Nihari is a slow cooked beef, chicken or goat stew thickened with wheat flour and it is packed with flavors. I made a homemade nihari masala to control the amount of chili and salt. If you are looking for a recipe that has same taste of nihari but with less chili or salt this recipe is for you. I made it with chicken but this recipe can be made with beef, goat or lamb.
Ingredients for Nihari Masala
I have been using store-bought ready-made masalas until now but they all have a higher spice and salt level. I wanted to control the amount of chili and salt in my recipes. So, I tried this homemade nihari masala. It turned out exactly like the store-bought one but with less chili powder. These are the spices I use in this recipe.
Homemade Nihari masala
I used bay leaves, black pepper, cloves, fennel seeds, black cardamom, green cardamom, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon stick and star anise in my homemade nihari masala recipe. I ground all of the spices in a grinder and then added red chili and salt according to my taste.
Kashmiri chili
I also used Kashmiri chili powder for the beautiful bright color. For 1 KG chicken I used 1 tsp of Kashmiri chili powder.
Ingredients for Chicken Nihari
Chicken
In this recipe I used bone in and skinless chicken cut into 16-20 pieces. I cooked the chicken with spices in oil and then pressure cooked the chicken for 20 minutes in an instant pot.
Store bought nihari masala
In this recipe I used homemade masala but if you want to use store bought masala, use a small quantity. Use the masala only for color and for taste use rest of the regular spices.
Atta or wheat flour
I used 4 tbsp of wheat flour mixed with 1/2 cup of water to thicken the nihari. Don’t add atta directly to the nihari, as it will be crumbled. Mix wheat flour with water to make a slurry and then slowly add to nihari while stirring it constantly.
What to serve with the Nihari ?
Nihari tastes really good with some naan, white rice or paratha. My personal favorite is white rice and a side salad. Traditionally, nihari is served as a main dish or a brunch item with fresh naan or roti.
How to store left over Chicken Nihari?
Store any leftover in an air tight container for up to three days. This recipe freeze very well. Just divide into small portions and heat it up before serving.
Chicken Nihari
Equipment
- 1 Instant pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs chicken or 1 kg with bones
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1/2 cup fried onions
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 cups water
Nihari masala
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 black cardamom
- 3-4 green cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 slice mace
- 1/4 nutmeg
- 1 inch inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
Other spices
Thickening agent
- 4 tbsp flour whole wheat or ata
- 1/2 cup water
Garnish
- 2-3 green chilies
- 1 slice of thinly sliced ginger
Instructions
Make Nihari Masala
- Add all of the ingredients of nihari masala in a grinder and grind it to make a fine paste.
Cook chicken
- Turn on the instant pot on saute mode.
- Add oil, chicken pieces, and nihari masala.
- Also add ginger, garlic, fried onions, salt, red chili, Kashmiri chili and turmeric.
- Mix everything and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 20 minutes.
- Release the pressure and open the lid.
Thicken the gravy
- Mix 4 tbsp of wheat flour with half a cup of water.
- Add it to the chicken, mix everything and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn the instant pot off and rest your nihari for another 5 minutes before serving.
- Resting the nihari will bring the oil to the top.
- Garnish with sliced ginger and green chilies.
- Squeeze a lemon and enjoy
Notes
- Once the nihari is cooked, cover the pot and leave it for about 5 minutes. This will help the oil to come to the top.
- You can make this recipe with beef or goat but cooking time will be 30-40 minutes.
- If you would like to use store-bought nihari masala use 1 tbsp of it only.