe seems closest to the spirit of the post and it sounds delicious anyway so worth a try :}
One thing it said is that it could be made with a mixture of meats which I haven't really attempted before and wanted to run it past you and gather your thoughts on if you don't mind.
Hi! I have to say I have never ever heard of this being made with a mixture of meats before. Do keep me posted on how it turns out!
Tried a batch of this authentic version over my regular Sham cheat one and it was truly amazing!
One thing we always struggle with using the packets is the ‘heat’ element - you want the flavour but not so much the heat all the time so your recipe was wonderfully versatile in that aspect!
Another win outta the park with this one Sarah!
Thank you SO SO very much my friend!!! I am THRILLED to hear that!!!!!
I have ground corriander and ginger powder. Can you tell me the measurements to use those instead in the masala?
Hi Shumaila! I'd use 1tbsp coriander powder and 1 tsp ginger powder! Hope that helps!
Do you have to use whole wheat atta flour? Can I use white all purpose flour? I know some people toast the flour as well…
Hi Zoobia! I have heard that too but I haven’t personally tried it and always use atta, sorry I can’t be of more help there
Already identified two ingredients I have never heard of and am very unlikely to be able to find....so what is the point....
Hi Paul! These ingredients are all available at South Asian stores but yes Nihari is definitely a dish with complex spices! Spice mixes for Nihari are super convenient and may be a better fit!
Best Nihari recipe I have tried!
Mary I cannot adequately explain how very very very happy that makes me!!!!
Salaam,
What kind of bones arw we supposed to use? I want to be sure I ask my butcher for the right ones.
Wasalam Atiya!!! So any bones with marrow work, but my mother always says anything with joints is best!
Thank you so much! Also, can I make this in an IP? Would the steps be the same?
Hi Atiya! I've got IP instructions in the post too, but yes you can - the only issue becomes that with the 6 quart you may not have enough space to sear the beef properly so just watch out for that!
Thanks so much for the recipie. It was great. I took the risk and made it without the shaan box masala which has many bad ingredients. I reduced the oil and chilli. Thanks again for this great recipie.
Yay!!!! SO SO happy to hear that!!! I know what you mean about feeling like you're taking a risk, but it's totally worth that homemade taste! THANK YOU!
I can't wait to try this; I'm trying to learn how to make curries without spice packets. Instead of piece of mace, I can only get hold of ground mace. How much would you recommend I use? Thanks!
Hi Ben! I am so excited for you try it. If you use ground mace just use 1 tsp!
Hi Paul, I actually googled “peepli” and turns out it’s “long pepper”, which I had previously been told it’s essential in nihari and I ordered it from eBay for less than £3!
That's awesome to know ebay has it!
Hi - I am planning on making this for an Eid party where many in the crowd will be new to Pakistani food/spicy food. Is this a spicy dish? How would you recommend lowering the spice intensity so that it works for a non-ethnic crowd?
Hi Alefiyah! I am SO sorry I missed this and am seeing it now. So this one is not as spicy as the packet ones, but you can reduce red chilli powder by 30% and still be good. Sorry about the delay and hope this helps for the future
Defrosted meat, but I didn't have a mix packet. Briefly panicked. Went to Google for a recipe. Saw yours. The rest was history! Sarah you always deliver the best! Thank you!
YAY! Glad I was able to help!
Sarah! You are absolutely brilliant! MashaAllah tabarakAllah!! Each one of your recipes that I have tried has been so on point, Alhumdulillah! I made this Nihari yesterday for a dawat and you won’t believe how much EVERYONE LOVED it!! Jazakillah and please keep doing the great work. Your recipes are so well written and really love the stories behind them. Allah bless you ❤️
Hira!!! YAY!!!! It made me so happy to hear this and thank you so much for trusting my recipes!
Made Nihari for the first time yesterday and was so happy with the result! I had everything except the nigella seeds but will be sure to get that first before I make it again, also only had ground mace, not sure if I used the correct amount but regardless, it came out fantastic! I did learn a cool trick though, before you start cooking, you boil the meat in water for 2 minutes and that removes all the impurities! You boil and it, drain it and rinse it. That way you don't have that scum rising to the top while cooking, so I did that first as well.
Thank you so so much for the review and for sharing that trick! That's new to me!!!
Sara,
I wanted to clarify – were you referring to beef marrow bones or veal marrow bones? Also, is it recommended to cook the beef shank and marrow bones together in the Instant Pot? At the end of cooking, should these bones be removed? Lastly, is this the same recipe as Nalli Nihari?
Hello Farooq - so which bones you are using often depends on the meat. In theory it's the bone in the centre of the meat so you get the cubes and then the bone with it so if you buy veal it's veal and if you buy beef it's beef. I do put everything in together and then take the bones out. re: Nalli Nihari, that depends on whether you choose to scrape out the marrow and put it back in. Hope this helps!
Hi
Could Nihari be prepped a few weeks before? Ramadan is around the corner and so I wanted to know what I could do before Ramadan starts so I could enjoy the Nihari on one of the days I’m fasting without spending too much time in the kitchen. Thank you!
Hi Arshi! Nihari gets even better somehow when you freeze it and defrost! It’s the kind of sorcery i don’t understand but wholly appreciate! I’m also now tempted to follow suit!
It was delicious but how do you make Tari? How much Oil and how much nihari masala?
Hi Sidra! I usually do what's in the instructions ( a few tbsp of oil plus kashmiri mirch) but you can also always switch the oil for ghee!
First of all nihari is an Indian dish from Lucknow, India so the info was wrong and yeah tomatoes aren't the part of orginal recipe, slight correction needs to be done about the dish's origin, it's not Pakistan
Hey Amish! Yes absolutely the history of Nihari traces back to Lucknow but I haven't actually talked about it's history in my blog post (an omission on my part and soemthing I need to fix!). However, given the history there are many dishes that may have originated on one side of the border or the other, but have become a huge part of the modern nations cuisine. When I say it is a Classic Pakistani dish I am not referring to origin, but to it's role in Pakistani cuisine. Totally get how the title can be misleading, will have a think on rephrasing!
I had never made nihari at home before and this recipie is actually amazing. Followed it to the tee and it was awesome.
Thank you SO much Tania!!! That is absolutely amazing to hear!!!
Ok this nihari masala is an absolute game changer. Thank you sharing - epic recipe as always!
Is this recipe spicy? If so, what can I adjust to reduce the spiciness? My family and I don't eat spicy food.
Hmm Sana that's a tough question, because I don't know what level of spice is spicy for each person. It does have 1 tbsp each of kashmiri and chili powder. You can halve those, or drop them to whatever feels right for your family. I would recommend making the nihari masala itself as is. Hope this helps!