Best Meat Cuts for Biryani, Karahi and Nihari

The best meat cuts for biryani, karahi and nihari depend on how each dish cooks. Here are Halal Mart’s recommendations, plus what to ask for at the butcher counter.

Biryani: bone-in chicken, breast cubes or drumsticks

For the best taste, our first choice is a whole bone-in chicken cut into pieces. It gives your biryani a flavorful mix of white and dark meat.

Chicken breast cubes are a convenient boneless option. Keep the cubes evenly sized and use a recipe suited to breast meat, which can dry out with long cooking. Drumsticks are another good bone-in choice, especially when you want easy-to-serve portions.

Ask our butcher: “Please cut a whole chicken into bone-in pieces for biryani,” or request breast cubes or drumsticks.

Karahi: a whole bone-in chicken, cut up

Our top choice for chicken karahi is a whole bone-in chicken cut into pieces. If you prefer smaller pieces, ask for a small karahi cut. Explain the size you like so your order matches the way you cook.

Ask our butcher: “Please cut a whole bone-in chicken into small pieces for karahi.”

Nihari: lamb or beef shank

Choose lamb shank or beef shank meat for nihari. Shank suits the slow cooking that makes the meat tender in this rich, spiced gravy. Beef shank may also be called beef shin.

Tell our butcher whether you want boneless shank meat or bone-in pieces, and how large you want them. If you are making nalli nihari, ask about marrow bones too.

Get your cuts ready at Halal Mart

Tell us the dish, your preferred piece size and whether you want bone-in or boneless meat. Custom cutting is included at no extra charge. Ask about current availability before visiting.