A countdown toward good news begins for both the religious and the non-devout as the Holy Month of Ramzan comes to a close. And good news it is, especially for food lovers, haleem eaters to be precise, as it will be 30 days of pure indulgence with rich meat of lamb pounded for hours to be mashed with wheat and spices and then served with a generous helping of the shorba, fried onions and chopped mint. If it is ‘special’, one is looking for, a hard boiled egg is dropped in the middle of the bowl.
Every year the competition gets bigger and in this competition of haleem makers, the consumer seem to be benefitting – the more the merrier. The most common questions asked during this time are, “Have you tasted haleem yet?” “Where do I go for haleem this year?” And at the haleem counters most heard is ‘bhaiya extra shorba’ and ‘pieces bhi daalna’. And the lucky ones, indeed get chunks of meat, or else flash your best smile and find some good pieces in your bowl of haleem.
As a routine, the practice goes: Begin your first bowl of haleem at the iconic Paradise hotel in Secunderabad and once the ‘bohni’ is done, at every lane, every corner is a stall at one's disposal for more trials. At Paradise the scene has changed. The standing stalls, where one slurped each spoonful of haleem with a gulp of Coke, have made way for seating arrangements in the various sections within the property. According to one's convenience, haleem eaters also choose to eat their haleem at their favourite Paradise joint (they have many outlets within the city). After this beginning, the eating doesn't stop. The most popular stops in Secunderabad are Garden restaurant, Golden Crown, Ramser and the Alpha Cafe. In Hyderabad, the places to visit are Cafe Bahar, Niagra, Hotel Y2K, Sarvi and Red Rose.
The reason why people go haleem hopping is because no two places serve similar haleem. If one is low on its spice meter, another is high on its shorba; some add more meat and tiny bones and still some keep it boneless. “The recipe is a secret to individual haleem makers and only the owners know the quantity and proportion of spices,” says Majid, owner of Pista House. Pista House shot to fame over night with their haleem and “now supplies this dish to a few famous Bollywood actors, including Dilip Kumar,” claims Majid.
In the old city, the scene is different. The haleem specialists there are Shadab, Shah Ghouse and Pista House. No one minds the noise, the traffic, the chaos; everyone is oblivious as they enjoy this hot gooey dish with a good squeeze of lemon. But what is so different about this table-manners-defying dish? It’s hard to explain the liking for this acquired taste, maybe the fact that it comes with no table manners.
