Slow-Simmered Beef Shank Nihari with Ginger and Lemon

What you need

• 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) bone-in beef shank, cut into large pieces
• 250 g (9 oz) beef marrow bones, optional
• 100 g (1/2 cup) ghee
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 5 cm cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and finely ground
• 1 tsp dried ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2.25 l (9 1/2 cups) water, 2 l for the pot, 250 ml for the slurry
• 60 g (1/2 cup) whole wheat flour
• 5 cm fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
• 3 green chillies, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Melt the ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Fry the onion until deep brown and crisp, 10-12 min.

2. 2

   Lift out half the onion with a slotted spoon and keep it for serving.

3. 3

   Add the bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves to the pot and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.

4. 4

   Stir in the ginger paste and garlic paste and fry for 1 min.

5. 5

   Add the beef shank, the marrow bones and the salt. Brown the pieces on all sides, 8-10 min.

6. 6

   Sprinkle in the chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala, fennel, dried ginger and nutmeg. Stir for 2 min until the spices smell toasted, adding a spoonful of water if they start to catch.

7. 7

   Pour in 2 l of water and bring to a boil. Skim off any grey foam.

8. 8

   Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat until the meat is soft enough to fall off the bone, 4-5 hours. Check every hour and top up with hot water so the meat stays covered.

9. 9

   Whisk the flour with 250 ml of water until no lumps remain.

10. 10

    Spoon off some of the spiced fat floating on top into a small bowl and keep it warm.

11. 11

    Pour the flour slurry into the pot in a thin stream, stirring all the time.

12. 12

    Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until the gravy turns thick and silky and no longer tastes floury, 20-30 min.

13. 13

    Taste and adjust the salt.

14. 14

    Ladle into bowls and spoon some of the reserved fat over each one.

15. 15

    Top with the fried onion, ginger matchsticks, green chillies and coriander leaves. Serve with the lemons for squeezing.

Imported from archanaskitchen.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.