Nihari- history behind the delicacy

The word nihari, originated from the urdu word “nahar”, means morning. It was originally eaten by the labour class people, and it is one of some of the rarest recipes that reached from the kitchen of common men to the Nawab’s kitchen. 

Nihari originated in Old Delhi, India, where it was eaten by the Nawabs after their morning prayer(fajr). It was a regular breakfast dish for the working classes as this dish boosted energy which enabled them to work all day. 

Nihari was slow cooked all night and was eaten in the morning. Classically prepared Nihari used to take almost 6-8 hours to stew. After the partition of India a lot of immigrant related to the food industry settled in Karachi. They quickly establish restaurants and served this dish. Since then it became a part of the Karachi cuisine.

Story by: Sohini Paul