Pakistani Haleem

About This Recipe

Haleem is a labour of love — wheat, lentils and tender slow-cooked beef (or mutton) simmered for hours until they merge into a thick, silky porridge of extraordinary depth. It is finished with a generous garnish of crispy fried onions, fresh ginger, green chilli and lemon. Made for Ramadan, weddings and street food stalls alike, haleem is perhaps the most deeply satisfying dish in Pakistani cuisine.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 600 gbeef or mutton(boneless, cut into chunks)
• 150 gbroken wheat (dalia)
• 100 gchana dal(soaked 1 hour)
• 50 gred lentils
• 50 gmoong dal
• 2 largeonions(1 sliced and fried golden, 1 for cooking)
• 2 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspchilli powder
• 4 clovesgarlic(crushed)
• 2 cmfresh ginger(grated, plus julienned strips to serve)
• 2 tbspghee
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 green chilliessliced, to serve
• 1 lemoncut into wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook meat and grains

   Pressure cook (or slow cook) beef, broken wheat, all lentils, whole onion, garlic, ginger, spices and salt in 1.5 litres water. Pressure cook 45 minutes or slow cook 3 hours until everything is completely soft.

2. 2

   Beat and blend

   Use a large wooden spoon to vigorously beat the mixture against the pot walls to blend meat and grains together. The texture should be a thick, stringy porridge. Add hot water to adjust consistency.

3. 3

   Fry onions

   Fry sliced onion in ghee until deeply golden and crisp. Remove half to drain on paper, keep half in the ghee.

4. 4

   Tarka

   Add garam masala to the remaining onion in ghee and pour the sizzling tarka over the haleem. Stir in.

5. 5

   Serve

   Ladle into bowls. Top with crispy fried onions, julienned ginger, sliced green chilli and lemon wedge.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken for a lighter, faster version.

• •

  Add a swirl of plain yoghurt at serving for richness.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 3 months. Reheat with a splash of water.

Frequently Asked Questions