Daleem/Haleem

Haleem is like a stew or a porridge which has amazing flavor of ghee/clarified butter and a very slight tangy taste of lemon extract added while serving.

Daleem/ Haleem Recipe is an authentic and traditional Ramadan special delicacy served as an evening meal during iftar after fasting for the whole day. It is a rich stew composed of meat, lentils and pounded wheat made into a thick paste.

Ingredients:

For cooking meat (these ingredients are needed for step 1 in instructions):

• 750 gms boneless mutton/beef/chicken meat and its bones cleaned and washed well

• 2 chilies slit

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste

• 1/2 cup mash ki dal/urad dal(split black gram)

• 1/2 cup toovar dal(pigeon peas)

• 1/2 cup chana dal(bengal gram/chick pea gram)

• 1/2 cup yellow moong dal

• salt - to taste

• 4 cup water (more if needed)

For cooking daliya (broken wheat):

• 1 1/2 cup of daliya (broken wheat)

• 5 cups of water

Other ingredients needed while mixing mutton and dals(these ingredients are needed for step 4 in instructions) :

• 5 tbsp pure ghee

• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste

• 1 cup deep fried onions (birista)

• 1 tbsp garam masala powder (i used homemade)

• 2 tbsp coriander powder

• 1 tbsp cumin powder

• 2 tsp red red chili powder (you can add more or less according to your taste)

• ½ tsp full black pepper corn powder

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder(haldi)

• ½ bunch freshly chopped coriander leaves

• ½ bunch freshly chopped mint leaves

Ingredients for garnishing:

• Freshly chopped coriander leaves

• Freshly chopped mint leaves

• Deep fried onions (birista)

• 5-6 lemons cut into 4 halves

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1(Cook the meat and dals):

1. Firstly,add in all the dals (urad, toovar, chana) in a pressure cooker, add the mutton chunks and garlic paste.

2. Add salt as per taste, add turmeric powder and chilies to it.

3. Add little water(4 glass approx), mix well and cook the mutton until it is tender.

Step 2 cook the daliya (broken wheat):

1. Take a vessel, into it add daliya (broken wheat)

2. Add about 2 glass of water and cook until the daliya gets soft. (be careful keep stirring every now and then because it sticks to the bottom of the vessel)

Step 3:

1. Once the meat is cooked remove all the bones. (keep the remaining meat stock aside, we will be needing it later).

2. Blend everything together nicely with the help of a wooden spoon or you can blend it in a blender (if you are blending it in a blender don't blend it to pasty).

Step 4(Mix the cooked meat and dals):

1. In a separate cooking pot, add the blended paste of dals and mutton into it.

2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well.

3. Add the meat stock and mix well.

4. Add pure ghee all over.

5. Add in deep fried onions now and mix well for a minute.

6. Add garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and mix well.

7. Mix it well and keep stirring until the stew thickens up and change its color to a bit darker shade. ( it will take a couple of minutes).

8. Now haleem will start to come together and leave ghee on side.

9. Add fresh coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilies, mix well.

10. Switch off the flame.

11. Haleem is ready to serve.

Serving:

1. Serve haleem in bowls, in each bowl, add deep fried onions, add coriander leaves, mint leaves, lemon slices, and serve hot.

2. Sprinkle some lemon juice for a slight tangy taste.

3. Enjoy the delicious Ramadan special haleem.

NOTE:

• I have added some salt while cooking the mutton and the dals therefore, if salt is required further, then add according to your taste.

• Bones are used only for the flavour, if you want to exclude it, you can. :)