Nihari

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Nihari is originally a dish from the Muslims of Delhi and is most popular in Pakistan. It is a stew made from beef or lamb and curry. The Muslims of Delhi are the ones who actually brought it to Pakistan and popularized it there. Nihari is known for its spiciness and taste. Nihari is also known in India as the breakfast curry, as it is traditionally eaten before a day of manual labor. It is originally more of a delicacy with myriad variations on spiciness and texture. However Nihari originated as a dish of the Muslim upper class society in Delhi. It passed to other classes as Muslim ascendency and power declined. This was after the waning of Mughal power in the mid to late 18th century when many muslim families from the Mughal nobility became impoverished.

Originally prepared from the upper thigh/hip meat of cows, Nihari was cooked overnight in various vessels, often buried under soil for the duration, to yield extremely tender morsels of meat, including the flavourful bone marrow found in the preferred joint. In addition to the main stew, it is served with a number of side dishes. The Bhaghar is lightly fried ghee to lessen the chilli; the Tarka is an additional oily chilli to spice up the flavour. In addition cooked brain and the bone marrow are served alongside with the stew. The Nihari is garnished according to individual taste with coriander leaves, fried onions, green chillies, ginger strips, lemons and sliced white radish. In addition garam masala, a blend of five powdered spices is sprinkled over the stew. Salt is added to taste. In restaurants many of the garnishings are already added so as to increase customer turnover.

Traditional Nihari recipes call for 6-8 hours of cooking time, in addition to the preparation of the ingredients. This is much less common today with the use of more tender cuts of meat (i.e. sirloin) instead of the tougher thigh/hip meat. Traditionally the dish is eaten in the early hours of the morning as a brunch. Because the stew is so rich, one is supposed to have an extended nap till the afternoon zohar prayers which occur after midday.

Famous Nihari shops in Pakistan are located in Lahore and Karachi; some examples are Waris Nihari Shop , Baoo Nihari House, Muhammadi Nihari House, Zahid nihari, Javed nihari and Sabri Nihari. The best Nihari in both India and Pakistan, however is made privately by families originally from Muslim Delhi.

The Hyderabadi version of the Nihari contains bones and tongue of the lamb as well. Another version of Nihari, popularized by the spread of quick-cooking spice recipes from Shan and National Foods, uses chicken meat. However it must be noted that no connoisseur or aficionado of Nihari will ever accept Nihari to be made from anything except tender cow meat (beef).