Nihari - Pakistani Beef Stew

An uncomplicated adventure. Beef short ribs slow cooked, shredded and tossed through a yoghurt, tomato and garam masala sauce, served with poppadoms, naan bread or roti.

Nihari (Pakistani Beef Stew)

Recipe 

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 3 hours

Ready in: 3 hours and 15 minutes

Variations: Substitute boneless short ribs with brisket

Servings: 2 to 4

Tips: Besan flour (chickpea flour) is also called chana flour, chana dal flour, gram flour, dal flour, gram dal flour and pea flour. If you can’t find it under any of these names, you can make it yourself or plain flour can work as a substitute but it will not deliver the unique nutty flavour of besan.

INGREDIENTS 

500g boneless short ribs

Ghee or vegetable oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 400g tinned tomatoes

1 cup plain yogurt

5 Tbsp besan flour (chick pea flour) 

1 ½ Tbsp garam masala

1 tsp chilli powder

Salt, to taste

Fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Poppadoms/Naan bread/Roti, for serving (optional)

METHOD

1. Generously season the short ribs with salt and heat a tablespoon of ghee or vegetable oil in a large stew pot over a high heat. Working in batches, evenly brown the ribs, then remove them from the pot and set aside.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add more ghee or oil to the pot and slowly fry the onions until golden and well caramelised.  Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.

3. Stir in the yoghurt, tomatoes, besan, garam masala, chilli powder and 1 ½ cups of water, return the beef to the pot and bring to the boil. 

4. Cover and simmer for 3 hours on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot.

5. Remove the short ribs from the pot, leave them to cool slightly and using two forks or your hands, pull the beef apart to create a shredded texture.

6. Return the shredded beef to the pot, stir until well coated in the sauce and season to taste with salt. Serve this divine Pakistani stew with poppadoms, naan bread or roti and garnish with fresh coriander.

To make besan flour (chickpea flour):

1. Rinse 250g of dried chickpeas in water.

2. Allow them to dry overnight or spread them onto a baking tray and toast in a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Using a food processor or blender, blend the dried chickpeas in batches until they are the consistency of flour. Store the flour in an air tight container and keep refrigerated. 

Recipe development and food styling for Karan Beef.

Photographed by James Strack.