Lamb shank nihari

In Pakistan, this dish is traditionally cooked all night and eaten for breakfast with hot, freshly made naans. It’s often made with extra bones so the marrow enriches the curry further. It looks like a lot of ingredients but making the nihari masala spice mix is what takes this dish to the next level.

4 HOURS 30 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY |

ghee or sunflower oil 2 tbsp onions 2, thinly sliced

garlic paste 1 tbsp

ginger paste 1 tbsp

lamb shanks 4 small

ground turmeric 1 tsp

cornflour 1 tbsp

SPICE MIX (NIHARI MASALA)

cumin seeds 1 tbsp

coriander seeds 1 tbsp

fennel seeds 2 tsp

cardamom 10 pods

star anise 2

cinnamon stick 1

cloves 10

whole black peppercorns 2 tsp

nutmeg grated to make ½ tsp

ground ginger 1 tsp

kashmiri chilli powder 1 tsp

GARNISH

ginger a thumb-sized piece, shredded

coriander a handful of leaves

green chilli 1, thinly sliced

lime 1, wedged

naans to serve

1 To make the nihari masala, tip all of the whole spices into a dry frying pan and toast for 1-2 minutes or until smelling fragrant. Tip into a spice grinder with the nutmeg, ground ginger and chilli powder, and whizz to a powder. 2 Heat the ghee in a large casserole and fry the onions with a pinch of salt over a medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes or until softened and beginning to caramelise. Tip in the garlic and ginger pastes, shanks, nihari masala, ground turmeric and a big pinch of salt. Fry for a few minutes, tossing everything to coat, then pour in 1.5 litres of water.

3 Bring to a simmer, reduce to a gentle bubble, then put on the lid and simmer gently for 2 hours, then remove the lid and cook for another 2 hours until the lamb is meltingly tender.

4 Combine the cornflour with a little cold water then tip into the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes until thickened slightly.

5 Spoon the shanks into four shallow bowls and ladle over plenty of the gravy. Sprinkle over some of the shredded ginger, coriander and green chilli. Serve with lime wedges and naans.

PER SERVING 491 kcals | fat 28.7G saturates 11.6G | carbs 9.8G | sugars 4.3G fibre 3.8G | protein 46.7G | salt 0.5G