October 18, 2020

Nihari |Instant Pot|

Beef Nihari is a popular Pakistani dish as well as the ultimate comfort food item. If there is one thing you should know about me, it is that I love love love nihari. There something about a good plate of Nihari and fresh fluffy naan that really hits the spot. Picture this: soft tender meat, the rich curry, and the aromatic cilantro, ginger, and lemon juice toppings… ahhh the perfect meal.

If you are wondering what Nihari is, It is a delicious Pakistani beef stew consisting of soft and tender meat with a rich curry base. Traditionally, meat, bones, and spices are slow-cooked for hours. Conversely, I will show you how to make quick and easy restaurant-style Nihari using the pressure cooker aka Instant Pot. Furthermore, my love for Nihari truly made me want to perfect this recipe and learn how to make my own nihari masala. Go ahead and give this recipe a try! Finally, serve it with fresh Naan and garnish with cilantro, ginger, green chili, and fresh lemon juice.

Watch us make Nihari here

https://youtu.be/JOJiJlBu83Q

Nihari Recipe Instant Pot + Homemade Nihari Masala | Pressure Cooker Nihari | (https://youtu.be/JOJiJlBu83Q)

Here are some tips to note:

Undoubtedly, I love to make Nihari masala from scratch. You may use the masala recipes suggested on the recipe card; however, If you don’t have ingredients to make your own masala, you may definitely use the boxed masala.
Also, I highly recommend using bones in this recipe. As the bones cook with the meat, it releases juices, adding more flavor to your dish. Additionally, Use the beef shank bones with bone marrow and the knee portion with cartilage (picture below)

Also, 2 lbs of beef will take about 30 minutes + 5 NPR. Be sure to check the meat after pressure cooking and add a few more mins (approx 2-5 mins). Depending on the size of the meat, it may take longer to pressure cook.
After cooking the meat and the bones, a layer of reddish/orange layer of oil or Tari will appear on top. This is what gives your curry a rich color. It is Important to separate the Tari (oil) from the nihari and set aside. The flour slurry that is added at the end to thicken the curry, absorbs the oil and removes the red rich color. Fortunately, Tari can be reserved and added later to add rich color to the nihari.

Check out these spice genie recipes

Beef Nihari

Pakistani Meat Stew with a rich and aromatic curry base. Serve it with fresh naan and garnish with cilantro, ginger and lemon juice.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1

Course Main Course

Cuisine Pakistani

Servings 7 people

Equipment

Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

Whole Spices

2 bay Leaves
1 tsp pepercorn
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black cumin or shah zeera
1 cinammon stick 2-inch
1.5 tbsp coriander seeds dhaniya
2 tbsp fennel seeds saunf
2 black cardamom
5-6 green cardamom
1-2 pipli or long pepper
1/2 tsp cloves (laung)
1 star anise (badiyan ka phool)
1/4 of a piece nutmeg
1/2 of a piece mace

Ground Spices (Masala)

1.5 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder or paprika (not spicy)
1/2 tsp haldi or turmeric
1 tsp ginger powder (soonth)
1.5 tsp salt or to taste

Other Ingredients

3/4 cup oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 lbs beef shank meat
1 lb bones with bone marrow or cartilage
6-7 tbsp nihari masala
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp fried onion
3 cups water
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup water for the flour slurry

Garnish (as needed)

julieene ginger
fresh lemon juice
cilantro
green chilies
fried onion

Instructions

Grind the whole spices listed above and combine it with ground spices listed above. Set aside. This will be your nihari masala. Note: you may use boxed masala if desired.
Press saute mode, add oil and ginger garlic paste. Fry for 1-2 minutes or the raw smell from the paste is gone.
Add meat and bones. Fry until meat changes color to brown.
Add the nihari masala. Fry for 5-8 minutes. Note: add 1 tbsp of water in between if the masala sticks at the bottom.
Add yogurt and fry until liquid from the yogurt dries up and oil separates.
Add fried onion. Note: you may also fry a bit of onion at the very beginning before frying ginger garlic paste.
Add 3 cups of water. Be sure to deglaze the pot (no burned bits stuck at the bottom).
Pressure cook for 30 minutes + 5 minutes of NPR. Note: If you meat pieces are bigger in size, you may need to increase the pressure cooking time accordingly.
Release pressure. Open the lid when the pin drops down. At this point, check to to see if the meat is tender.
Selecte low saute mode.
Scoop out the red oil layer or tari from the top into a separate bowl and set aside.
Next, separate the bones. Note: be sure to save the bone marrow, cartilage and meat from the bones and add it back to the pot. You may discard bones.
Prepare the flour slurry by combining 1/2 cup of flour with 1 cup of water. Note: for a thicker curry add an additional 1/4 cup of flour to the water.
Gradually add the slurry while stirring the pot. Then allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes on low saute mode.
Now add the reserved tari (oil), garnish with cilantro, ginger and green chilies and serve!