Feasting during Ramzan revolves around haleem, especially for non-Muslims. For food lovers, missing the haleem war in the city is next to impossible. In this battle, banners, lights and flyers are passe. If you are a millennial then you know that the haleem war has gone hi-tech. It has spilled over to FM channels while making its presence felt on whatsapp, as funny memes and all.
The latest meme that is tickling everyone’s funny bone is the one from Pista House. The forward meme funnily morphs a popular scene from Baahubali 2 . On radio, an ad quizzes and urges everyone to eat haleem from Pista House. Cafe Bahar has decided to take it a notch higher and get more personal. Their customised whatsapp message is an audio file that mocks at those who claim to be the best.
Speciality tag
The war isn’t limited to publicity, there’s product differentiation as well. Why eat the same when there is special haleem on offer. How special? With abundance of desi ghee , extra nuts, a hard boiled egg and some extra fried onions. If this is not all, some special haleem have chunks of meat, few pieces of bone to lick and served with a ladle of mutton shorba . That’s how the Grill9 haleem at Karkhana is vanishing from their handis .
Cafe555’s haleem is in a different league altogether. Apart from an overdose of nuts, their haleem comes with batter-fried chunks of chicken as well. They call it berista haleem.
Eating haleem is an art; when not in the comfort of a restaurant things can get messy. So Pista House is delivering haleem not just on Swiggy but through other food delivery services as well. Still the favourite of many, their haleem this time tasted a few notch better. Spice levels are in order and there is pounded meat in every spoonful.
Also, Pista House has something new this time — Sweet haleem for those who cannot take spices at all. “We finish the sweet haleem with honey and desi ghee. We are using organic honey,” owner Majeed claims.
Fine dining haleem
Zaika-e-Hyderabad is selling pots of haleem while giving diners a fine-dining experience. Mild in all aspects, this haleem is a hero with first-timers. This haleem saves us from the trouble of spitting out whole-spices before swallowing the gooey delight.
One isn’t enough? Go for the Gyarah Handi Haleem at Soda Bottle Openerwala. Everyone is raving about the Persian haleem which is made here. Among the 11 varieties of haleem it offers is a duck haleem.
Move aside lamb and chicken. Make way for the camel. On offer at Chef Inam’s Steak house, inam is proud to present a healthy camel meat haleem; camel meat is low in cholesterol, he recommends to the health conscious. Inam says “camels are known to have a robust immune system, which makes the meat, the healthiest and cleanest meat for human consumption.”
Personally, I quite like the haleem at Chicha’s. It is the most balanced and doesn’t kill you with guilt pangs about eating something loaded with ghee.
If Ramzan isn’t all about haleem, take a look at Cafe Bahar’s Iftar pack. It is a combo and packed for a smart takeaway. Rest assured its biryani and haleem will make you come back for more.
The haleem battle isn’t new in the city and amid all these loud battle cries, the winners are ultimately the haleem chasers.
