Haleem – Ramadan Special

Ingredients(Serves 6 – 7)

1. Beef / mutton – 200 gm, cut into very small cubes (You can also use mutton/ beef with bones)

2. Oil – 3 tbsp

3. Onion – 1.5 cup, thinly sliced

4. Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp heaped

     Chilly powder – 1 tsp

     Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp

    Ground masala powder (Recipe below)

5. Water – Around 6 – 7 cups

6. Cracked wheat – 1/4 cup

    Chana dal – 1/4 cup

    Masoor dal – 1.5 tbsp

    Basmati rice – 1.5 tbsp

    Urad dal – 1.5 tbsp

8.Oats – 3 tbsp (Instead of  oats,  you can add barley along with cracked wheat and other ingredients numbered 6)

9. Salt – To taste

To garnish – Fried onion, lemon juice, julienned ginger, chopped cilantro and mint leaves

To grind to a powder

Bay leaf – 1

Cloves – 5

Black cardamom – 1

Cinnamon stick – 1/4 inch

Whole black pepper – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Grind all the above ingredients to a powder.

Method

1. Heat oil in a a large stock pot and add thinly sliced onions and little salt. Saute until onion turns browned. Add mutton pieces and saute for a few minutes. Next add all the ingredients numbered 4. Mix well.

2. Next add cracked wheat, chana dal, masoor dal, basmati rice, urad dal and about 6 –  7 cups of boiling water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook at medium-low heat for about 1.5 – 2 hrs until the mutton pieces are done and it thickens. Add 3 tbsp oats and mix well. If its very thick, add some hot water. Taste-check for salt. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes. switch off. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with little lemon juice, fried onion, finely chopped green chilies, cilantro, mint leaves and julienned ginger. Serve hot!

Tip

If you are using mutton with bones, cook them until completely done. Take them out and shred the flesh part using a fork or your fingers. Transfer back to the pot. Discard the bones.

This is the Bengali Muslim recipe for Haleem shared by my neighbor, Zahera Ummat. I will share the Hyderabadi version also sometime later.

 

 

Recipe Courtesy – Zaheera Ummat