Slow-Cooked Beef Nihari Recipe

Beef nihari is the ultimate slow-cooked breakfast stew — deeply spiced, silky with marrow, and rich enough to stand a spoon in. This authentic nihari recipe uses bone-in beef shank and marrow bones, cooked low and slow until the meat falls apart. Here is how we make it at The Cut House, Bangalore.

Why the cut matters

Great nihari is built on two things: collagen-rich beef shank and a couple of marrow bones. The shank breaks down into tender, gelatinous pieces, while the marrow melts into the gravy and gives nihari its signature glossy body. Skip these and you get a thin curry — use them and you get restaurant-grade nihari.

Ingredients (serves 4–5)

• 1 kg bone-in beef shank (nihari cut)
• 2–3 pieces beef marrow bones (cross-cut)
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp ginger–garlic paste
• 4 tbsp ghee or oil
• 2–3 tbsp nihari masala (or a mix of fennel, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, dried ginger)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp whole wheat flour (atta), for thickening
• Salt to taste
• To garnish: julienned ginger, green chillies, fresh coriander, lemon wedges, fried onions

Method

1. Brown the aromatics. Heat ghee, fry the sliced onions until deep golden, then add ginger–garlic paste and cook off the rawness.
2. Sear the meat. Add the shank and marrow bones and sear for a few minutes. Stir in the nihari masala, chilli, turmeric and salt.
3. Slow-cook. Add enough hot water to cover generously. Simmer on the lowest heat for 4–6 hours (or pressure-cook 45–60 minutes) until the shank is fork-tender and the marrow has softened.
4. Thicken. Whisk the wheat flour into a little cold water to make a lump-free slurry, then stir it into the pot. Simmer 15–20 minutes until the gravy turns glossy and coats a spoon.
5. Rest & finish. Let it sit 10 minutes. Garnish with ginger, green chillies, coriander, fried onions and a squeeze of lemon.

Chef’s tips

• Push the marrow out of the bones into the gravy before serving for extra richness.
• Low and slow beats fast and hot — the longer the shank cooks, the silkier the result.
• Nihari tastes even better the next day, once the spices settle.

Order the cuts, delivered fresh in Bangalore

We hand-cut every order fresh and deliver same-day across Bangalore — 100% halal, never frozen.

• Beef Shank (Nihari Cut)
• Marrow Bones — Cross-Cut
• Marrow Bones — Canoe-Cut

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