Slow cookers rule. You get to just dump a pile of meat and spices in a vat and walk away, to be hailed as some kind of culinary genius 8 hours later. This recipe is a take on a Pakistani dish, Nihari, and borrows heavily from the second edition of Anupy Singla’s cookbook The Indian Slow Cooker. The hardest step in the process is grating ginger, which speaks to how simple it is, but it yields a dish that is deeply comforting with complex flavors. Side benefit: your house smells amazing for days after cooking this. If they made candles that smelled like Nihari, I would give them out as Christmas presents. Serve with naan or rice. For real overachievers, you can whip up a batch of this equally simple mango chutney.
Nihari
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
2 pounds of venison steak
3-inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon red chile powder
2 pinches nutmeg
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
Cilantro and lime to top
Put onions and venison in slow cooker.
Add the ginger, garlic, and spices. Drizzle oil over everything. No need to mix and no need for additional liquids.
Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Finished when the venison falls apart easily.
Mango chutney
3 ripe mangoes or 24 oz frozen mangoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
2-inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon red chile powder
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
½ cup white vinegar
While your nihari is in the slow cooker, or well in advance, heat oil in a pan, then add cinnamon and cardamom.
Once they begin to sizzle, add garlic and ginger and fry for a minute, then lower the heat and stir in red chile, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds.
Add mangoes, sugar, and vinegar. Increase heat and bring to a boil, then cook on medium heat until mangoes turn tender and mushy and chutney begins to thicken. Add salt and let cool. Serve on top of your nihari and enjoy!
About Collin Peterson