Whole dried red chilli – 12 to 15 [reduce if you can’t stand too much heat]
Cloves – 2 tbsp
Green cardamoms – 5
Black cardamoms – 3
Black peppercorn – 25 to 30 [reduce if you don’t want too spicy]
Poppy seeds – 4 to 5 tbsp
Bay leaves – 2
Mace – 1 blade
Dried ginger powder – 2 tbsp
Nutmeg powder – ½ tbsp
Cinnamon sticks – 4 to 5 one inch pieces
Roasted chana dal powder – 4 to 5 tbsp
For the gravy
Lamb marrow bones – 500 gms [Though this should be ideally done with marrow bones (nalli) as the name suggests, I couldn’t get only nalli, so I made my version with mixed pieces]
Nihari masala – 2 tbsp
Onions – 2, medium
Ginger – ½ inch piece
Whole wheat flour – 2 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Oil/clarified butter (ghee) – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
Instructions
To make the nihari masala, dry roast all the ingredients listed under Nihari Masala till fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cold, grind to a fine powder. Sieve the mixture and store in the refrigerator in an airtight jar.
Heat the oil or ghee in a pressure cooker or a heave bottomed pot. Add the lamb pieces and the nihari masala and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add four cups of water and fit the lid of the pressure cooker tightly. Cook under pressure till 6 to 7 whistles. If cooking in a pot, cook covered till the meat is soft and tender.
Slice the onions and deep fry them till golden brown. Set aside. Cut the ginger into thin strips.
Remove the lid when the pressure is completed reduced and pour the content into a wok.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stir in half the fried onion and half the ginger strips. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Combine the whole wheat flour with 6 tablespoons of water and mix well till smooth. Add this to the sauce and continue to simmer till the gravy thickens.
Add salt and stir in the lemon juice. Mix well.
Serve hot, garnished with the remaining fried onions, ginger strips and chopped coriander leaves.
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at http://www.flavorquotient.com/?p=111