Nahiri in Boston

[tamerlanenj]

I've just learned about the famous Dehlian stew nahiri. Is it available in any of the Boston Indian joints?

[sekbowmeyaa]

Yes nihari is served at medina market in allston and is also served at a place called grain and salt round the corner, medina market is better though and cheaper. The nihari there is delicious! Also in NYC there is alot of Nihari at most pakistani returants.

[elbev]

The dish you are thinking of is called nihari (or nehari), which is most commonly eaten at breakfast with sheermaal (a thick dense nan) and sometimes referred to as marrow stew. It is associated with the Muslim working classes of Delhi, but it is extremely common in other parts of North India, Pakistan and Hyderabad in southern India. Typically it consists of tough lamb or beef parts (usually trotters and thigh meat) stewed until tender for several hours with various spices including red chili, cinnamon and onion. Popular variations include maghaz (brain) or zuban (tongue) nihari. I am personally not a big fan of trotters and organ meat - especially at breakfast - so have tended to avoid nihari, though the stew itself is quite aromatic and delicious. Usually when one finds it in the US it is a thick beef (or lamb and sometimes even chicken) curry. The more Americanized version of nihari is probably available somewhere in Boston. When Maharaja was open on Mass Ave in Porter they had what I had been told was an excellent version. I would imagine you can probably get it at lunch time at Indian or Pakistani places that cater to recent immigrant or student populations (Allston-Brighton, maybe Medford or Framingham). Call around and check it out. If you are interested in the organ meat and trotter stew version, it is worth asking around, but you might have to go somewhere with a denser Indian, or even better Pakistani, population like NY/NJ.

[opinionatedchef]

thanks much for that info. very helpful and interesting. 1st time i've heard of a people having a meat dish as their breakfast(i do not count bacon or sausage as an entree), much less poorer people, who tend ,around the world, to have mega starch as their breakfast.

[newhound]

Though also eaten at other meals, beef pho is a pretty common breakfast in Viet Nam, though it's debatable whether soup fully qualifies as a meat dish.

[peregrine]

steak and eggs? very common in USA.

[drogba]

In that case, I've seen nahiri on the menu at Madina Market on Brighton Ave in Allston. I'd call and ask them to confirm it's on the menu before heading out there.

[tamerlanenj]

I should try to figure out which Indian places might be owned/operated by Dehlians and beg them to add it to the menu!

[hiddenboston]

I've never seen that at any Indian restaurant in Boston. Perhaps a local restaurant owner would be kind enough to add this to their menu! I'd love to try it...

[Bostonbob3]

Wow, I haven't had that anywhere outside of Delhi. It's REALLY good. From I heard in India, the chilis are used to try and counteract the area's horrible water supply. Doesn't sound appetizing, but the stew is excellent.

[tamerlanenj]

It's a beef stew simmered overnight with lots of red chilis. The chilis were thought to have germ killing properties.

[tatamagouche]

And what is it, pray tell?