Nalli Biryani Recipe (Pakistani Style Beef Marrow Bone Biryani)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

In our house, nalli biryani is the biryani that comes after Bakra Eid. When the meat is being divided, I always keep the nalli pieces aside, because I know exactly where they are going. A few days later the whole house smells of slow-cooked masala and everyone is waiting for the moment I open the dum.

Nalli is the marrow bone from the shank. It needs patience, but the reward is worth it: the meat falls off the bone, the marrow melts into the masala, and every grain of rice picks up that rich, deep flavour. My family’s favourite part is when the plate comes to the table and someone tips a nalli over to get the marrow out.

This is the way I make it at home, Pakistani style: tender beef nalli in a spicy, tangy korma, layered with long-grain rice, fried onions, mint and a touch of colour, then finished on dum.

Why You’ll Love This Nalli Biryani

• Melt-in-the-mouth meat: the nalli is cooked until the meat slips off the bone.
• Marrow flavour: the bone marrow makes the masala richer than a regular beef biryani.
• Dawat-worthy: the big bone pieces look stunning on a serving platter.
• Make-ahead friendly: you can cook the nalli and korma a day before and do the rice and dum fresh.

Choosing the Right Nalli

Ask your butcher for beef or mutton nalli cut into 3–4 inch pieces, with some meat still on the bone. Pieces from the middle of the shank have the most marrow. Mutton nalli cooks faster than beef, so adjust the cooking time (see the notes in the recipe card).

My Tips for the Best Nalli Biryani

• Don’t rush the nalli. Beef nalli needs about 35–40 minutes in a pressure cooker or around 2 hours on a slow flame. If the meat is not tender before layering, the dum will not fix it.
• Save the yakhni. The stock from boiling the nalli goes back into the korma and gives it body.
• Keep the korma thick. The masala should coat the meat, not float around it. Too much gravy makes the rice soggy.
• Boil rice to 80%. The grain should still have a slight bite; it finishes cooking on dum.
• Use a heavy pot. A thick-bottomed degchi keeps the bottom layer from burning. Here is my guide to the best pot for biryani.

What to Serve with Nalli Biryani

Serve it hot with plain or mint raita, kachumber salad and a wedge of lemon. If you are cooking for a crowd, my dawat planning guide will help you work out how much biryani to make per person.

Love beef biryani? Try my beef dum biryani with infused potatoes, and if you enjoy slow-cooked nalli, my lamb nihari is the next one to try. Not sure about your spice mix? Read garam masala vs biryani masala.

Nalli Biryani (Beef Marrow Bone Biryani)

Pakistani-style nalli biryani: beef marrow bones slow-cooked until the meat falls off the bone, simmered in a spicy, tangy korma and layered with long-grain rice, fried onions and mint, then finished on dum.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Pakistani

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For boiling the nalli

• 1.5 kg beef nalli (marrow bones) cut into 3–4 inch pieces, with meat
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 5–6 cups water

For the korma

• 1 cup oil
• 3 large onions thinly sliced
• 1 tsp zeera (cumin seeds)
• 6 cloves (laung)
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 black cardamom (bari elaichi)
• 5 green cardamom (choti elaichi)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 medium tomatoes chopped
• 1½ tbsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp haldi (turmeric)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 cup yogurt whisked
• 2 tbsp biryani masala homemade or store-bought
• 8 aloo bukhara (dried plums)
• 6 green chillies slit
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves
• ½ cup fresh coriander chopped

For the rice

• 1 kg basmati or sella rice soaked 30 minutes
• 3 tbsp salt for the boiling water
• 1 tsp zeera (cumin seeds)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 green cardamom

For layering and dum

• ¼ tsp orange or yellow food colour dissolved in 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp kewra water
• 1 lemon sliced
• 2 tbsp ghee optional

Method

 

1. Wash the nalli well. Put it in a pressure cooker with ginger garlic paste, salt and 5–6 cups water. Cook for 35–40 minutes after the whistle (or simmer covered for about 2 hours) until the meat is very tender. Keep the yakhni (stock).
2. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and fry the sliced onions until golden brown. Take out half the onions and spread them on a plate for layering.
3. To the remaining onions and oil, add the zeera, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, black and green cardamom and bay leaves. Fry for 30 seconds, then add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes.
4. Add the tomatoes, red chilli powder, haldi, coriander powder and salt. Bhuno until the tomatoes break down and the oil starts to separate.
5. Lower the heat and add the whisked yogurt and biryani masala. Bhuno for 3–4 minutes until the oil comes up again.
6. Add the cooked nalli with about 1 cup of the yakhni. Add the aloo bukhara and green chillies, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. The korma should be thick, with oil on top. Stir in half the mint and coriander.
7. Meanwhile, boil plenty of water with the salt, zeera, bay leaves and green cardamom. Add the drained rice and boil until it is about 80% cooked, then drain.
8. Layer in the pot: spread half the rice over the korma, sprinkle half the fried onions, mint and coriander. Add the rest of the rice and top with the remaining onions, herbs and lemon slices.
9. Drizzle the food colour and kewra water over the top in streaks, and add the ghee if using.
10. Cover with a tight lid (seal with a cloth or foil) and cook on high for 2 minutes, then on the lowest flame for 15–20 minutes on dum. Mix gently from the side and serve with the nalli pieces on top.

Notes

For mutton nalli, pressure cook for 20–25 minutes or simmer for 1–1.5 hours. Keep the korma thick; extra gravy makes the rice soggy. Serve with raita and kachumber salad.

Nalli Biryani FAQs

What is nalli in biryani?

Nalli is the marrow bone from the shank (leg) of beef or mutton. It is cooked with the meat still attached, so the biryani gets both tender meat and rich bone marrow.

Can I make nalli biryani without a pressure cooker?

Yes. Simmer the nalli covered on a low flame for about 2 hours for beef (1–1.5 hours for mutton), adding hot water as needed, until the meat is tender.

Beef or mutton nalli, which is better?

Both work. Beef nalli gives bigger bones and more marrow; mutton nalli is softer and cooks faster. The method stays the same.

How do I get the marrow out?

Tap the bone gently on the plate or use the end of a teaspoon. Some people blow through the bone, but tapping works just as well.

Can I make it a day ahead?

Cook the nalli korma a day ahead and refrigerate it. On the day, boil the rice fresh, layer and give it dum. This keeps the rice fluffy.