Haleem

Haleem

A slow-cooked Pakistani stew of wheat, barley, lentils and beef, pounded until silky and richly spiced. Traditionally garnished with crisp fried onions, ginger, lemon and coriander, it is the ultimate comfort food for Ramadan iftar.

Prep

45 min

Cook

360 min

Total

405 min

Serves

6-8

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef boneless (shin or shoulder), cut into 4 cm cubes
• •1 l (4 cups) water, for cooking the meat
• •200 g (7 oz) whole wheat berries
• •100 g (3½ oz) pearl barley
• •150 g (5¼ oz) yellow split lentils (chana dal)
• •100 g (3½ oz) red lentils (masoor dal)
• •50 g (1¾ oz) urad dal (split black gram), optional but traditional
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) ghee or neutral oil
• •2 whole (2 medium) onions, finely sliced
• •1 tbsp ginger paste, freshly grated
• •1 tbsp garlic paste
• •1 tsp turmeric powder
• •2 tsp red chilli powder, adjust to taste
• •1 tbsp coriander powder
• •1 tbsp garam masala, plus extra for garnish
• •2 tsp salt, or to taste
• •1 whole (1 small piece) cinnamon stick
• •3 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• •2 whole black cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• •4 whole cloves
• •2 whole bay leaves
• •2 l (8 cups) water, for the grains and final cooking, more as needed
• •2 whole (2 large) onions, very thinly sliced for the topping, fried until deep golden
• •100 ml (scant ½ cup) ghee or oil, for frying the topping onions
• •30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges
• •30 g (1 cup loosely packed) fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• •10 g (¼ cup) fresh mint leaves, optional, chopped
• •5 whole (2-3) green chillies, sliced, optional

Steps

1. 1 Soak the wheat berries, barley, chana dal, masoor dal and urad dal in plenty of cool water for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain before cooking.
2. 2 Place the soaked grains in a heavy pot, add 2 litres (8 cups) water, 1 tsp salt, the bay leaves, cinnamon, both cardamoms and cloves. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 2½-3 hours until completely soft and breaking down; stir occasionally and add hot water if the pot gets dry.
3. 3 Meanwhile, place the beef in a separate heavy pot with 1 litre (4 cups) water, 1 tsp salt, the turmeric and 1 sliced onion. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then cover and simmer for 2½-3 hours until the beef is very tender and shreds easily with a fork. The meat is safely cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 90°C (195°F) and shows no pink; whole cuts like shank benefit from 3 hours of gentle simmering.
4. 4 Prepare the fried onion topping: heat the ghee or oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the thinly sliced onions, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels; reserve the flavoured oil.
5. 5 Once the grains are mushy, remove the whole spices and bay leaves. Shred the cooked beef with two forks (discarding any large hard fat) and add it to the grain pot along with all of its cooking liquid.
6. 6 Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala to the pot. Stir vigorously with a heavy wooden spoon for a good 10 minutes, pounding the mixture against the side of the pot so the grains and meat break down and the haleem thickens to a porridge-like consistency. If using an immersion blender, pulse briefly — do not purée smooth; the traditional texture is coarse, fibrous and slightly stringy.
7. 7 Add more hot water as needed: the finished haleem should be thick but pourable, similar to a thick dal, and will thicken further as it cools. Simmer gently for another 20-30 minutes so the flavours meld; taste and adjust salt. The mixture must hold at a simmer (above 70°C / 160°F) for this final stage.
8. 8 To serve, ladle the haleem into bowls. Top each portion with a generous spoonful of the fried onions, a drizzle of the reserved onion-flavoured ghee, a scatter of ginger matchsticks, chopped coriander, mint and green chilli, a pinch of extra garam masala, and a squeeze of lemon. Serve hot with more lemon wedges on the side.