Nihari

What it really is

Nihari is a slow-cooked shank stew whose meat, bone stock and spices become a thick, spoon-coating gravy. Beef or veal shank is common; mutton and chicken versions also exist. It is associated with breakfast and dawn service, although it is now eaten at other times as well. The dish is shared across borders and has a history connected to Delhi and Awadh, so this entry describes the Pakistani preparation without claiming an exclusively Pakistani origin.

The meat is first browned or braised, then covered with water or stock and cooked gently with a spice mixture. Ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander, turmeric, cumin and garam masala are common seasonings, along with whole spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and fennel. Bone-in shank gives the broth body as it cooks. Wheat flour is dissolved into the liquid in some recipes to thicken it; the quantity and whether it is used vary by kitchen. Long, low cooking is central: a traditional method uses an overnight simmer in a sealed, rounded daigh pot, while some cooks prepare it over several hours. Brain (magaz) and marrow (nali) are optional enrichments, not ingredients to assume in every bowl.

How it's served

• At breakfast or around dawn in the older service tradition; restaurants also serve it later in the day.
• Hot, with naan for dipping into the dense gravy.
• Finished to order with chopped ginger, green chilli, coriander, lemon and fried onion when those garnishes are used.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the meat and say whether the serving contains shank, marrow or brain.
• Disclose wheat flour when it is used to thicken the gravy; recipes differ.
• Describe it as a slow-cooked stew and list the garnishes actually supplied, rather than treating every regional version as identical.