| Haleem | |
| Place Of Origin: | India |
| Region: | Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, Middle East |
| Served: | Hot |
| Main Ingredient: | Wheat, barley, lentils, meat |
| Variations: | Keşkek, harisa, khichra |
Haleem is a type of stew that is widely consumed in South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia. Although the dish varies from region to region, it optionally includes wheat or barley, meat and lentils. It is made by blending or mashing the meat in the curry and serving hot with flat breads or on its own. The original Haleem, which is different from this variety, is an ancient Iranian dish served with wheat, meat, cinnamon, and sugar that remains popular in Iran. Popular variations of haleem include keşkek in Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and northern Iraq; harisa in the Arab world and Armenia; halim in Afghanistan, Iran, West Bengal, in Mauritius, Pakistan and Bangladesh; and khichra in India.
Haleem is made of four main components:
This dish is slow-cooked for seven to eight hours and then vigorously stirred or beaten with a pestle-like stirring stick. This results in a paste-like consistency, blending the flavors of spices, meat, barley, and wheat.
In the end, the cooked haleem is garnished with fried onions, julienne-cut ginger, sliced green chillies, coriander leaves, lemon wedges, and chaat masala. However, haleem preparation varies in different regions.
The origin of Haleem lies in the popular Arabian dish known as Harees (also written as Jareesh). According to Shoaib Daniyal, writing in The Sunday Guardian, the first written recipe of Harees dates back to the 10th century, when Arab scribe Abu Muhammad al-Muzaffar ibn Sayyar compiled a cookbook of dishes popular with the "kings and caliphs and lords and leaders" of Baghdad. "The version described in his Kitab Al-Tabikh (Book of Recipes), the world's oldest surviving Arabic cookbook, is strikingly similar to the one people in the Middle East eat to this day" it reported. The Harees was cooked as the Arab empire was extended to different parts of the world.
Harees was introduced in the Indian subcontinent by the Arab soldiers of the Hyderabad Nizam's army to the city.[1]