Authentic Chicken or Beef Haleem
Serves: 8-10 | Time: 3-4 hours total
Ingredients
For the Meat/Gravy:
750g boneless beef or chicken – beef gives better texture, chicken is faster
1 large onion, sliced
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ cup oil or ghee
2 tbsp haleem masala – store-bought Shan/National, or see homemade below
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1½ tsp salt – adjust to taste
1 tsp garam masala powder
For the Grains & Lentils:
½ cup wheat – broken wheat/dalia, soaked 4 hours
¼ cup barley – jau, soaked 4 hours
2 tbsp chana dal – split chickpeas
2 tbsp moong dal – split yellow lentils
2 tbsp masoor dal – split red lentils
2 tbsp mash dal – split white lentils
6-7 cups water
Homemade Haleem Masala – if not using packet:
1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp mace, 4-5 cloves, 4-5 green cardamoms
For Garnish – ‘Tarka & Toppings’:
2 large onions, thinly sliced and deep fried till golden
½ cup ghee for tarka
Fresh coriander, chopped
Fresh mint, chopped
3-4 green chilies, sliced
2-3 lemons, cut into wedges
Ginger, julienned
Chaat masala for sprinkling
Instructions
1. Boil grains & lentils:
Wash all soaked wheat, barley, and lentils.
In a large pot, add them with 6-7 cups water and 1 tsp salt.
Boil 1.5-2 hours on low heat until everything is very soft and mushy. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
Once soft, use a wooden spoon or hand blender to mash/ghotna until smooth and sticky. This step gives haleem its texture. Set aside.
2. Cook the meat:
In a separate pot, heat oil/ghee. Fry sliced onion until golden.
Add ginger-garlic paste, cook 1 min. Add meat and bhunofy 5-6 mins until color changes.
Add chopped tomatoes, haleem masala, red chili, turmeric, salt. Cook until oil separates and meat is tender.
For beef: pressure cook 25-30 mins or slow cook 1.5 hours. For chicken: 20-25 mins on stovetop.
Once tender, shred the meat with two forks or a masher. Don’t leave chunks — haleem should be smooth.
3. Combine & ‘Ghotna’ – the key step:
Add the shredded meat + all its gravy into the pot with mashed grains/lentils.
Mix well. Now cook on very low heat for 45-60 mins, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or ghotna. This is what makes it stretchy like in your photo.
Add hot water gradually if it gets too thick. Final texture should be thick but pourable, not solid.
Add garam masala in last 10 mins. Adjust salt.
4. Tarka & serve:
Heat ½ cup ghee in a small pan. You can add a pinch of chili powder for color.
Pour the haleem into a large serving dish. Drizzle the hot ghee tarka on top.
Garnish with fried onions, coriander, mint, green chilies, ginger, and lemon slices exactly like your picture.
Pro tips:
That stretch: Comes from 3 things — proper wheat/barley ratio, long cooking, and constant ‘ghotna’/beating. No shortcut for this.
Not grainy: If you see whole grains, blend part of the mixture and add back.
Make ahead: Haleem tastes better next day. It thickens in the fridge — loosen with hot water while reheating.
Shortcut: Use store-bought haleem mix. It has pre-roasted wheat/lentils and masala. Still takes 2+ hours but less prep.
