In the holy month of Ramzan, there’s nothing like a dish of steaming haleem to break the fast. This patented dish of Hyderabad has made swift inroads into the iftaar menu of observers of roza in the country over the years. With mutton cooked in ghee, lentils and spices, it is filling and rich.
“Haleem as a dish originated in the Middle East and found its way with the Mughals into the Indian subcontinent. It landed in Hyderabad during the reign of Nizam-ul-Mulk through the Arab diaspora. Yemenis in the Nizam’s Army were in the forefront of popularising this thick paste as source of good nutrition. It has the distinction of being the most popular complete meal in a bowl,” says Suprabhath Roy, executive chef, Eros hotel, managed by Hilton. The Hyderabadi haleem is so popular that shops in the city parcel it to different parts of the world through courier during the holy month of Ramzan.
According to folklore, when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb surrounded the Golconda Fort, the cooks in the Nizam’s army cooked haleem overnight and fed the soldiers in the battle field. Haleem can be consumed as a starter or a main course dish. “Although traditionally burra (beef) was used, the mutton variation is more popular in the country. The boneless mutton is cooked in desi ghee, lentils (a combination of arhar, urad and chana dal and at times malka masoor), milk, broken wheat (dalia) on charcoal-fired chulhas so that slow-cooking brings in an unique flavour to the dish,” explains chef Avinash Jha, Park Plaza Gurgaon. The tradionalists believe in slow-cooking haleem for seven to eight hours, although the commercial churners prepare it in two hours.
Talking about the spices, chef Vikas Mudgal of Dum Affairs puts forth, “Cardamom, clove, mint leaves, bay leaf, mace leaf, ginger and garlic paste, black pepper and kewra, saffron, gulab jal are used to give a strong, spicy flavour and rich taste.” Haleem is often served topped with hot korma gravy, fried onions, pieces of lime and chopped coriander. During Ramzan, haleem is served for as cheap as `10-20 per plate in the Meena Bazaar lane, in front of Jama Masjid.
The texture of haleem is a very important concern. “It needs to be slightly sticky but with a fibrous feel. The meat needs to be absolutely melt-in-the-mouth,” adds Jha.
For those with a sweet tooth, there is sweet haleem too. “Just like in the savoury, mutton is cooked in desi ghee for hours to create a fine paste. It is then cooked in milk and dalia to create a fine paste. We put in elaichi, kewra (scent) and gulabjal (rosewater) to bring in special flavour. Due to its ingredients, haleem, both sweet and savoury, is high-calorie and full of nutrition,” explains chef Hayat Singh, Bellagio.
This Ramzan do not forget to dig into a plate of haleem and turn towards Gali Kababiyan near Jama Masjid to tuck into some of the best in town!

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Traditional haleem
Ingredients:
Mutton curry cuts (from leg) 1 kg
Bay leaf 2
Cinnamon 2 gms
Black pepper 2 gms
Black cardamom 2 gms
Patthar ke phool 2 gms
Mace 1 gm
Cloves 2 gms
Nutmeg ½
Onion sliced 250 gms
Ginger-garlic paste 50 gms
Dhania powder 5 gms
Jeera powder 5 gms
Haldi powder 5 gms
Red chilli powder 5 gms
Channa dal 50 gms
Urad dal 50 gms
Broken wheat 150 gms
Beaten curd 100 gms
Garam masala 5 gms
Green chilli 5 gms
Mint chopped 5 gms
Green coriander chopped 5 gms
Lemon slices for garnish
Ghee 250 gm + 100 gms
Salt to taste
Method
Heat ghee in a degchi, add the whole spices. Add in the sliced onions and cook to
golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes.
Now add lamb along with powdered spices and beaten curd. Saute for 20 minutes.
Add salt and water around double the volume of mutton. Slow cook for about an hour.
Remove the mutton pieces from the degchi, cool down and debone the cooked meat. Strain and reserve the stock.
Boil both the lentils separately. Add broken wheat in the strained mutton stock, add in the cooked lentils and deboned mutton pieces.
Cook over low heat and keep mashing till it becomes thick and gooey.
Add the remaining ghee, garam masala and garnish with mint.
Recipe: Suprabhath Roy, chef, Eros-Hilton

coriander, chillies, brown onion and lemon slices

Serve hot.