A Feastful of Nihari with Sheermal.

    I have come to the realisation that South Asian cuisine in the UK is very, VERY limited when the dishes we have in store are so vast and varied with countless amazing discoveries that a lot of people have yet to try. And even when you do end up getting some staple dishes, most Indian restaurants and takeaways butcher it so much just to appease to the UK palate that it loses its appeal that originally made them such culinary revolutionaries. (Just look at what they do with the Kormas, the butter chickens and the pasandas and you'll know what I'm talking about).
    So I've decided to introduce the UK (and other countries in the West) to dishes which you might not come across commonly here, or present dishes like how they were originally intended to be with no drastic changes being made.



    This dish is called 'Nihari' which is slow cooked meat stew made with a bevvy of special spices, served with an assortment of garnishes like fried onions, ginger slices, chopped green chillies and lemon. This is accompanied with a special bread known as Sheermal.

    Nihari's origins can be dated all the back to the late 18th century during the latter period of the Mughal Empire where it was introduced in parts of India such as Lucknow, Bhopal and Old Delhi. After the partition, many migrants to Pakistan brought this dish over to Karachi which became a roaring success and is now served all across the city.
    The recipe involves having large pieces of meat slowly cooked in rich thick gravy for hours in ghee (which is clarified butter). Its usually made with beef but since I was short of time, I opted to make it with chicken as it cooks faster. (the beef version needs at least 8 to 10 hours for it to be made).

    Sheermal is a special mildly sweetened flatbread made with milk, eggs, ghee and saffron. It's origins can be traced back to Persia with the name even coming from the farsi language. Persian Mughals during their time period had it as part of their cuisine and was later brought over to the subcontinent where it became popular in Bhopal, Lucknow and Hyderabad. It is also very popular in Karachi when migrants brought it to the city after the partition and can be had from many tandoor bakeries. Its best served with rich curries, kebabs or even eaten on its own with tea during tea time.

    Both of these delicacies are usually made for special occasions and for good measure. The moment you dunk that sheermal into the Nihari (garnished with green chillies, ginger slices, crispy fried onions and squeezed lemon) as the tender chunks of meat melt in your mouth with the rich gravy accompanying it, it's brings with it a sort of magic to your mouth that is unique and truly mesmerising.

    Savouring this dish in its entirety will make you appreciate why this formed part of the Mughlai and Awadhi cuisine and served to royal Nawabs back then. Its a must try for any budding foodie willing to take their taste buds to new heights.
    Truth be told, this was my very first attempt at making both. I couldn't find a single place that would sell Sheermal so decided to make them myself and suffice to say, the results were pretty good!

Here are the recipes:

Nihari Recipe
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Ingredients:

- 1kg meat of your choice (Beef, Lamb, Chicken) - You can use on the bone or boneless. Since I made chicken nihari, I opted for boneless thigh pieces instead of breast as they fare out better IMO,  but feel free to use what you like.
- 1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or oil
- 1 onion finely sliced.
- 75 grams flour

For the nihari spice mix you'll need:

- 2 tbsp ground coriander
- 4 tbsp ground fennel / caraway seeds
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tbsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tbsp ground mace
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tbsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tbsp ground star anise
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric

For the garnishing you'll need:

- Chopped coriander (just a small handful of it should do)
- 4 to 5 bullet chilies sliced
- Sliced ginger - julienned (Use as much as you like)
- Lemon cut into wedges

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Preparation:

- In a large pot, heat up 1/2 cup of the ghee / oil. Add in the meat and stir fry for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- In a bowl add in all the spices and mix them well, then add it to the meat, making sure it covers it well. Fry for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now depending on the meat you're using add in the following amount of glasses of water:
     - For beef and lamb, add in 4 to 6 glasses of water. 
     - For chicken, add in 2 to 3 glasses of water. 
- Cover and cook on low heat until meat is tender (Chicken will take around 1 to 2 hours, lamb will take 3 to 4 hours and beef will take 5 to 7 hours. Keep checking on the pot to see whether meat has become tender in the span of time)
- take the flour and mix it thoroughly with 1 cup of water until it's become properly liquefied. Gradually add it to the gravy, stirring well while adding it.
- Cook on medium to high flame for another 10 minutes until the ghee / oil separates from the gravy. Your nihari should then be ready

- In a separate frying pan, add in the remaining 1/2 cup of ghee / oil, and fry the sliced onions until they are browned. Take them out of the pan and save the leftover ghee / oil. This can be used to add in on        top of the nihari when you serve it in a plate, should you so desire (Completely optional).

- In a separate plate, put the chopped coriander, sliced chillies, julienned ginger, lemon wedges and the fried onions for garnish when you serve the nihari.

- Enjoy!

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Sheermal Recipe:
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Ingredients:

- 500gms flour
- 4 to 5 tbsps sugar (Preferably castor sugar, but if you don't have that then use any type)
- 1tbsp yeast (Or 1 packet of yeast)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (aka Bicarbonate of Soda)
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
- 150 gms ghee / butter slightly melted 
- 150 ml milk (Which should be lukewarm)
- 1 egg whisked.

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Preparation:

- Take half a cup of lukewarm water and add in the yeast along with 1/2 tsp of sugar. Cover and set it aside for 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, add in all the ingredients together with the active yeast, except the flour and mix well.
- Next add in the flour gradually mixing it in between as you add it.
- Knead well to form a dough. Make sure to keep the dough a little soft and not too hard.
- Take the dough and put it in a bowl that's slightly greased. cover the top of the bowl with cling film and a kitchen cloth and leave it for about 2 hours to let it rise.
- Set the top grill of the oven to about 190 degrees Celsius (170 degrees for fan assisted oven).
- Also take a pan and let it heat on a stove on low flame.
- Take the risen dough from the bowl, knead it slightly more on a lightly floured surface and make small balls. You should be able to get 5 to 6 balls.
- Make some sugar syrup by adding 1 tbsp sugar in a little water. 
- Roll the dough balls into a circular shape. Once rolled out, perforate it using a fork, making multiple holes on the top row by row.
- Brush the top half of the rolled out dough with the sugar syrup.
- Have some cold water in a bowl. Take the rolled out dough in one hand and with the other hand, put some water on the bottom side of the dough and place it on the pan. Let it cook for a couple of minutes or until the bottom half is done.
- Once the base is cooked, take it out of the pan and place the sheermal onto a baking tray and put it in the middle shelf of the oven and let it bake for around 5 to 10 minutes or until it turns golden brown.
- After the sheermal is baked, take it out of the oven and dip it in a bowl of cold water for 2 to 3 seconds. This will make the sheermal soft. 
- Lastly brush the sheermal with some ghee / butter and cover it with a plate. This will ensure the sheermal remains soft. 
- Repeat the steps with all the remaining balls of dough

- Enjoy your freshly baked sheermal with your choice of curries (I recommend curries with rich gravies) or on its own during tea time!

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