Growing up in Pakistan, my mother used to prepare ‘haleem’ on the 10th of Muharram. It was super delicious and spicy. Her recipe used lots of spices, lentils, and meat. The trick in her cooking was that she prepared it very slowly – sometimes it took the whole night to get ready. It was a delicious dish that we enjoyed with friends and family on this special occasion. I’m sharing my mother’s recipe on the occasion of 10th Muharram. Enjoy
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Ingredients:
Preparing the grains:
- 1 cup wheat
- ½ cup barley
- ¼ cup ‘moong dal’
- ¼ cup white ‘mash (urud) dal’
- ¼ cup ‘masoor dal’
- 1 cup ‘channa dal’
- ¼ cup basmati rice
- Salt as needed
Preparing the meat mixture:
- 2 pounds boneless beef (or veal)
- 1 onion, large size, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon all spice powder
- 2 black cardamoms
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
Garnishing:
- ½ cup golden fried onions
- Fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- Cilantro, thinly sliced
- Fresh green chili, thinly sliced
- Lemon wedges
Method:
Preparing the grains:
Wash and soak all the grains mentioned above for 7-8 hours.
In a pressure-cooker, add all the grains with salt and bring to boil. Then seal the pressure-cooker’s lid and set on high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce heat and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes until the grains are sufficiently tender. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Tip: Follow the cooking instructions found on the pressure cooker.
Preparing the meat:
Heat oil on a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and let them soften. Then add garlic and ginger paste until they get fragrant. Combine all the remaining spices mentioned above with ½ a cup of water. Reduce heat and stir rapidly until the oil separates. Then add the beef and salt, and allow the spices to be infused. Add 3-4 cups of water, then cook for 30-45 minutes until the beef is tender and the oil separates. Turn off the heat, shred the beef by hand, and set aside.
Now combine the shredded beef mixture with grains mixture. Add sufficient water until the mixture is covered properly. Slowly cook for 30-40 minutes until the ‘haleem’ has a thick consistency. Turn off heat and adjust the salt.
Serve with golden fried onions, cilantro, green chili, ginger and lemon wedges.