The Authentic Tastes, Part 1

In this series, I am going to write about very popular cuisines that used to be a part of our culture and ethnicity, as Indians have always been motivated about food, be it socially or religiously. But in our modern-day lives in the metropolis, most of the cuisines have been altered, and because of the famous names of the dishes, something else is being sold in their names. As it is the month of Ramadan, I am going to start with Nihari, a delicacy that has long been associated with Nawabi culture.So let's start!

The first point, Nihari is a delicacy that is supposed to be eaten at breakfast, after being cooked slowly over wood fire throughout the night. It is disheartening to see that people are getting the meat off-gas in 45 minutes and calling it nihari.

The second point, Nihari is always and only cooked in pure mustard oil. There are a lot of shops in India which portray Nihari being cooked in pure ghee. The moment it is being cooked in ghee, the entire recipe changes as the main composition of the dish changes.

And, the third point, which hurts me to some point, when I see a menu with the dish, "Chicken Nihari".Leave the poor bird alone for some time! Adding chicken to every recipe does not only embarrasses the soul of the chicken but also does misjudgement to the name of the dish. Nihari must have a lot of fat which can only come from all the fat being dissolved into the gravy. This is the point why nihari needs to be left on low heat for such a long time. For the taste of nihari, the fat and the marrow needs to mix with the gravy.

And the last point, Nihari masala that comes in packets at shops are a disgrace. Nihari includes over twenty-five spices.

So basically, we can come to the conclusion that very few of us till date have tasted authentic nihari. So, for that, visit Lucknow to taste Rahim ki Nihari during Eid! I guess I will be there, and we can catch up on a meal!