Beef nihari

Method

1. 1

   Step 1

   Warm the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a large heavy pot over medium heat and fry the onion (opens in a new tab) until deep golden. Lift out about half and set aside for garnish.

   • 12 min
   • medium heat
   • Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)

   

2. 2

   Step 2

   Add the beef, garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger and fry, turning, until the meat is sealed on all sides. Stir in all the nihari spices and the salt and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.

   • 10 min
   • medium-high heat

   Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw beef.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Pour in the water, bring to the boil, then cover tightly and simmer on the lowest heat until the meat is falling off the bone, 3½–4 hours. Top up with a little hot water if it reduces too much.

   • 225 min
   • low heat

   A pressure cooker cuts this to about 60 minutes at pressure.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Whisk the toasted flour with 150 ml water until smooth. Stir it slowly into the simmering pot and cook, stirring often, until the gravy turns glossy and coats a spoon.

   • 20 min
   • low heat

   

5. 5

   Step 5

   Stir in the garam masala (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 2 minutes until fragrant. Serve in bowls topped with the reserved fried onion (opens in a new tab), ginger matchsticks, green chilli (opens in a new tab), coriander and a squeeze of lemon (opens in a new tab).

   • 3 min
   • low heat