Nihari - National dish of Pakistan (Day 86)

With Eid just around the corner OFC I had to share the national dish of Pakistan with ‪@CookingWithZainab‬
I’ve been lucky enough to have this dish so many times and honestly, it’s one of the best lamb dishes out there. it’s rich and decadent and so well-spiced. A TREAT!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 lamb shanks
1 tbsp salt
2 large onions
2 inch piece of ginger
6 garlic cloves
2 green chilies
100ml full fat yoghurt
2 bay leaves
Ground spices:
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp mace powder
½ tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp citric acid
Whole spices:
2 tbsp Fennel Seeds
2 star anise
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp green cardamom
1 black cardamom
1 large cinnamon stick
1 tsp cloves
2 long black pepper
Pat the lamb shanks dry and season with salt. Sear in the veg oil and ghee and set aside.
Blitz onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies together, then fry in the same pan for 5 mins.
Combine all the whole spices together and grind them down into a fine powder. Add along with the ground spices to the onions. Keep stirring until well combined for 1 min. Add 1/2 a cup of water and let it reduce.
To a bowl add yoghurt and whisk it for 20 secs before adding it to the spice mixture, keep stirring the whole time until the oil separates and comes to the sides, 2 mins.
To your pressure cooker or pot, add the lamb shanks, the yoghurt/spice mixture, bay leaves and 6 cups of water. Bring it to the boil, then pressure cook for 20 mins or slow cook for 2 hours.
Once the pressure has reduced, check that the lamb shanks have cooked through and skim away the excess oil, save the oil for later.
Combining 3 tbsp plain flour with 100ml water and whisk until lump free. Add it to the pot, stirring constantly to mix it through.
Let it simmer for 5-10 mins then serve topped with crispy onions, ginger, green chilies, coriander and lemon.
#nihari #nationaldish #pakistan #lamb