The Curry Guy’s lamb nihari recipe

“You can choose the cuts of lamb you want to use for this recipe. Use only lamb shanks or perhaps go with shanks and some shoulder,” says Dan Toombs, AKA the Curry Guy.

“This is also good made with stewing beef, as it is seared before slow cooking. You will need about one kilogram of meat not including the bones, regardless of what you choose. This is a delicious curry that is served at the table with chopped coriander, lemon wedges, julienned ginger and chopped green chillies to taste.”

The Curry Guy’s lamb nihari

Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)

70ml rapeseed oil or ghee
2 onions, thinly sliced
2tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 lamb shanks and 500g lamb shoulder, cut into bite-sized pieces
½tsp sea salt, plus extra to taste

For the spice blend:
1 whole nutmeg, crushed into small pieces
1 blade of mace
2tbsp fennel seeds
3 Indian bay leaves, shredded
2.5cm real cinnamon stick or cassia bark, broken into small pieces
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp nigella seeds
1tsp cloves
2tsp cumin seeds
1tsp paprika
1tsp hot chilli powder
1tsp ground ginger
2 generous tbsp chapati flour (if you are gluten free, you can substitute 3-4tbsp of cornflour)

To serve:
Rice, chapatis or rumali roti
5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and julienned
2–3 hot fresh green chillies, finely sliced
1 handful of coriander leaves
Lemon wedges

For the garlic and ginger paste (makes about 250g):
150g garlic, roughly chopped
150g root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Method

1. For the garlic and ginger paste: Place the garlic and ginger in a food processor or pestle and mortar and blend with just enough water to make a smooth paste. Some chefs finely chop their garlic and ginger instead, which is a good alternative to making a paste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days and use as needed. If you’re planning a curry party, go ahead and get this job ticked off early. The paste can turn a bit blue or green while in the fridge. This is natural and it is not off. I often make larger batches and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be transferred to airtight plastic bags in the freezer, ready for when you get that curry craving. Be sure to let them defrost a little first.

2. Place all the whole spices for the blend in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. There is no need to roast them first when making a nihari. Add the paprika, chilli powder, ginger and chapati flour and blend again to combine. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil or ghee in your slow cooker using the sauté/searing mode or in a pan over a medium–high heat and add the sliced onions. Fry for about eight minutes or until soft, brown and translucent.

4. 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 five 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 500 millilitres of water.

5. Cover with the lid and set your slow cooker to the high setting for four hours or low for six to eight hours. 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, so don’t be tempted to add more liquid.

6. When the meat is fall-apart tender, lift the lid. If it is too watery, you can reduce it down using the sauté/searing function of your slow cooker with the lid off, or in a pan. The sauce should be quite thick thanks to the flour in the spice blend. Season with salt to taste and serve over rice or with chapatis or rumali roti. Serve with the ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves and lemon wedges, which can be added to taste at the table.

Curry Guy Slow Cooker by Dan Toombs is published by Quadrille, priced £16.99. Photography by Kris Kirkham. Available now.