This oxtail nihari is a labor of love with a rich, spiced gravy and chunks of meat that will have you dipping your naan or spoon in again and again. It's the national dish of Pakistan and one they are rightfully very proud of. This is my attempt to replicate it.
If you’ve been reading along here for a while, you know that I spent many years living in Southeast Asia and the Middle East where the Indian and Pakistani cultural influences were strong. And yet, I had never tried nihari.
My husband and I were looking for an Indian buffet on our way home one day, because we are greedy like that, and Google was letting us down. Or maybe Indian buffets midday just aren’t a thing anymore in Houston, Texas.
We decided to drive around the Mahatma Ghandi District (near Hillcroft and the Southwest Freeway, for those who live in Houston) and we happened upon a Pakistani restaurant –
Ashar’s Kitchen - with a huge sign saying Nihari and Dhaga Kabab. Well, we know what a kabab is. I looked up nihari.
Google was finally helpful: “Nihari is a rich, slow-cooked meat stew from the Indian subcontinent, and it serves as the national dish of Pakistan. Chefs simmer the meat overnight or for 4 to 10 hours in a sealed pot (degh) to break down collagen and tenderize the protein until it falls off the bone.”
Okay, then, sign us up! We ordered the lamb shank nihari and it was so good, with so much delicious sauce leftover that we ordered more naan to go and ate just the sauce and naan for a whole other meal. Friends, you know I had to try to make it myself.
I’m here to tell you that however much you pay the restaurant for that pot of nihari, if that is an option where you live, it’s worth it. This dish is fabulous but it did take hours to make. Mostly hands-off time, but still. Hours.
Oxtail Nihari
I cheated and used a spice mix I bought in
a shop across the road from Ashar’s Kitchen because, god knows, the long slow cook took long enough without toasting and grinding spices.
Amazon carries it too, if it’s not available locally for you. The box even comes with simple cooking instructions.
Ingredients
3/4 cup or 180ml canola or other light oil, divided
3 lbs or 1.36kg oxtails
1 packet Shan nihari spice mix (2.1 oz or 60g)
1 1/4 lbs or 567g marrow bones
1 cup or 120g atta (whole wheat) flour
1 onion, finely sliced
2 teaspoons garam masala
Fine sea salt, to taste
To garnish:
lemon or lime wedges
chopped cilantro
2 fresh serranos or jalapeños, sliced
2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut in matchsticks
To serve:
Naan and/or basmati rice
Method
Heat ½ cup or 120ml of the canola oil in your pot. Add the oxtail and the spice mix. Stir fry for about 10 minutes, turning often to render the fat on the oxtails. Add about 8 cups or 1.9L of water, enough to submerge the meat.
Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes.
Add in the rinsed marrow bones, making sure to keep everything submerged.
Cover and simmer for 5½ - 6 hours, checking periodically and adding more water if necessary.
As you can see, there is a lot of oil on the top of this dish. While you can skim some off, I find it easier to refrigerate everything and let the fat congeal so it can be removed. (In the restaurant, the dish came with much of its oil on top. I don't doubt that is traditional. Removing it is probably sacrilege but here we are trying to be a little more health conscious.)
Separate the oxtail pieces and marrow bones from the gravy and refrigerate both overnight.
The next day, when you are ready to eat. remove the congealed fat from the top of the gravy, retaining about 1/3 cup or 80ml. (There was more than 1 cup! 300ml, in fact.) The rest of the fat can be discarded or used for another purpose.
If you don’t want to deal with bones while you eat, separate the meat from the bones and gristle. This is not a traditional step but, honestly, it falls off the bones so, why not? Remove the marrow from bones and save it to add to the gravy too. (Cold meat is not attractive but it is easier to handle.)
Put the gravy back on the stove to warm until it is liquid again and prepare a slurry with 2 cups or 480ml hot water and the flour. Whisk to remove any lumps.
Add this to the gravy, constantly stirring to prevent any clumps from forming. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, as it thickens.
In a large skillet, fry the thinly sliced onion in a couple of tablespoons of the retained fat. As it fries, you can add more fat, if needed.
You are looking for the deepest, darkest brownest onions – without letting them burn! - which will help color and flavor the nihari.
Pour the fried onion and fat from the pan on the nihari, which should have thickened nicely.
Stir the meat and marrow back into the gravy, along with the garam masala, and simmer, covered, for another 15-20 minutes.
Give it a taste and add some salt, if necessary, to your taste.
Serve with naan and/or rice, with the garnishes on the side so folks can add them to their own bowls. Add a drizzle of the remaining fat, if desired, as a small nod to the proper tradition of serving with the oil on top.
It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes from South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Many thanks to our host, Mayuri of
Mayuri's Jikoni. Check out the link list below.
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our
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