Many of you know that I am from Lucknow, and I am always being asked for the recipes Lucknow is famous for. Nahari Paya is one of the recipes.
And it is perhaps, the most requested one on my blog. So, finally it is here.
Nalli Nahari is made with the leg pieces of lamb, they are cooked in special spices, but as I made it at home I used the homemade spices that give the exact same flavour.
Nahari should be cooked on low heat for long, and the curry has to be sticky, the longer you cook the stickier it is.
It is had with Kulcha, the recipe of which will go live tomorrow, (watch for this space).
We cover easy and simple recipes that are fast to cook, and Nalli Nahari is not that, it requires a certain level of skills to make it perfect in one go. But you can still try. Below is the recipes of Nalli Nahari with step by step instructions along with pictures.
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hours
Serving: 4
| Ingredients | Quantity |
| Nalli/Paya/ Lamb leg pieces | 4 paya or 1/2 kg |
| Onion | 4 onions for boiling with nalli , 1 for grind, 2 for frying |
| Ginger-garlic paste | 2 teaspoon |
| Turmeric powder | 1/2 teaspoon for boiling lamb and 1/2 teaspoon for spice |
| Salt | to taste |
| Mustard oil | 3/4 cup |
| Bay leaf | 2 |
| Cinnamon stick | 1/2 inch piece |
| Tomato | 1 |
| Cumin seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Cardamom green | 2 |
| Cardamom brown | 1 |
| Cloves | 5 |
| Nutmeg | small pinch |
| Mace | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Red chilly powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Coriander powder | for garnish |
Method:
1. Clean, wash the lamb leg pieces. Take pressure cooker and add lamb leg pieces, diced onion, turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup mustard oil, 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and 1 –1/2 glass of water. Close the lid and pressure cook it on high heat for one whistle then low the flame and cook for another 45 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the pressure settles down.
2. Open cooker and mash the onion with spatula. You will feel the gravy is thick enough. Keep it aside. Grind cumin seeds, black pepper, cloves, cardamom green, cardamom brown, Mace, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (I used my homemade ginger-garlic paste), 1 diced onion, cinnamon stick along with 2 tablespoon water to make fine paste.
3. Heat the non stick pan with remaining 1/2 cup oil and temper with bay leaf.
4. Add chopped onions in the pan and fry it till light golden in color. Add ground paste in the wok.
5. Add chopped tomato, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Cook the spices on low flame till oil shows separately.
6. Add cooked spices into the pressure cooker along with a glass of water. Mix it well. Check salt, if needed add more salt. Pressure cook it for one whistle on high flame, then cook for another 10 minutes on low flame. Switch off the flame, let the pressure settle down. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapatti, kulcha, naan etc.
7. Enjoy!!
Note:
You can add or subtract red chilly powder to your taste bud.
You can add more or less water while cooking the lamb, its totally depend on you what is the consistency you want in Nihari. But usually the gravy is slightly thin.
You can also cook the lamb pieces in wok but you will have to boil it for 3 hours on slow heat . I used pressure cooker to cook it in less time.
The more time it will cook , the gravy will be more tastier.
Always add less salt, check first then add more if need.
Print Friendly Recipe
- Nalli/Paya/ Lamb leg pieces 4 paya or 1/2 kg
- Onion 4 onions for boiling with nalli , 1 for grind, 2 for frying
- Ginger-garlic paste 2 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon for boiling lamb and 1/2 teaspoon for spice
- Salt to taste
- Mustard oil 3/4 cup
- Bay leaf 2
- Cinnamon stick 1/2 inch piece
- Tomato 1
- Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
- Cardamom green 2
- Cardamom brown 1
- Cloves 5
- Nutmeg small pinch
- Mace 1/4 teaspoon
- Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
- Red chilly powder 1 teaspoon
- Coriander powder for garnish
- Clean, wash the lamb leg pieces. Take pressure cooker and add lamb leg pieces, diced onion, turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup mustard oil, 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and 1 –1/2 glass of water.
- Close the lid and pressure cook it on high heat for one whistle then low the flame and cook for another 45 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the pressure settles down.
- Open cooker and mash the onion with spatula. You will feel the gravy is thick enough. Keep it aside.
- Grind cumin seeds, black pepper, cloves, cardamom green, cardamom brown, Mace, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (I used my homemade ginger-garlic paste), 1 diced onion, cinnamon stick along with 2 tablespoon water to make fine paste.
- Heat the non stick pan with remaining 1/2 cup oil and temper with bay leaf.
- Add chopped onions in the pan and fry it till light golden in color. Add ground paste in the wok.
- Add chopped tomato, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Cook the spices on low flame till oil shows separately.
- Add cooked spices into the pressure cooker along with a glass of water. Mix it well. Check salt, if needed add more salt. Pressure cook it for one whistle on high flame, then cook for another 10 minutes on low flame.
- Switch off the flame, let the pressure settle down. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapatti, kulcha, naan etc
