Lamb Shank Nihari

Nihari is a succulent, flavoursome and delicious stew from the Indian subcontinent, famous as Pakistan's national dish. It consists of slow-cooked meat, mainly a shank cut as well as bone marrow. It is typically seasoned with a complex blend of spices and often served with fresh garnishes (ranging from lemon/lime wedges and chopped cilantro and mint leaves to julienned ginger and chopped green chillies) and naan bread or other flatbreads. In Pakistan, this dish is traditionally cooked all night and eaten for breakfast with hot, freshly made naans. The name nihari comes from the Arabic "nahaar" (meaning morning), implying that this dish was meant to be eaten as the first meal of the day, purported to be served after Islamic morning prayer.
You don’t have to make the nihari spice mix from the scratch, but it is truly so much better than any you can buy from the store. The fresh homemade nihari spice mix definitely takes this dish to the next level of flavour.

Nihari Spice Mix	Lamb Shanks
1 tbsp Cumin seeds 1 tbsp Coriander seeds 2 tsp Fennel seeds 10 Cardamom pods 10 Cloves 2 Star anise 3 cm Cinnamon stick 2 tsp Black peppercorns 2 Dried kashmiri chillies 1/3 Whole nutmeg 1 tsp Ground ginger 1 tbsp Chickpea flour	2 tbsp Tallow or ghee 4 Lamb shanks (about 1.5kg) Kala namak, aka Himalayan black salt 2 Onions, peeled and thinly sliced 4 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced 5 cm Ginger, peeled and grated 750 ml Water Cilantro or mint leaves, chopped ½ Red onion, thinly sliced Lime or lemon wedges

To make the nihari spice mix, tip all of the whole spices into a dry frying pan
©angiesrecipes and toast for 1-2 minutes or until smelling fragrant. Tip into a spice grinder with the ground ginger and chickpea flour, and whizz to a powder. Set aside.
Heat the tallow or ghee in your in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Season the lamb shanks with kala namak, then sear them on all sides until golden brown. Remove and transfer to your slow cooker.
Add the sliced onions to the pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until softened and beginning to caramelise. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for another minute. Tip in nihari spice mix and a large pinch of kala namak salt. Fry for a few minutes, then pour in water. Bring to a simmer. Pour over the lamb shanks. Set the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours until the lamb shanks are meltingly tender. Garnish with cilantro, red onion and serve with lime or lemon wedges.

6 comments:

Tom 7/3/26 13:32: ...another beautiful creation!
Lola Martínez 7/3/26 13:43: El cordero me gusta pero ahora no lo puedo comer, eso no significa que tu receta no me guste, de hecho creo que es muy rica y tienen suerte los que la prueben.
My name is Erika. 7/3/26 15:00: I love that we now live in a world where you can get so many ingredients you couldn't before. I'm not sure about Kashmir Chiles though. But this looks quite tasty. I wonder is there something different in those Kashmir Chiles from other Chiles?
DEZMOND 7/3/26 15:15: Hope the weather is nice over in Deutschland, it is 20C over here.
Angie's Recipes 7/3/26 15:28: Kashmiri chillies are very mild and characterized by their ability to give a dark red colour to food and add flavour, while not allowing the food to become too pungent or spicy.
Ananka 7/3/26 15:28: It sounds good, liking the spice mix :-D