Lamb Nihari

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The Golden Temple

📍 Where this dish comes from: Amritsar, Punjab · The Golden Temple
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Lamb Nihari, plated and ready to serve

Nihari is Delhi’s greatest slow-cooked creation — a Mughal-era dish eaten at dawn after the Fajr prayer, designed to sustain laborers through a day of hard work. The slow, overnight braise extracts extraordinary depth from the lamb shanks, creating a sauce of remarkable complexity. This is the ultimate slow-cook: lamb shanks braised from dusk until dawn in a sauce of nihari masala, marrow-rich bone stock, and whole spices until the meat collapses into silky, unctuous, deeply aromatic threads that rank among the most profoundly flavored things you will ever eat.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Lamb Nihari

Lamb Nihari

Lamb shanks braised from dusk until dawn in a sauce of nihari masala, marrow-rich bone stock, and whole spices until the meat collapses into silky threads.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 480kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 lamb shanks (about 1kg total)
  • 4 tbsp ghee
  • 2 large onions sliced
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp fennel Nihari Masala
  • 1 tsp cumin Nihari Masala
  • 1/2 tsp mace Nihari Masala
  • 3 green cardamom Nihari Masala
  • 3 cloves Nihari Masala
  • 1 tsp black pepper Nihari Masala
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg Nihari Masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder Nihari Masala
  • 1 tsp red chili powder Nihari Masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric Nihari Masala
  • 1 tbsp almond flour (thickener) Nihari Masala
  • Salt Nihari Masala
  • Ginger julienne, lemon, and green chilies to serve Nihari Masala

Instructions

  • Brown shanks on all sides in ghee, 10 minutes.
  • Add onions and cook until deep golden.
  • Add ginger-garlic paste and all spices; cook 3 minutes.
  • Add almond flour; stir 1 minute to coat.
  • Add 1.5L hot water; bring to a boil.
  • Cover and cook on very low heat 3–4 hours.
  • Meat should fall from bone; thicken sauce if needed.
  • Serve with ginger julienne, lemon, and green chilies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 480kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 32g | Fiber: 1g
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Cooking Lamb Nihari in the kitchen

Health Benefits

  • Lamb shank provides a particularly high concentration of collagen compared to most other common cuts.
  • Mace contains macelignan, a compound studied for its potential neuroprotective properties.
  • The long braise creates bioavailable minerals from bone, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Pairs Well With

  • Cauliflower Pulao
  • Almond Flour Roti
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