Nalli Nihari -The Morning Meaty

The winter chilly morning meat widely consumed in India

The buttery stew Nalli Nihari which is defined as " The Breakfast like a King", is a Muslim specialty. Nalli Nihari is a stew based dish, made by slow cooking meat along with the bone barrow usually overnight. Nihari comes from the Urdu word Nihar which originated from the Arabic Nahaar , meaning "morning". It was originally eaten by Nawabs in the Mughal Empire as a breakfast item after their Islamic morning prayer.

The origin of Nihari dates back to the 17th-18th century where historians claim that Nihari was developed in Old Delhi, while some say it was of product of the finest Awadhi khansamas and took its final shape in the kitchens of Old Delhi. The dispute between the people for its origin marked one of the greatest milestone of the Indian cuisine. Nihari meat is also said to be an origin of Indo- Persian by the Mughals. Mutton Nihari later made its way to the royal court, where Hakims directed the head chef to infuse fenugreek seed and turmeric as a preventive measure for ailments caused due to cold and cough during winter days.

Nalli Nihari is huge part of Pakistan cuisine too and a very famous meat. After the partition when a significant part of Delhi-based Muslims found refuge in Pakistan in 1947, they took their Nihari with them and added to its staple food diet. Today, Nalli Nihari is part of almost every restaurant in Pakistan. Nihari meat has been a popular delicacy in parts of Bangladesh, particularly Dhaka and Chittagong too.

It was only down the years, that Nalli Nihari became the most prominent flavor of the masses and the Mughal army, who would consume the stew for its energy-boosting properties and cross through the wintery-mornings of Delhi. Traditionally, Nihari was prepared overnight for six to eight hours, in large pots for working class laborers, who were involved in construction of Mughal forts and palaces and was served early morning. The first thing which was served to the workers in the morning for free was Nihari.

Haji Shabrati Nihariwale and Kallu Nihariwale are some of the oldest and loved Nihari outlets in old Delhi. Nalli Nihari is served with Khameeri roti or tandoori roti/naan in most parts of Delhi.