Nihari, now available in chicken avatar

LUCKNOW: The city’s iconic eateries, famous for their ‘Oudhi nihari’ prepared from buffalo meat and mutton, have started serving the dish prepared from chicken in the wake of the ongoing ‘meat crisis’ in Uttar Pradesh. This switchover, they said, is the ‘need of the hour’.

Tunday Kababi, which serves the world-famous galauti kebabs, was the first to replace its popular buffalo meat kebabs with chicken ones. Others followed suit and are experimenting with chicken dishes.

“The only option with eateries is to either remain shut till buffalo meat is available or go with dishes made from mutton and chicken that are more or less available,” said a restaurant owner.

Mubeens is perhaps the first to start selling chicken nihari. “Buffalo meat is not available, hence we replaced it with chicken,” said Shoeb Rizwan Quraishi, owner of the outlet, which was established in the early 1970s.

“It is proving to be the best replacement for buffalo meat nihari. But the cost cannot be matched. Buffalo meat nihari costs ₹50 whereas chicken nihari is for ₹85 (half plate). It is expensive, but we don’t have any option as buffalo meat is still scarce in UP,” he added. Quraishi said the ongoing crisis has severely affected families who often find it hard to bear the cost of mutton/chicken nihari. “I still remember the happy faces of families that used to dine at our outlet at just ₹140,” he said.

The owners of a few eateries said there is not much change in the taste after the switch-over. But chefs differ. “Use of chicken in making nihari is sheer tampering of the traditional recipe. Nihari is a delicacy made from buffalo/mutton shanks and is cooked with some select spices and herbs on slow fire, possibly overnight to give the unique taste. Such kind of preparation with chicken is unimaginable,” said Izzat Hussain, an eminent chef and an expert in traditional Oudhi cuisines.

TUNDAY KABABI WAS THE FIRST TO REPLACE ITS POPULAR BUFFALO MEAT KEBABS WITH CHICKEN ONES.