Ingredients
- 1kg bone-in beef shank (nalli), cut into large pieces (or short ribs, neck, oxtail — see Variations)
- 4 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 litre water
- Salt to taste
Spice blend
- 1 packet Shan or National Nihari Masala (see Variations for from-scratch)
Flour slurry (thickener)
- 100g plain flour (maida or all-purpose)
- 200ml cold water
Tarka
- Reserved surface oil (from step 5)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Garnishes (essential)
- Fresh ginger, julienned
- Green chillies, sliced
- Fresh coriander, chopped
- Birista (crispy fried onions — see Notes)
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Prep
- Mix the flour into the cold water, whisking until completely smooth with no lumps. Set aside. Cold water is essential — hot water causes the flour to seize and clump.
Cook
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high. Add the nihari masala and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add ginger garlic paste; sauté 2 minutes until the raw smell is gone.
- Add the beef pieces and sear briefly on all sides.
- Add 1 litre water and salt. Seal and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure.
Finish
- Open the pot. Scoop out the oil floating on the surface and set it aside in a small bowl — this becomes the tarka.
- Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat. Pour in the flour slurry slowly while stirring constantly. Stir in one direction to prevent lumps.
- Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes until the gravy is thick, glossy, and coats the back of a spoon.
- Taste and adjust salt.
Tarka
- Heat the reserved surface oil in a small pan over medium-high. Add the red chilli powder and let it sizzle for 10–15 seconds.
- Pour the tarka directly over the finished nihari just before serving.
Serve
Ladle into deep bowls. Top with ginger julienne, green chillies, fresh coriander, and birista. Squeeze lime over the top. Serve with naan or sheermal.
Storage
- Fridge: Up to 4 days. The gravy thickens further as it cools — add a splash of water when reheating.
- Reheat: Low heat in a pan, stirring gently, with a splash of water. Avoid a hard boil or the gravy can break.
- Freeze: Freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently.
Variations
From-scratch masala — Replace the packet with whole spices, ground together: 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 4 cloves, 2 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 1-inch cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp dried ginger (soonth), 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder separately as a powder. Gives more control over heat and freshness; the packet is already a close approximation.
Slow cooker — After sautéing the masala, ginger garlic paste, and meat, transfer to the slow cooker with 1 litre water. Cook on Low for 8–10 hours or High for 5–6 hours. Finish with the flour slurry and tarka in the same way.
Different beef cuts — what changes with each Shank is traditional because of two things: collagen (melts into gelatin, naturally thickens the gravy) and marrow (scooped out and spread on naan — the "nalli" in nalli nihari). Other cuts in order of similarity:
- Short ribs (bone-in): Best substitute. High collagen, fatty, widely available. Very similar result to shank.
- Neck pieces (bone-in): Similar collagen to shank, available at halal butchers. Close to the traditional result.
- Oxtail (bone-in): Very high collagen and marrow. Excellent but add 10–15 minutes to the pressure cook time.
- Chuck (boneless): Works fine. No marrow, medium collagen — the gravy relies more on the flour slurry for body. Reduce flour to 80g.
- Brisket (boneless): Holds together well but thinnest gravy of these options. Use 80g flour.
Lamb — Bone-in lamb shank works equally well. Same pressure cooker timing.
Notes
- The flour slurry must go into cold water first. If lumps form anyway, strain the slurry through a sieve before adding it to the pot.
- Birista: thinly slice 2 onions, fry in oil over medium heat until deep golden and crispy, 15–20 minutes. Drain on paper — they crisp further as they cool. Can be made days ahead and stored in an airtight container. Worth making a large batch as it's used across many South Asian dishes (haleem, biryani, etc.).
- Nihari is intentionally oily — the surface fat is part of the dish, not a mistake. Reduce the oil added to the tarka step if you prefer less.
Added Aug 27, 2026 · Updated Aug 27, 2026