Why we make nihari like this
Real nihari takes time. It's a slow-cook discipline — onions browned over an hour, whole spices toasted and ground fresh, then chicken folded in to gently absorb the gravy. Most UK kitchens skip the slow-cook and finish with a thick roux to fake the depth. We don't. Our nihari is actually slow-cooked — which is why the gravy looks dark and glossy on its own, not because we've poured oil on top.
The chicken is boneless tender cubes — never on the bone, never on the leg. We pull star anise, black cardamom and bay leaves out before plating so you don't bite into them. The garnish is ginger julienne, green chilli slices and fresh coriander — never chopped nuts. Nut-free across the entire kitchen, halal-certified end-to-end.
If you've eaten nihari at a wedding or a Friday lunch in Lahore and been disappointed by every UK version since, this is the one to try.
Halal-certified end-to-end
Every meat dish on the Yum! Curries menu uses fully halal-certified meat. Certifier body: [CERTIFIER BODY — to confirm]. The certificate will be published on our halal page as soon as it is issued.
What's in it
- Boneless halal chicken — slow-simmered, hand-trimmed cubes
- Whole-spice base — cinnamon, cloves, mace, black cardamom, bay (pulled before plating)
- Browned onions, ginger, garlic — the gravy backbone
- Toasted gram flour — natural body, no roux of butter
- Fresh ginger julienne, green chilli, coriander — garnish
No chopped nuts, no nut paste, no cashew thickener. No beef, no pork, no alcohol.
Who it's for
Nihari is the curry for someone who has eaten enough butter chicken and wants a step deeper. It's the Friday-lunch dish, the cold-night dish, the one you eat with naan and a squeeze of lemon. Halal-certified, boneless only, nut-free. If your local Indian doesn't list nihari, that's a sign — we built this menu specifically because we missed it.
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Same kitchen. Same chefs. Same recipes. Direct = no commission tax.
Allergens & dietary
- Halal-certified — meat from a halal-certified supplier. Certifier body: [CERTIFIER BODY — to confirm]. See halal policy.
- Boneless — every chicken cube is hand-trimmed. See boneless menu.
- Nut-free — no cashew, almond, pistachio, peanut, pine nut or chopped-nut garnish. Our entire cooked menu is nut-free; only off-site desserts (Ras Malai, Gulab Jamun) contain nuts. See nut-free policy.
- No beef. No pork. Anywhere on the Yum! Curries menu.
Where to find us
Our store is at 1 Paston Place, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1HA. We deliver to BN2, BN1 and BN3 in about 25 minutes. Daily 11:00–22:00.
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Frequently asked
- Is Chicken Nihari halal?
- Yes. The chicken is fully halal-certified. Certifier body will be named on our halal page as soon as the certificate is issued.
- Is the nihari boneless?
- Yes. Hand-trimmed boneless tender cubes only. No drumsticks, no bone-in pieces. See boneless menu.
- Is the nihari nut-free?
- Yes. No cashew, almond, pistachio, peanut, pine nut or chopped-nut garnish. Our entire cooked menu is nut-free; only off-site desserts (Ras Malai, Gulab Jamun) contain nuts. See nut-free policy.
- What's nihari made with?
- Boneless halal chicken slow-simmered with whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, mace, black cardamom), browned onions, ginger, garlic and toasted gram flour for body. Garnished with ginger julienne, green chilli and fresh coriander.