As the muezzin’s call resonates and the sun sets in Hyderabad, the moon during the holy month of Ramzan, which is the time for self-purification, devotion and penance, is sighted and Roza (fast) is broken. Ramzan is also a period in anticipation of Id-Ul-Fitr. But, Roza,on an everyday scale, also marks haleem, a mix of wheat, ghee and meat (beef, mutton or chicken) cooked for over eight hours with cashew, raisins, garlic paste and spices and garnished with crisped onions, fresh mint and lime.

Come Ramzan and you finds stalls set up on the roadside cooking this dish from morning and serving it at dusk to the pious and fasting and scores of others too!

The history of haleem can be traced back to West Asia as interesting stories and legends abound. Its origins are traced to Iran, Arabia and the Middle-East primarily. “Originally the dish was made with camel meat and burghul wheat in the Middle East. When the dish travelled to India camel meat was replaced with meat of goat/lamb and burghul wheat by wheat (dalia).

When the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb surrounded the Golconda Fort, the cooks in the Nizam’s army created this, as elaborate meals were not possible. This dish was cooked overnight and fed to the soldiers on battle field. Since forces are fighting they needed the high caloric nutrition,” expresses Chef Chef Pradeep Khosla, Corporate Chef, Tuli Group of Hotels.

Chef Nambi Arooran, Executive Chef, ITC Kakatiya Sheraton, Hyderabad and Chef Aamer Jamal, (Jr Sous Chef, ITC Kakatiya Sheraton) concur that the “origin can be traced to Isfahan (Iran).” M.A. Majeed, owner, Pista House, Hyderabad says “people from Yemen and Saudi Arabia came and settled in Barkhas in Hyderabad. They used to work in Nizam’s security and they made haleem and harees.”

Auteur Mani Shankar, while tracing its origin to Persia, says that haleem was once reserved for the royalty but soldiers were In fact it was given to soldiers in a leather pouch who could just squeeze it into their mouths while riding the horse without dismounting from it. When Quli Qutub Shah rode in from Iran and started ruling over Golconda haleem became formalised royal cuisine.” Naeem Khan, an advertising and communication professional and food critic, says though “haleem originated in the Arabia, it was adapted in Hyderabadi cuisine. The shape and form of haleem is now indigenously yderabadi.” “Haleem is Iranian in origin and when it came to India it was eaten by people of Iranian descent,” says Anvar Ali Khan, advertising professional and food critic.

Initially haleem was made in Muslim homes in Hyderabad anytime of the year. It got tagged to the month of Ramzan on accountof the filling especially for those who fasted from before sunrise to sunset. As this dish is made of meat (lamb), wheat, lentils and ghee and mildly spiced, it is a meal by itself and provides the proteins, carbohydrates and fats. So after the Iftar--the fast was broken in the evening with khajur (dates) and fruits, haleem was taken out and eaten. “On account of fasting people may develop acidity or burning sensation. The ghee in haleem lines the system. It’s easy to swallow and it has pepper which is the best antidote God has given mankind,” says Chef Nambi Arooran. “Sandal ka bhura teamed with paan ki jhad and khus ki jhad sustain the aroma and whet the appetite,” says Chef Jamal.

Seasonal delight is what haleem is all about, “The awareness created due to travelling and packaging coupled with technology has helped the shelf life of haleem. Also any dish limited in resource (i.e. available only during a limited period – Ramzan) is also favoured,” says Chef Nambi.

The extraordinary commercialisation and shrewd marketing by Pista House has in a way contributed to the mass popularity of haleem. Owner, M.A. Majeed has popularised the dish. “Friends used to come home and have haleem. Ninety per cent of them were non-Muslims and they used to be fond of it. So I thought why not make it popular on a commercial basis.

I opened Pista House in 1997. We perfected the recipe after 200 trials. In 2003 we had a tie-up with the post-office to send haleem to different places. After three to four years we stopped that and started to courier it. One of its specialties is the Vegetarian Haleem which substitutes the meat with dry fruits. Pista House is an ISO 9002 company and it delivers across India, Europe and the United States of America. One can also order the Haleem online. Talk about Hyderabadi Haleem being globalised.

Ramzan is a great equaliser time, politicians to filmstars, sports personalities to the common man prefer eating haleem during Ramzan. Food stalls burgeon at the roadside and service lanes during Ramzan to cater to crowds, the bigger players being Pista House, Shadab, Niagara and Madina.

Haleem, much beloved, has its detractors. Frauke Quader is from Germany and has chosen to make Hyderabad her home doesn’t find haleem “an interesting dish.”

Same goes for Suresh Kuppu, educationist, who finds haleem overrated and the texture unpalatable.

Love it or be middling to it, haleem has gone to a different level. Hyderabad has got a GI status for this signature dish. As for now if anyone is craving for haleem the wait is not too long, Ramzan is around the corner to revel in it!

Ingredients
Boneless mutton - 1 kg
Wheat- 400 gms
Rice- 50 gms
Black peppercorn - 2 gms
Zeera (Cumin Seeds) - 2 grams
Shahi zeera (Caraway seeds) - 3 gms
Cardamom - 3 gms
Cinnamon - 3 gms
Kawab chini 1 gm
Cloves 1/2 gm
Rose petals – 4—5 petals
Lentils
Masoor - 50 gms
Toovar - 25 gms
Chana - 25 gms

Dry fruits
Cashewnuts - 5 gms
Almond -5 gms
Pistachio - 5 gms
Fresh Herbs
Fresh coriander -2 gms
Fresh mint - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 5-6
Golden and crisp fried onions – 1 cup
Pure ghee - 1 cup
Salt to taste

Method

First wash and soak the cracked wheat and lentils for at least 2 hours, each separately. Then wash and clean the lamb thoroughly, trimming off any excess fat.
Mix the lamb with 1 tsp of salt and 6 green chillies in 2 litres of water.
Pressure cook the lamb on high for 8-10 minutes or until 3 whistles and then simmer for another 15-20 minutes, shred and keep aside.
Mix rice and wheat to that lamb and leave it to cook till it becomes smooth, (check whether the rice is cooked, if its cooked then even the wheat is also cooked)
Add all the ingredients (black pepper, cloves, shahi zeera, zeera, cinamon, rose petals and kawab chini).
Next make a paste of all the dals and dry fruits and add this to that batter and see to it that the water it is almost absorbed by the wheat`s batter( mutton+ingredients).
Let the batter rest. Don't open the lid. After the fire completely gets cool, mash the batter until it turns smooth.
Add salt according to taste.
Garnish haleem with fried onions, mint and coriander leaves and lemon.

BY Radhika Rajamani