A Mexican makes nihari
—Photo by author
In his highly readable book on Delhi, the noted writer Shahid Ahmed Dehalvi, recalled that nihari was concocted by a hakeem sahib in Delhi. It was meant to be taken at breakfast in winters and was supposed to act as a deterrent to cold, cough and congestion. Sadly, now the hakeem sahib must be turning in his grave for this mouth-watering beef curry is available almost round the clock at nihari joints in Karachi.
Three years ago when I told a friend one evening in Delhi that I wanted to try the Jamia Masjid nihari, he looked at me in utter amazement. He thought I had gone bonkers. “I can take you there tomorrow early in the morning,” he said and then trying to educate me he commented “Nihari means morning.”
Nihari is in one way like the English language, which gained much wider currency since the mid-fifties, almost entirely because of the Americans and their influence. The poor ahle-zaban British don’t deserve credit for that. Likewise, the Karachi walas, who frequent the joints which display the message, “subah nihari, dopahair nihari, sham nihari” (morning, noon and night nihari), have made the finger-licking delicacy popular outside the subcontinent too.
Incidentally, no one ever heard of nihari in what is now Pakistan before partition. It was brought to Karachi by two or three bhatyaras from Delhi after partition. Initially, it was only available in places like Burnes Road and Eidgah where the refugees from Delhi had settled in large numbers. Sabri Nihariwala, on what was once Bunder Road (now MA Jinnah Road), knew the pulse of the public, for he reduced the chillies thus making his speciality less hot, though not less spicy. This worked, his sales went up, and what is no less he saved money on the extra chillies that he was putting in the cauldron. Needless to say, his competitors followed in his footsteps.
Over the years, cooks from other parts of the subcontinent also started making nihari. A few years ago someone recommended that nihari served by a restaurant in one of the bylanes of Tariq Road. “There are two eateries, both displaying cauldrons of nihari, which one belongs to the man from Delhi?” I queried. Just go there, read the signboards and you will know which is genuine and which is fake.
On reaching the place I had a quick look, one said “Yehan Dilli ki asli nihari milti hai”, while the other claimed “Yehan Dilli ka asli nihari milta hai.” The second belonged to a Pathan, whose man by the cauldron was sitting idle though his chapli kabab chap was quite active. I hardly need to tell you how busy was the nihariwala on the other side of the street.
For the more health conscious people, who avoid red meat, a new option has cropped up, they get chicken nihari made at home. With nihari masala available readily not just in Pakistan but in Pakistani and Indian stores abroad, also more people make the dish at home now. They don’t add bone marrow and brain, which the seasoned nihari buffs prefer to have with their dish.
The lower middle class can’t afford this luxury so they opt for the Spartan version. A ‘single’ plate of nihari, carrying a small piece of meat, together with a couple of tandoori nans, costs Rs 30. Every evening, outside some of the nihari joints, you find poor men, women and children waiting for the dish to be served to them by Good Samaritans who pay for 5, 10 or even 25 people.
Three years ago while visiting Chennai, I went to a non-vegetarian restaurant. Its menu proudly displayed, in bold letters, nihari and paya. I ordered nihari happily only to be disappointed – the chef had added coconut milk to mutton nihari, like adding insult to injury.
A couple of months back I went to ‘Nihari House’ in Michigan. It was initially run by a Pakistani, who had married the investor, who happened to be a Filipino lady. They had employed a Bangladeshi cook. The woman found her Pakistani husband a good for nothing guy, so she got rid of him but retained her chef. The nihari tasted fine, but the best nihari that I have ever had outside Pakistan was in Chicago, where a restaurant ‘specialises’ in the dish. When I tried to find out if the chef had come from Karachi or Delhi, I was told he came from a neighbouring country. He was a Mexican, who had been a Pakistani nihari expert’s understudy for a year or so but when his mentor moved to Dallas on a much higher salary, the Mexican took over.
The man learnt to cook nihari, but never bothered to learn English. His colleagues in the kitchen, all from the subcontinent, had to learn Spanish to be able to communicate with him. Knowing the Mexican’s fondness for spices, I asked him if he took nihari home. The question was translated into Spanish and the answer that came was rendered in Urdu. The response, coming as it did from a man who made highly tasty nihari, was shocking – “Ye bhi koi khane ki cheez hai?”
The writer, who jointly authored the bestselling ‘Tales of Two Cities’ with Kuldip Nayar and more recently compiled and created ‘Mehdi Hasan: The Man and his Music’ writes and lectures on music, literature and culture. He also reviews books and pens travelogues and humorous pieces, and can be contacted at asifnoorani2002@yahoo.com
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Reading this article is so mouth watering and it was fun to read and especially the pathans version of dilli ka asli nihari .. I tasted nihari for the first time a few months ago in lahore an i instantly fell in love with its taste.. it is one of the remarkable food dish to ever exist in this world and I thank that hakeem sahab from dehli to make this this he is the colonel sanders of India.
As the well wisher of the health of the interactors on this mouth watering blog of Nihari galore I will be derelict in my duty as a physician if I did not caution bloggers incuding Noorani sahib to go easy on Niharis. It is loaded with artery clogging cholesterol and saturated fats.
Sir i think you forgot to eat Javaid Nihari which is Located in Federal B Area, Karachi do visit there whenever you come to Karachi they sell the best Nihari.
Yes, you completely missed Lahore where people eat "Nehari, Siri, Paya, Khadain, Boong, Chikar choolay, murgh choolay" and what else all breakfast . I dont know if i can mention the name or not but a very famous Nehari shop in Lahore near mazang fixed his Nehari "Daaig" inside the ground and health department came to know they have not taken it out from the ground and washed it for many years… just keep pouring fresh and tasty nehari in same every day …..still yummy..
Since I ate Nihari from the cafe owned by the filipino lady in Farmington Hills, Michigan and also in Chicago along with other places in US. I completely agree with the author's statement that though Nihari in Michigan in plenty good but the one in Chicago is the best tasting in US.
Glad to see that Indians and Pakistanis dont squabble when it comes to the origin of one thing – FOOD ! Thank God no Arabisation in this
Mexican staff happens to be part of every other restaurant in the US. Doesn't matter what the cuisine, you look in the kitchen and you are sure to find Latin staff. They are hard working and learn very quick. Most ethnic restaurants also hire them because they do happen to work on low salaries but work twice as hard (specially in Texas and California, the two states that used to be part of Mexico at one point).
Forget Dehli. Nihari belongs to Karachi. Javed, Sabri and Cafe Zaiqa. In California, try Al-Watan's nihari in Los Angeles area.
I must say that good tasting real nihari is only found in Karachi on some selected outlets. The other far distant rival is Lahore but I never tasted good real nihari there though some I found claimed to have chefs from Karachi. To be honest and contrary to all claims, for me Karachi is the food capital of Pakistan. I found this by extensively travelling throughout the country and eating all sorts of stuff everywhere.
The article reminds me of my early days as a student in UK. After moving into my very own flat, I did not know how to cook anything other than Omelette and Pasta, and so for over a week I lived on sandwiches and baked beans. A cousin of mine from a nearby city then delivered me a huge container of Nihari! which fed me for 12days (twice a day) and surprisingly I didn't grow tired of it! Nihari saved my life, felt like something that I can call mine in a place where everything was new. Oh Nihari, how I miss thee.
The Mexican workers are exploited by all including the Pakistanis. They pay them well below what is required by law. Majority of the restaurants in California, whether there are hamburger(it isn't ham,it was invented in Hamburg,Germany) joints, Italian restaurants, Japanese, Chinese or Indian/Pakistani all have Mexican staff in the back.
The Mexican I referred to could not have been exploited. I was told that he dictated his terms because the owner of the fast running Nihari joint at Devon in Chicago had no option.
What is the name of the Devon restaurant that you mention? is it Sabri or Usmania?
Asif Saab,
The Paya you ate at Chennai is not Nihari and as you called it is Paya. It is made from lamb leg roasted on live fire and then cooked in a gravy finished with coconut milk. It is never eaten with Roti or Naan but with Rice Noodles or a rice pan cake called paya which also has fermented coconut water added to the batter. It is a popular breakfast item among South Indians esp. Keralites and Tamils and should not be mixed up with Delhi's Nihari. Thanks a lot for this article which is so much of fun to read and enjoy.