Beef Haleem

Ingredients

• 1 kg boneless beef (shoulder or chuck), cut into 3 cm cubes
• 150 g broken wheat (dalia), rinsed and soaked for at least 4 hours
• 50 g pearl barley (jau), rinsed and soaked with the wheat
• 40 g chana daal, rinsed and soaked
• 40 g masoor daal (red lentils), rinsed and soaked
• 40 g moong daal, rinsed and soaked
• 40 g mash daal (split black gram), rinsed and soaked
• 40 g rice, rinsed and soaked
• 120 ml cooking oil or ghee
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 cup plain yogurt, whisked
• 1 tbsp salt, or to taste
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 green cardamoms
• 6 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 5 cm)
• 3 l hot water, plus more as needed
• 2 tsp garam masala powder
• 4 green chillies, sliced, for garnish
• 50 g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks, for garnish
• ½ cup fresh coriander and mint leaves, chopped, for garnish
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Rinse the wheat, barley, all four daals and rice, then soak them together in plenty of water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain well before cooking.
2. Heat the oil or ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and fry, stirring often, for about 15 minutes until deep golden brown, not burnt.
3. Scoop out roughly half of the fried onions with a slotted spoon and set them aside on paper towel for garnish. They will crisp as they cool.
4. To the onions left in the pot, add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and ginger garlic paste. Stir for 1 minute until the raw smell fades.
5. Add the beef, salt, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring, for about 8 minutes until the meat changes colour and the spices smell fragrant.
6. Lower the heat, stir in the whisked yogurt and cook for 5 minutes until the oil begins to separate at the edges.
7. Pour in 1.5 litres of hot water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 90 minutes until the beef is very tender and pulls apart easily with a spoon.
8. Add the drained grains and daals with the remaining 1.5 litres of hot water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for about 60 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 10 minutes so nothing sticks. The wheat should be completely soft.
9. Mash and beat the haleem hard with a wooden masher, or pulse briefly with a hand blender, until the meat shreds and the mixture turns thick, stretchy and porridge-like. Leave a little texture rather than making a smooth purée.
10. Stir in the garam masala and simmer uncovered on low for 30 minutes, stirring often, adding a little hot water if it becomes too thick to pour slowly from a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt.
11. Switch off the heat and let the haleem rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with the reserved fried onions, ginger matchsticks, green chillies, fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon.

Tips

• Soaking the grains and daals overnight cuts cooking time and gives a softer, creamier result.
• Stir from the bottom regularly once the grains go in. Haleem catches on the base of the pot easily, so keep the heat low.
• The right consistency is thick and slow-moving, like a loose porridge. It will thicken further as it cools, so loosen with hot water when reheating.
• Do not skip the mashing step. Beating the pot gives haleem its stretchy, well-blended texture.