It’s a little after noon and Arif Khan from Hyderabad is busy stirring a huge wide-mouthed metal vessel on the fire. A sticky porridge simmers in it, and he occasionally pounds the gooey mass with a long-handled stirrer. He pauses in between to adjust the flame and add a smattering of masala to the steaming mixture in the central kitchen of Le Arabia group of restaurants in Kazhakoottam. After all, it must take a true Hyderabadi to bring to life the GI-tagged Hyderabadi dish, haleem, a delicacy that usually makes its appearance during the month of Ramzan.
Predominantly a mutton-based delicacy, Hyderabadi haleem is now officially commercially available in the city. Often consumed as an hors d’oeuvre during Iftar, the calorie-heavy, protein-rich dish provides an instant recharge after a day’s fasting.
K. Somasekhar, general manager of the Le Arabia group, who introduced the succulent meat porridge in the hotel chain’s menu last Ramzan, first came across the pasty, flavoursome dish while working with a hotel chain in Bengaluru. “Hyderabadi haleem was part of the Iftar kit we used to offer there. I felt confident about introducing it in the city as there are many North Indians quiet familiar with the dish,” he says.
Arif, the cook, was working with the famous Bawarchi chain in Charminar, Hyderabad, when he was roped in for his expertise in making Hyderabadi haleem and dum biriyani.
Arif Khan prepares Hyderabadi haleem at Le Arabia’s central kitchen.
Preparing haleem in its traditional method is a long, elaborate process. Mashed meat (most commonly mutton), wheat, lentils, an assortment of spices and ghee are slow-cooked with firewood in low flame for over 10 hours to bring out its perfect consistency and flavour. The mixture is constantly pounded using a heavy ghotni (a wooden hand masher). However, constrained by practical factors, Somasekhar says Le Arabia prepares haleem using broken wheat on a higher flame, condensing the preparation method to three to four hours.
First, mutton is boiled and made into a semi-paste form. To this is added green chilly and lentils (channa dal and toor dal) that are boiled and blended in a mixer separately and other ingredients. Ginger-garlic paste, salt and masala mix are added before introducing broken wheat. The admixture is stirred continuously while other flavouring spices and dry rose petals are put in. Towards the end, ghee is added to retain the thick consistency, before garnishing it with fried onions and pudina.
“Mutton and wheat are measured in a 2:1 ratio. We bring the dry rose petals for flavouring from Hyderabad as it is readily available there during the haleem season,” says Somasekhar.
The dish has made its entry into home-made Iftar takeways as well. Sheeba R., home chef, whose La Fleur Delicieux has been attracting customers, says she first chanced upon the delicacy in a TLC channel programme some nine years ago.
After doing thorough “research” on the variety of haleems and watching innumerable Youtube videos, Sheeba has brought out a compact, quicker, easy-to-do version, something that can be done on a smaller scale but still commercially viable. “Pressure-cooking the lentils helps save time and I use a potato masher for pounding. If you use mutton with a bit of bones as well, it will add a soupy succulence,” says Sheeba, who puts in a morsel of basmati rice too as part of “supporting ingredients.”
Sheeba R. with her home-made haleem.
The mutton has to be just right — not too tender nor too hard — and, of course, the bones are removed before mashing. Sheeba says with a chuckle that she infuses a substitute for one of two “secret ingredients” for flavour, which are not readily available here, not wanting to disclose what the condiments are.
Though the delicacy is relatively unheard of in Kerala, Sheeba says she has received good response from customers. “When I posted about haleem in social media, many initially responded, saying an authentic version could not be replicated here. But I could deliver what was promised and soon the delicacy caught on.” She, however, prepares haleem only on a pre-order basis and it is not included in the home-made Iftar kits as it would “significantly push up the costs.”
The home chef says she also gets orders from non-fasting customers who are simply interested in trying out a new dish. A half-kilo of haleem is priced at ₹450 and Sheeba plans to retain it in the menu even after Ramzan “depending on the demand.”
Whether you are fasting for Ramzan or a gourmet looking for something new to tickle your tastebuds, this holy month would be a perfect opportunity to dig into a dish synonymous with the Hyderabadi spirit.
