Pakistani · Dinner
Beef nihari
Beef shank and marrow bones slow-cooked in a warmly spiced Pakistani nihari gravy, lightly thickened with atta and finished with ginger, chile, cilantro, and lemon.
Equipment
- Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Ingredients
1× recipe · Makes 8 servings
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 6 cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1 blade mace
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 cup ghee or neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 pounds cross-cut beef shank with marrow bones
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 10 cups water
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat atta flour
- 1 cup cool water
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/2 cup ginger cut in fine matchsticks
- 4 green chiles, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 lemons, cut in wedges
- 8 naan breads
Instructions
Toast fennel, cumin, coriander, peppercorns, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and mace until fragrant. Cool, grind finely, and combine with nutmeg, ground ginger, chile powder, and turmeric.
Heat ghee in a and fry onion until deep gold. Add beef shank and brown in batches, then add ginger-garlic paste, salt, and ground nihari masala and fry 2 minutes without scorching.
Add 10 cups water, bring to a full boil, skim foam, then cover and simmer at the barest bubble 5 to 6 hours until beef is spoon-tender and well beyond 145°F but still attached in pieces to the bones.
Lift beef and bones carefully. Whisk atta with 1 cup cool water until perfectly smooth, temper it with 2 cups hot broth, then stream it back into the simmering pot while whisking. Simmer 20 minutes until lightly glossy and able to coat a spoon, not gluey.
Return beef and any reserved marrow and warm gently. Finish with garam masala; serve each bowl with ginger, green chile, cilantro, lemon, and naan, allowing diners to sharpen it themselves.
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