Nalli Nihari (Slow-Cooked Lamb Shank Stew)

Nihari comes from the Arabic 'nahar', morning: in Old Delhi and Lucknow it simmered all night and was eaten at dawn. 'Nalli' is the marrow bone. The gravy is thickened with a little flour and flavoured with a special nihari spice mix.

Finish with ginger strips, green chillies, coriander and lemon, and eat with naan or khameeri roti.

• Serves 4
• Prep 20 min
• Cook 180 min
• Spicy
• Famous in Delhi / Uttar Pradesh

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks (about 1.2 kg)
• 5 tbsp ghee
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Nihari masala: 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin, 4 green and 1 black cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 3 cm cinnamon, 1 tsp peppercorns, ¼ nutmeg, 1 piece mace, 1 tsp dry ginger powder – ground
• 3 tbsp atta (whole wheat flour)
• 1.5 litres water
• Salt
• To serve: ginger strips, green chillies, coriander, lemon wedges, fried onions

Method

1. Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a large heavy pot and fry the onions until golden brown. Take half out for garnish.
2. Add the shanks and brown them on all sides. Add ginger-garlic, chilli, turmeric and 2½ tsp of the nihari masala and fry 3 minutes.
3. Add the water and 2 tsp salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 2½–3 hours (or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker) until the meat falls from the bone.
4. Whisk the atta with 150 ml water until smooth and stir into the pot. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring, until silky and thick.
5. Heat 2 tbsp ghee with the rest of the masala and pour over (tadka). Serve with the garnishes.

Tip: Tastes even better the next day – the gelatine from the shanks makes the gravy rich.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.