Breakfasts in India doesn’t always involve non-vegetarian dishes. We might be so used to expecting eggs for breakfast that we aren’t aware that in different regions of India, breakfast foods also involve meats or otherwise. It’s time to step out of the territory of poha and aloo puri, and explore some of the regional non-vegetarian breakfast dishes that’ll change the way you start your day. Here are 5 non-vegetarian Indian breakfast recipes that most Indians cherish, and stick around till the end of this article for a special surprise!
1. Nihari-
Image Credit: yummyoyummy.com
This dish also comes from Kerala which showcases an innovative Indian way to have eggs in the morning. Boiled eggs are tossed in a masala base and stuffed between layers of rice flour and coconut stuffing to make this perfect parcel or puthus, if you want something that is handy and equally flavourful on the inside. This dish requires a dedicated puthu maker but if you’re anything of a foodie, you’d definitely try this sweet and savoury egg dish that can beat your boring scrambled eggs any day of the week. The rice flour-coconut stuffing adds a subtle hint of sweetness until you reach the middle of the puthu, which consists of half a boiled egg tossed in spicy onion and tomato base, forming the savoury part of the puthu.
Now that you’ve stuck around till the end of the article, here’s the surprise for you. Making a Nihari overnight for 6 hours can be cumbersome so we’ve brought for you a recipe that can do the same in 30 minutes, using the humble pressure cooker in your kitchen. Strap in as soon as your morning begins and ditch your flavourless protein shakes to prepare a nihari that’ll fill your heart and soul as much as your belly.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams mutton with bones (preferably the shank)
- 3 heaping tbsp of nihari masala
- ½ cup neutral cooking oil
- 2 tbsp garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- ½ cup wheat flour or atta
- 4 cups of water
To make Nihari masala:
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 5-6 cardamom pods
- 1/3rd piece of nutmeg
- 2 pieces of mace
- 4 to 5 cloves
- 6-7 bay leaves
- 4 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp dry pomegranate seeds
- 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp paprika powder
For Garnishing:
- 5 sprigs of chopped coriander leaves
- 3-4 green chillies, chopped finely
- 3 tbsp of ginger, julienned
Method:
To make the nihari masala:
- Dry roast the cinnamon, cardamom, mace, bay leaf, clove, peppercorn, cumin seeds and fennel seeds in a frying pan. When the whole spices turn aromatic, take them off the heat and add them to a dry- spice grinder.
- Add the ground spices, dry pomegranate seeds and 1/3rd of a nutmeg grated into the spice grinder.
- Grind all of the spices together to a powder. That’ll be the nihari masala for the dish.
To make the nihari:
- This is a quick and easy recipe that requires the use of a pressure cooker. Put a large pressure cooker on high heat and add the oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot, add the garlic followed by the meat pieces.
- Once the colour of the meat has turned gray in the hot oil, add the nihari masala and salt and stir it in.
- Once the meat is covered in nihari spices all over, add 2 cups of water and cover it and cook on high heat for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes are over, open the lid and all 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
- Make a slurry out of the wheat flour and the remaining 1 cup of water and add it to the pressure cooker. This’ll thicken the stew in a few minutes.
- Check for the tenderness of the meat and see how long it needs to go.
- In a separate pan, fry onions in oil till they’re browned to an extent. Add it as a tarka to the nihari.
- Take the nihari out of the pressure cooker once the oil from the meat and the spices have separated and come to the surface.
- Garnish with julienned ginger, fresh coriander leaves and sliced green chillies to add a little bit of colour and freshness to the heavy dish.
Bon appetit!
