Chicken Haleem
I was introduced to haleem for the first time by a colleague many years back and the taste blew me away. I had heard about it but never tasted it. Moreover, I had also heard that it was a difficult dish to prepare which required not only lots of ingredients but a lot of time. So, when I moved abroad, I resorted to boxed haleem to satisfy my cravings, but these can be expensive! That is when I started experimenting to come up with a recipe that uses normal pantry ingredients, takes less time but tastes amazing.
What is haleem?
Haleem or sometimes also called daleem, is comfort food at its best! It is a meal in itself.
Haleem is a dish made with many different lentils, wheat and meat. It is usually made using beef but many prefer chicken since it is lighter than the beef version. It is traditionally simmered for hours (sometimes up to 12 hours) until the meat cooks and it develops a gooey texture filled with shredded meat.
Pro-Tips:
- I have used a pressure cooker which will shorten the cooking time.
- In most cases, lentils need to be soaked overnight. But for this recipe soaking for 2 hours is enough.
- Rice can be replaced by rolled oats. These don’t take very long to cook yet give a good texture to the haleem.
- The cracked wheat/ wheatlets is needed for this recipe. Omitting it might alter the taste and texture of the dish.
- You can prepare the dish one or two days ahead of serving. In fact, the flavors get bolder with time.
The steps may seem long but it is very easy all coming together in the pressure cooker. The chicken and all the grains are cooked to perfection.
Traditionally, the grains and chicken used to be mashed using a wooden spoon, but that requires a lot of hard work and patience. To make it easy, we will remove the chicken, shred it by hand and the grains will be blended using an immersion blender (you can use a normal blender but you will need to do it in batches).
The blend of whole spices is what gives the haleem its unique taste. For best result use a spice blender (instead of mortar and pestle). Never add the powdered spice directly to the haleem, it will form lumps. The best way is to dissolve in water and then add it.
What do you serve with haleem?
Naans, chapatis and even boiled rice are always good with a homemade haleem.
Serve with garnishes such as fresh chopped chillies, julienned ginger and lime wedges.
Can leftovers be stored?
Yes! Leftovers can be frozen and stored for up to 3 months. It can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. While reheating, add some water (1/2-3/4 cup) as the haleem thickens.
Chicken Haleem
Ingredients
Grains
- 1/2 cup wheatlets
- 1/4 cup daal moong (yellow lentils)
- 1/4 cup daal chana (split chickpeas)
- 1/4 cup daal masoor (red lentils)
- 1/4 cup daal maash (urad daal)
- 1/4 cup rice
Gravy Ingredients
- 500 gm chicken breast (about 2 breasts) cut each in half
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 tablespoon red chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon kashmiri powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1/2 tablespoon chaat masala
- 1 chicken cube
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 6 cups water
Spices to grind:
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 4-6 green cardamoms
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1/4 teaspoon mace powder
- 1 large black cardamom
- 2-3 inch cinnamon sticks
- 5-6 cloves
- 1/4 cup water
Other Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 large onions finely sliced
- 1 1/2 -2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon citric acid (optional)
- Ginger julienned
- Chopped green chilies
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
Step1: Preparing the grains
- In a container put all the grains mentioned and wash it very well until the water runs clear. Then leave it to soak for a minimum of 2 hours or even overnight. This will soften them.
Step 2: Preparing the spice powder
- Using a spice blender, blend together all the whole spices mentioned under the heading “Spices to Grind”.
- Add 1/4 cup water to it and mix well to dissolve it and set it aside.
Step 3: Making the gravy
- In a pressure cooker on medium-high heat, add oil, cumin seeds, bay leaves and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 10-15 seconds until the ginger garlic starts to brown.
- Then add the chicken pieces. Saute until the chicken turns white.
- Next add all the remaining ingredients- salt, turmeric, red chili powder, kashmiri powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chaat masala, chicken cube and the yogurt.
- Mix well to saute until the oil separates (this may take 5-6 minutes).
- At this point, add 6 cups of water AND the washed and drained grains.
- Close the pressure cooker and let it cook for 20 minutes after the whistle starts.
- When 20 minutes are done, switch off the heat, carefully open the pressure cooker (after the steam is released) and remove the chicken pieces.
- Shred the chicken once it is cool enough to handle and keep it aside.
- With an immersion blender, blend the gravy leaving some grains still visible (you can blend it completely if you want a completely smooth consistency).
- Add the shredded chicken back to the blended gravy.
- Turn on the heat to medium and add 11/2- 2 cups water, citric acid and the spice powder mixture we prepared in Step 2.
- Cover and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally so that the haleem does not stick to the bottom and burn.
- While the haleem is simmering, place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup oil and the finely chopped onions. Fry the onions until it develops a deep golden-brown color (reserve some for garnishing).
- Add the fried onions along with the oil to the haleem and stir well.
- Once your desired consistency for the haleem is achieved, switch off the heat and it is ready to serve. Garnish with reserved fried onions, julienned ginger and chopped green chilies.
- Serve hot with naan or rice along with lemon wedges.
Notes
- If you don’t have chciekn breast, you can use any other parts e.g. chicken thighs.
- This makes a large batch. You can easily freeze it and pull it out when you don’t want to cook anything.
- It can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. While reheating, add some water (1/2-3/4 cup) as the haleem thickens.
