Mutton Nihari

A slow-cooked, silky lamb shank stew thickened with wholemeal flour and fragrant with fennel and ginger.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 3h 15m
Total: 3 hours 45 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg lamb shanks (about 4)
  • 6 tbsp ghee
  • 2 onions, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh root ginger and garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 6 green cardamom pods
  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • 6 cloves
  • 5cm cinnamon stick
  • 2 blades of mace
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 litres hot water
  • 4 tbsp wholemeal chapati flour (atta)
  • 5cm fresh root ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
  • 3 green chillies, sliced
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Dry-roast the fennel, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, green and black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and mace in a pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Cool and grind to a fine powder.

  2. Heat the ghee in a large, heavy casserole over a medium heat. Cook the onions for 15 minutes until deep golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.

  3. Add the lamb shanks and fry for 8 minutes, turning, until browned. Stir in the ground spice mix, ground ginger, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and cook for 2 minutes.

  4. Pour in the hot water, bring to the boil, cover and cook on a very low heat for 2 hours 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the meat is falling off the bone.

  5. Whisk the chapati flour with 150ml cold water until smooth. Stir it into the stew in a thin stream, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring, until the gravy is thick and glossy.

  6. Serve in bowls topped with ginger matchsticks, green chillies and coriander, with lemon wedges and naan.