Haleem

Haleem is a Pakistani delicacy, best enjoyed with a group. Why? Coz the amount of patience and efforts you put in this recipe is worth sharing with more than just one . I had cooked mine for a family get-together and it earned me a whole lot of brownie points.
There is no chopping business here. So its absolutely effortless except for the stirring part. All you need is patience, patience and patience and believe me, the outcome is mindblowing. I call it a slow-cooked wonder! You’ll know why 🙂

Be ready to hypnotize yourself in its wonderful aromas while you cook…

Cooking time: 4-5 hours

Ingredients: Serves 8
½ cup each of chana dal, urad dal, moong dal and barley
½ cup whole wheat grains
1 kg beef or lamb on the bone, meat cut into chunks (I prefer meat)
2 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp grated ginger
2.5 litres water
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
pinch of saffron colour (optional)
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chaat masala
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
125 ml vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
1 tbsp garam masala

To serve
Chaat masala
Finely sliced green chilli
Julienned ginger
Coriander leaves
Sliced lemon

Method:
Soak all the dals and barley together overnight.
Partly crush the wheat grains in a mortar and pestle and soak for 1 ½ hours.

Put the lentils and grains, meat and bones, garlic, ginger and water in a large, heavy-based pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for around 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the bones and continue to cook until the meat starts to fall apart (about another hour).

Add the ghee, saffron colour (optional), fenugreek, coriander, cumin, chaat masala, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and cook for another hour, stirring regularly to help the ingredients break down and blend into each other. The stew will start to look very thick and sticky.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onion until brown and caramelized. Add the onion (reserving ¼ cup) and garam masala to the stew. Cook for a further 15 minutes.

While plating, garnish with the remaining fried onions, chaat masala, chilli, ginger, coriander and lemon. Serve with roti, naan or chapattis.

P.S.: It took me 5 hours. But trust me, it was worth my efforts.