phi

Haleem is one of my favorite comfort foods. This stew of lentils, wheat, and spiced lamb represents warmth, comfort, and safety to me. When I was in high school, I walked to and from school, about two and a half miles. In the midst of Ohio winter, I ate haleem just about every afternoon after coming home chilled to the bone, and often covered in mud and slush splashed on me by passing cars. My mother cooks this dish in enormous batches in a five gallon pot, which she freezes and feeds us for weeks before making a new batch.

The base of the stew is made with a mix of grains and lentils. At the very minimum you need whole wheat kernals and channa daal. I'm not entirely sure what channa is called in English, but it will be labeled as "channa daal" (or chenna daal or possibly chana daal) in roman characters in most Indian grocery stores in the US. Make sure you buy the small variety that looks almost like yellow split peas. Don't get the kind that look like chickpeas or garbanzo beans, which are sometimes labeled "kabuli channa." Measure equal parts wheat, channa, and any other kind of daal or lentil you have lying around (I like masoor daal -- split red or orange lentils). The wheat, chenna, and any thick or old daal needs to soak in water overnight. It's not necessary to soak masoor daal (red or orange lentils). The daal also needs to be rinsed quite thoroughly, until the rinse water runs clear.

Once the wheat and daal have been washed and soaked, add water until the grains are covered with an inch of water, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat until the pot is at a low simmer.


Once the grains are going, slice your onions into thin half moons and saute in oil or butter over medium heat until golden. Then spices are added, and unlike the biryani recipe I posted earlier, you want to avoid sweet spices in haleem. I use lots of garlic and ginger, chopped green chilies, red chili powder, ground black pepper, ground coriander seeds, cumin, brown mustard seeds, turmeric, salt, and a small pinch of garam masala. Or you could use a haleem (also spelled halim) spice mix from your local Indian grocery. Once the spices have been added and fried, add the meat, brown it all over, then add water to cover and simmer on low. My preference is for lamb, but you can use goat or beef instead if you prefer.

One thing to note, you need alot of spices. Spice the onions and meat until your mouth is burning and you don't think you could possibly stand any more spiciness, and then double that amount. Why? Because the spice base you build in the pot with the meat will need to work double duty flavoring not only the meat but also a large quantity of lentils and wheat, which are quite bland by themselves and absorb alot of the spices.


Now you can go watch a movie or read a book or something while everything simmers and warms your kitchen. Check on it every so often to make sure the water hasn't all evaporated, and add more water as needed. It needs to simmer until the meat is very tender, since this dish is typically eaten with a spoon, not with a knife and fork. For stewing lamb, it takes about three hours to get soft enough.

When the meat is very very tender and the grains and lentils are soft, add in one measure of rice that has been thoroughly rinsed. It's not necessary to use a good rice like basmati -- any cheap plain rice, white or brown, will do. If the texture of the stew is too grainy for your taste, you can use an electric egg beater or an immersion blender to mash the grains and make the texture creamier before you add the rice. Once the rice is added, pour in the meat and gravy, cover, and let simmer until the flavors have melded and the rice is cooked.

Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves, lemon slices, chopped fresh green chilies, and fried onions.