Some dishes on the Koyal a la carte menu exist because they look good on the page. The Lamb Shank Nihari exists because, three centuries ago, the Mughal nobility refused to start the day without it. Nihari was a breakfast dish - meat slow-cooked overnight, eaten before dawn, designed to fuel a long day of court duties. At Koyal in Surbiton, we serve it in the evening, but the technique has not changed.
Twelve hours, twenty spices
The lamb shank goes into the pot the day before service. The base is a slow-built masala of more than twenty whole and ground spices - including bay leaf, mace, nutmeg, fennel, black cardamom, and a hand-blended nihari masala that the kitchen mixes from scratch. The meat braises for twelve hours at low temperature, drawing every ounce of flavour from the bone and softening the connective tissue until the lamb falls away under a spoon.
What you taste is depth - a curry that has been thinking about itself overnight. The gravy is rich without being heavy, perfumed with garam masala and finished with a tempering of fried garlic and chilli oil. Each shank is served whole, on the bone, the way it would have been served at a Mughal banquet.
Why slow cooking matters
Lamb shank is one of the toughest cuts on the animal. The reason it works for nihari is the same reason it works for the French and the Italians - slow heat over many hours converts collagen into gelatin, which gives the gravy body and the meat its texture. Rushing the process produces a thin, fibrous curry. Done properly, it produces something silky and concentrated.
This is not unique to lamb. The same logic underpins our Bhangjeera Chicken, where chicken thighs are cooked low and slow with perilla seeds from the Himalayas. Chef Nand Kishor learned the discipline of long cooking during his years at Trishna and Gymkhana, and it is one of the things that separates Koyal from a standard high-street Indian restaurant.
What to pair it with
The Nihari is best eaten with a torn malabar porotta or hot tandoor naan to soak up the gravy. A glass of Shiraz or a smoky old-fashioned from our cocktail menu stands up to the spice without overpowering it. If you are coming for the full experience, the tasting menuincludes a similar slow-cooked element and is the best way to understand the kitchen's style.
Try it in Surbiton
The Lamb Shank Nihari sits on the a la carte at £22 and is one of the most-ordered dishes at Koyal. To try it, book a table at Koyal Surbiton - we recommend booking ahead at weekends as it sells out fast.
Experience it in Surbiton
Reserve a table at Koyal - 2 AA Rosettes, Brighton Road, Surbiton
