Haleem

Ramadan Kareem !

Hephzi's kitchen ki taraf se Haleem nosh farmayiye...

Hyderabad my home town, is popular for various things.... Pearls, Zardozi, Ram pyari paan,  Biryani and of course, my favourite dish Haleem. This food is served especially during Id. During this special month, Hyderabad city is crowded with mini stalls , turning the city into a fair ground with many Haleem selling stalls. The cooking continues through out the day, the fire is hot 24/ 7, pot is always cooking emitting wonderful smells and aroma in the kitchens. Hundreds and thousands of people throng the stalls, at the end of each day. The Muslim bretheren who are fasting, end their fast with this delicacy. Being a foodie, every year I wait for Ramadan festival, to get the taste of this mouth watering special Hyderabadi delicacy.   We also get chicken and vegetarian Haleem. But, flavour of mutton is unbeatable.

                                                            Pic from web source

While Chinese dishes are cooked instantly and on High flame. Most of the popular meat dishes of Hyderabad are cooked at a low flame for longer periods, bringing out the excellent taste and flavours. The traditional Haleem making process takes about 24 hrs to cook, using potli ka masala, infusing the great flavours. This recipe was out of my cooking list, as it takes too much time preparing. But I still used to crave this dish...My Pakisthani friend gave me an idea to cook it in slow cooker or pressure cooker. Instantly that became a regular feature in my cooking repetoire. I tried both Pakisthani and the Hyderabadi Haleem. Each one has different and unique flavour. The only difference I noticed is that Pakisthanis use lentils in Haleem.  I am providing the home- made pressure cooker style...

Ingredients:

Mutton -1 lb, boneless and cubed
Cracked wheat- 1 lb soaked for atleast 4 hrs.
Yogurt - 1 ½ cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Onions- - 2 large sliced
Green masala  paste - 2 tbsp ( mint, coriander, greenchilli paste)
Lemon juice - 4 tbsp
Garam masala pwd - 1 tsp ( blend of jeera, cardamom, cloves , cinnamon etc)
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Potli ka masala - 1 pack , tied in a cloth.
Oil - 1/2 cup
Salt

Garnish: Mint leaves,
Ginger slices
Lemon slices or wedges
Fried onions - for garnish

Method Take a bowl and marinate the meat with  yogurt, lemon juice, chilli pwd, green masala, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Keep it aside for  3-4 hours.
Wash and soak the wheat for 4 hrs.
 Add enough water,  tie potli ka masala in a cloth  and drop it in the cooker and pressure cook the meat .
Take out the  Potli ka masala  wrap from the water , add wheat and cook till tender . When  it is cool enough to handle, using a hand blender, blend to a paste.
Heat the oil and add the meat and wheat mixture. Fry this paste  till  it turns opaque.

Garnish with Mint leaves , Ginger slices ,Lemon slices or wedges, Fried onions and serve hot.

Slow cooker style :   Except garnish,  put all the ingredients in the slow cooker allow it to cook overnight.   Next day morning, use blender and make a paste.  Fry the mixture in oil , garnish and serve.

I am contributing this recipe to Mona's  Ramadan food festival special event  at  www.zaiqa.net
Mona is my favourite Hyderabadi food blogger...