Haleem
Beef slow-cooked with wheat, barley and lentils, then beaten into a thick, savoury porridge and topped with crisp onions, ginger and lemon.
- Serves8
- Prep30 min
- SoakOvernight
- Cook4 hr
- HeatWarm
Haleem is the big-pot dish of Ramadan and Muharram gatherings: it feeds a crowd and keeps you full for hours. It takes a while, but most of that is simmering. A hand blender makes the final step much easier than the traditional wooden masher.
Ingredients
- Grains and lentils
- For the meat
- To serve
Ask at the counter for1kg boneless beef or mutton
Cut: Boneless beef, Boneless mutton
Method
The night before, rinse the wheat, barley and all the lentils and soak them in plenty of water.
Drain the grains and lentils, put them in a pan with 1 litre of the water and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours until completely soft. Add more water if they dry out.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy pot and fry the onions for 15 minutes until golden brown. Add the beef and the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for 8 minutes. Add the salt, chilli, turmeric and ground coriander, fry for 2 minutes, then pour in the remaining 1 litre of water. Cover and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours until the meat falls apart.
Pull the meat into shreds with two forks or a whisk, then add the cooked grains and lentils with their liquid.
Blend in short bursts with a hand blender, or beat hard with a wooden spoon, until thick and stringy. Simmer on a low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't catch. Stir in the garam masala.
Serve hot, topped with the crisp onions, ginger, green chillies, mint, coriander and lemon, with naan.
Tips
- Don't blend the meat to a paste. You want shreds you can still see.
- Haleem thickens as it cools. Loosen leftovers with hot water when you reheat.
Good to know
- Make ahead and freezing
- Freezes very well in portions, which is handy in Ramadan.
- Heat
- Warm. Add green chillies at the table if you like it hotter.