Name: Slow Cooker Lamb Nihari
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 lamb shanks and 500g (1.1lb.) lamb shoulder cut into bite sized pieces (See Notes); 1⁄2 tsp salt, plus extra to taste; 70ml (1⁄4 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; FOR THE NIHARI SPICE BLEND; 1 whole nutmeg, crushed into small pieces; 1 blade of mace; 2 tbsp fennel seeds; 3 Indian bay leaves (cassia leaves), shredded; 2.5cm (1in) piece of cinnamon stick or cassia bark, broken into small pieces; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds); 1 tsp cloves; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp hot chilli powder; 1 tsp ground ginger; 2 generous tbsp chapati flour; GARNISHES FOR THE TABLE; 5cm (2in) piece of ginger, peeled and julienned; 2–3 hot fresh green chillies, finely sliced; Handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves; Lemon wedges

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This slow cooker nihari recipe is just as good as more traditional ways of cooking the curry.

You are going to love this one! I did have my doubts whether a nihari could be cooked in a slow cooker. I needn't have worried!

The meat was super tender and the sauce was exactly as a nihari sauce should be. Funny thing was, it was easier to get that nihari flavour and texture in a slow cooker than in a pot on the stove.

About this slow cooker nihari

This recipe was a bit of an experiment for me that just happened to turn out perfectly. Result! I wanted to achieve the traditional thick sauce and decided to add chickpea flour to the nihari spice blend.

Usually, you would add a slurry of chickpea flour and water to thicken the sauce at the end of cooking. Adding the flour with the spices actually worked and I was really happy with the flavour and texture of the curry.

The meat was really tender which is important. If you find that after 4 hours yours isn't fall apart tender, just cook it a little longer. I don't think you will need to.

Which cuts of meat are the best for a lamb nihari?

I usually only use lamb shanks for this curry. This time I used two shanks and some lamb shoulder cut into bite sized pieces on the bone. As I mentioned above, this was an experiment and I wanted to see if one cut was better than the other.

Both the lamb shanks and smaller shoulder pieces came out really tender. So you could use one or the other or do as I did and try both.

The shanks, in my opinion are really important as the marrow oozes out of the large bones and flavours the sauce.

Do you have to make the nihari spice blend from scratch?

No but it is better than any you can purchase. You will find nihari spice blends at most Indian grocers and they aren't bad. Sometimes they are quite spicy though so read the label if you don't want a fiery hot nihari.

Nihari curries usually aren't very spicy.

Do you have to fry the onions, garlic and ginger and meats first?

Yes and no. Yes, if you want the best flavour because frying the onions, garlic and ginger paste and meat triggers the Maillard reaction. Simply explained, the Maillard reaction is what happens when amino acids and natural sugars are broken down in or over a high heat. The optimal temperature for the Maillard reaction is between 140-165°C (284-330°F ) so it happens when you fry things or roast them in a hot oven .When this happens, the flavour of what is being cooked changes. For example, raw onions taste a lot different to browned onions. Boiled meat tastes different to fried meat because boiling water is not hot enough to achieve the Maillard reaction.

So frying these ingredients first will add delicious depth of flavour to the curry. If you want to, you could just throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker without the additional step of frying but the flavour will be different and no where near as good.

So it's really down to you. Do you want awesome flavour or do you want the ease of just throwing everything in? I'll let you decide that one.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

Curries actually taste better the next day. You can store your slow cooker nihari in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat it, just pour it into a pan and heat it up over a medium heat. You can also place it in the microwave.

Slow cooker nihari freezes well too. You can freeze it for up to 6 months. Be sure to date and label the container before freezing.

Step by step photographs.

The ingredients for the recipe measure and laid out to start cooking. — Get all your ingredients measured out and ready before you start cooking.

The whole spices in a spice grinder ready for grinding. — Place the whole spices in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Adding the paprika, chilli powder, ground turmeric and chickpea flour to the ground spices. — Add the paprika, chilli powder and turmeric to the ground spices. Then add two generous tablespoons of chapati flour and blend.

Melting the ghee in the slow cooker pot. — In a pan or multi cooker, melt 70ml (1/4 cup) ghee over a high heat.

Frying the onions in the ghee until soft, translucent and lightly browned. — Fry the onions until soft, translucent and lightly browned.

Browning the meat in the slow cooker pot. — Season the meat with salt and then add it to the pot/pan Cook for a few minutes and stir well to brown all over.

Adding the garlic and ginger paste to the pot. — Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry, stirring regularly for another minute or so.

Adding the ground spice and flour mixture to the meat in the pot. — Now add the ground spice and flour mixture and again stir it in to coat for about 30 seconds.

Adding water to the meat in the pot. — Add 500ml (2 cups) water and push the meat down as best you can. It may not be completely covered with liquid.

The finished slow cooker nihari in the slow cooker pot. — Cook on high for 4 hours. The meat will reduce in size some and you will have a nice thick gravy.

The slow cooker beef nihari in a serving bowl with garnishes. — Serve topped with your garnishes of choice including lemon wedges, green chillies, julienned ginger and chopped coriander (cilantro).

If you like this slow cooker nihari, you might like to try some of these too.

Have you tried this slow cooker nihari recipe?

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Yield: 4

Slow Cooker Lamb Nihari

This is a super easy way to make lamb nihari. Simply set the timer to high for 4 hours and let your slow cooker do all the work. For best results, fry off the onions, garlic and ginger paste and meat before slow cooking.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 lamb shanks and 500g (1.1lb.) lamb shoulder cut into bite sized pieces (See Notes)
1⁄2 tsp salt, plus extra to taste
70ml (1⁄4 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
FOR THE NIHARI SPICE BLEND
1 whole nutmeg, crushed into small pieces
1 blade of mace
2 tbsp fennel seeds
3 Indian bay leaves (cassia leaves), shredded
2.5cm (1in) piece of cinnamon stick or cassia bark, broken into small pieces
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 generous tbsp chapati flour
GARNISHES FOR THE TABLE
5cm (2in) piece of ginger, peeled and julienned
2–3 hot fresh green chillies, finely sliced
Handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Place all the whole spices in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Add the paprika, chilli powder, ground ginger and chapati flour and blend some more to combine. Set aside.
Heat the ghee in your multi cooker or in a pan over a high heat and add the sliced onions. Fry for about 8 minutes or until soft, brown and translucent.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for another minute. Season the meat with the salt and add it to the pot. Stir regularly for about 5 minutes to brown the meat and then add the nihari spice blend. Stir well so the meat is completely coated with the spice blend and then add 500ml (2 cups) water.
Set your slow cooker high for 4 hours and push the meat down as much as you can into the liquid. The meat will reduce in size as it cooks and there will be more gravy when finished.
After 4 hours, lift the lid. Season with salt to taste and serve over rice or with chapatis or rumali rotis. Serve with all the garnishes which can be added to taste to the curry at the table.

Notes

1. THE MEAT: You want approximately 1kg (2.2lbs) meat. This can be a combination of lamb shanks and shoulder cuts or one or the other. I love the shank meat and the marrow you get from the bones. So 4 small shanks would work too.

2. THE NIHARI SPICE BLEND: Making homemade nihari spice powder really takes the flavour up a notch. You could use shop bought nihari spice powder though.