As I write this recipe, I must say that I had a brunch/tea party this afternoon and my guests absolutely loved this Haleem. As a matter of fact, a very sweet friend of mine said, “If Bahadur Shah Zafar (last Mughal emperor), ever enjoyed eating Haleem, then it most definitely tasted exactly like this.” How so very sweet of her! Words cannot express my gratitude when family and close friends enjoy my recipes.
Similar to Nihari, there are a lot of different spices and ingredients in this Haleem recipe. It is a very methodical dish, layer upon layer of flavor, and a step-by-step process that should be followed to get that proper texture and final taste. But again, like most of my recipes and favorite dishes to cook, I enjoy every step, from soaking the lentils overnight, freshly grinding the Haleem spices, slowly cooking the meat until it’s fall off the bone tender, and then the final combining and cooking of all the ingredients. This dish takes time and effort, but that first bite is oh so worth it!
This is the first time I used the Instapot for the initial steps in my Haleem recipe (cooking of lentils and meat), and I think it worked like a charm!
Hyderabadi Fusion Haleem
A porridge-style recipe perfected using two different types of meats, and a combination of several different lentils, freshly ground spices and oats. Authentic in some ways and modified in others, this haleem recipe is luscious, gourmet and distinctively yummy!
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs baby goat leg pieces
- 2.2 lbs beef stew meat
- 2 tbsp fresh garlic paste
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger paste
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 cups fried onions
- 1/4 cup Masoor dal *Split red lentils
- 1/4 cup Chana dal *Yellow split peas
- 1/4 cup Toor dal *Split pigeon peas
- 1/4 cup Moong dal *Split green gram
- 5 cups oats *I use Quaker oats
- 2 lemons *freshly squeezed
- 4 tbsp homemade ghee (clarified butter) *see recipe below
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- Kosher salt *to taste
- 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves *rinsed, stemmed and washed
- 1 bunch mint leaves *rinsed, stemmed and washed
- 1 cup cashews *dry roasted
Whole spices
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 small piece Nutmeg
- 1 small piece Mace
- 1 star anise
- 1.5 cinnamon sticks
- 2 black cardamoms
- 7 green cardamom pods
- 1.5 tsp caraway seeds *Shahi zeera
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
Ground spices
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp Kashmiri lal mirch
- 1 tsp cumin powder *Zeera
- 1 tsp coriander powder *Dhaniya
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder *Haldi
Instructions
For Lentils
- In a bowl, soak all four lentils in water overnight. Then rinse the lentils several times and keep soaked in fresh water until ready to use.
For Haleem spice mixture
- Grind all whole spices to a fine powder. To this mixture, add all the ground spices, mix well and place spice mixture in an airtight jar. Set aside.
For Meat
- Wash, rinse and pat dry all meat. In Instapot (on saute mode, medium heat), heat 4 tbsp of ghee and 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil. Once oil is heated, add the meat and saute for 10-12 minutes until meat changes color. Add the ginger and garlic paste, mix well and continue to saute for 5 minutes. Add the Haleem spice mixture (keep 1 tsp of the Haleem spice mixture aside as it will be added later on when oats are added), stir well to combine all the spices with meat and cook for 5 minutes.
- While meat and spices are cooking, blend together the yogurt and fried onions to make a smooth paste. Add this paste to the meat mixture and mix well. Continue cooking in Instapot (saute mode) for additional 10 minutes.
- Remove all excess water from lentils except about 1/2 cup and add to the meat mixture. Again, stir well to combine all added ingredients. Add 4 additional cups of water, stir well, change Instapot setting to Pressure cook (on high setting), properly close lid, set time to 25 minutes, press start and let cook. After the set 25 minutes, vent the Instapot (please follow directions and take caution)!
- Once all steam is released, carefully open lid, remove all meat into glass bowl with slotted spoon (meat should be very tender) and set meat aside. Into Instapot mixture (lentils and spices), add 10 cups of water and blend well with hand blender until lentils are diluted. Change Instapot setting to Saute mode and add 5 cups of oats into blended/diluted lentil mixture. Mix very well, add Kosher salt to taste, 1 tsp Turmeric powder and remaining 1 tsp of Haleem spice mixture that was kept aside. Mix well. Add 1/2 cup grapeseed oil into Instapot mixture. Stir well, cover properly with lid and cook for 20 minutes (now on Saute mode).
- While Haleem is cooking, and once the set aside meat has cooled, discard any bones (remove any meat before discarding bones), and shred all meat using a masher. As the meat should be very tender, this should not take too make effort. Set aside.
- After the set timing of 20 minutes, carefully vent Instapot, wait until all steam is released, carefully remove lid and using hand blender again, blend lentils and oats mixture to desired consistency (I like a smooth consistency, but with some thickness and texture). The haleem will be further diluted with boiling water later on so don't worry too much if the consistency is thick at this point as it will be! Turn off Instapot.
Final cooking of Haleem
- At this point, I carefully transfer the lentil and oats mixture into a large heavy-bottom cooking vessel on medium high heat. Once the mixture reaches a boil, turn heat to medium, add all the shredded meat and using a wooden spoon, get to work, meaning mix and mix and mix-definitely a work out for your hands and biceps (I have a special spoon for Haleem-mixing purposes)! Have boiling water ready in an electric kettle so you may add as needed. At this point, I gradually add about 5-6 cups of additional boiling water to obtain the final, desired consistency. I mix this for about 25-30 minutes, with the heat on medium, and alternate hands as needed. This step is actually a very crucial step to get the perfect Haleem consistency and incorporate all the Haleem ingredients for that final "WOW" taste. Finally, turn heat to low, cover with lid and cook for additional 2.5 hours, occasionally stirring as needed. This would be a good time to check for salt, adjust/add any spices to your liking and to add oil if needed.
- Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, stir well and turn off heat.
- Haleem is now ready to serve! Garnish with freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly chopped coriander and mint leaves, fried onions and roasted cashews. Nosh Farma'aiye!
Notes
In all honesty, for parties, I make Haleem a day before, and on the day the Haleem is to be served, I remove it from the fridge (usually stored in a large, sealed Tupperware box) about three hours before it needs to be heated. I then put Haleem into a cooking pot on medium heat, add boiling water as needed when reheating Haleem (1-2 cups) and mix really well. Once Haleem comes to a boil, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, garnish and serve! Haleem is one of those dishes that just gets better each day it sits.
For the ghee (clarified butter), I heat 2 sticks of butter in a preheated saucepan on low heat. To the butter, I add 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves and 3 cardamom pods. I simmer this mixture on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the solids stick to the bottom of the saucepan and the now clarified butter rises to the top. I then turn the heat off, let it cool for 5 minutes and then strain the clarified butter into a glass bowl. Discard the solids.