Yesterday ended as one of the most miserable days in San Francisco that we've had since winter. A cold biting wind came off the ocean, tourists huddled inside the cablecar too blue to speak (instead of hanging on the outside hooting and hollering), and the few street people still out in the frigid dusk muttered their spare-a-dimes through clenched teeth.
It would've been the perfect time for a Muslim breakfast, such as sheep's trotters in broth (nahari / nihari). Warm and comforting, splendid just before either heading out into the chill predawn, or settling in for a long nap ere heading to the masjid around noon (if you live in Delhi or Lahore).
It would also be perfect for shabbes morning, but you might be replete and far too sluggish for shacharis afterwards. Still, I heartily recommend it. You can even prepare it ahead, keeping it warm overnight.
PAYA NAHARI ( نہاری )
Eight sheep's trotters, well-scrubbed.
Eight marrow bones.
Two large or three medium onions, chopped.
Three or four cloves garlic, minced.
A generous thumb of ginger, minced.
One Tablespoon ground coriander.
Half a Tablespoon cayenne.
One teaspoon ground cumin.
Half a teaspoon turmeric.
One teaspoon garam masala (Sindhi style - it is more fragrant).
Half a teaspoon salt.
Three or four whole black cardamom pods (bari elaichi).
Three or four whole star anise.
Three or four Jalapeňos, left whole.
A generous handful or two of chopped cilantro, or cilantro and parsley mixed.
Brown the onions in ghee or oil. Add the garlic and ginger, gild, then add the ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Stir till fragrant. Stir in the remaining spices and salt, put the trotters and marrow bones in the pan along with the whole green chilies, cover with plenty of water or meat broth, and simmer for several hours. Put in the chopped herbs to wilt with a little extra garam masala for fragrance. Serve with wedges of lime on the side for squeezing over, plus chopped green chili for heat.
It should be soupy. Feel free to slurp the soft meat off the bones.
Freshly baked sourdough baguette is a splendid accompaniment, as well as hot cardamom coffee.
Note I: Like tsholnt, it benefits from a long period on low heat. You could place it in the oven or on the blech overnight and have it for breakfast.
Note II: The Jalapeňos are left whole, so that they may impart their fragrance. You could eat them alongside the nahari - they will have mellowed considerably after cooking.
Note III: For broth or stock, added in lieu of water, I like to take shank bones, rub 'em with a little olive oil, and roast them dark in the oven, then simmer them with scrap mutton for a few hours. It yields a flavourful browned-bone broth which combines nicely with spices.
I should mention that while it would've been a perfect evening for a Muslim breakfast, I didn't have any; I didn't feel like going over to the Queen of Sheba Market (near Masjid At-Tawhid, Polk and Bush) and negotiating with the Yemeni woman for odd sheep bits. Instead I climbed under the comforter with Savage Kitten, and a cup of strong tea, and read for several hours. It was just as good.
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Additional notes: paya should be skin on. This adds to the rich gelatinous saveur.
Some people also add a touch of saffron to nahari before setting it to simmer. It does indeed add to the aroma, but I am not convinced that it is worthwhile. Try it for yourself.
Additional spices, which can be added in small pinches: mace, dry ginger, cinnamon powder. These are all present in the Sindhi garam masala, but a little but extra cannot hurt.
If you do not have access to warm sourdough baguette, eat it with taftan or roomali roti.
Instead of cardamom coffee to drink with, strong sweet milk tea made with cardamom, ginger, and fennel seed is, likewise, and excellent idea.
Or try that coffee that Vietnamese-Americans prefer - the type made with chicory. Either French Market (red can) or Cafe Du Monde (yellow can), made strong and served with condensed milk. Over ice (cafe sua da ) or not (café sua nong) is your choice.
As a side note, I first became aware of nahari in the year that 'In Custody' (directed by Ismail Merchant) came out.
It was not actually described anywhere in the movie, or the book (by Anita Desai), but surely it was part of the atmosphere. The dish is Delhi to da max. Or was, when Delhi was still the centre of Urdu rather than "Hindi".
In the book, the poet Nur kvetches, wails, laments, bemoans the change in his city, but almost gloats over the fine biriani still to be had from a Pathan foodstall in the area behind the Jama Masjid in Delhi. It is made with fine long grains of rice, succulent goat, real ghee, and kashmiri saffron.
After seeing the movie and reading the book, I ended up experimenting with biriani and other Delhi dishes, and reading about ghazals and shayarat in general. Which all fit in well with being the khazanchi of a local Indian restaurant for several years.
One's professional expertise and personal pleasures should always overlap, if possible.
Speaking of (soon to be) champions: my thanks go to the men of Oranje for allowing Italy to fight another day. Thanks for not tanking it.
BoTH, I hesitate to ask, but what exactly is a "trotter"? Something to do with the legs, wherewith they trot?
Tzipporah,
Trotters are feetsies. The portion of the fore or hind leg that is usually trimmed off, as no significant cut of meat can be found there. But there is plenty of meat, as well as sinew and cartilage - which contribute magnificently to the gelatinous quality of dishes made with feet.
One can very well substitute other parts of the beast, if peds disgust. Then it will still be nahari, but not paya nahari.
I suggest shanks, or even tough mutton chops. A rich bone-stock does become essential if one does not use the paya.
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