Pakistani Lentil, Grain and Meat Stew (Haleem)

Pakistani Lentil, Grain and Meat Stew (Haleem)

Pakistani Lentil, Grain and Meat Stew (Haleem)

Pakistani Lentil, Grain and Meat Stew (Haleem)

Haleem is a Pakistani dish usually composed of different varieties of lentils (“dal”), cracked wheat or barley, rice, and a little bit of meat. Traditionally, you would simmer the bone-in meat (usually goat, but any red meat works well) for hours to coax out the collagen and marrow to create an unctuous porridge. However, this recipe is made much faster by using an electric pressure cooker. This one-pot meal also freezes well. 
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2
Calories 1042 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Medium Bowl
  • 1 Plate
  • 1 Roll of Paper Towels
  • 1 Electric Presser Cooker
  • 1 Wooden Spoon
  • 1 Sieve

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup Assorted Lentils such as chana dal, moong dal, masoor dal, and/or urad dal
  • ¼ cup White Long-Grain Rice
  • ¼ cup pearl barley or cracked wheat
  • 1 ½ lb Bone-In Lamb / Goat / Beef Stew Meat
  • 3 tsp Kosher Salt divided, plus more
  • 1 6" piece fresh ginger
  • 3 medium Shallots thinly sliced
  • cup Ghee or Vegetable Oil
  • 4 Garlic Cloves finely grated
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper or more if desired
  • 1 tsp Ground Turmeric
  • 5 cups Shorba Beef Bone Broth
  • 3 Green Chiles stem removed (optional)
  • ½ cup Chopped Cilantro lightly packed
  • 2 Limes cut into wedges

2 Tbsp. Haleem masala (or make your own)

  • ¼ tsp Nutmeg
  • 2-3 Allspice Berries
  • 1 ½ tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Caraway Seed

Instructions
 

  • Combine dals, rice, and wheat or barley in a medium bowl. Pour in water to cover and swish dals and grains around with your fingers. Drain and repeat the process until water runs clear enough to see your hands through.
  • Pour in water to cover and let dals and grains soak at room temperature at least 2 hours, or cover and chill up to 12 hours.
  • Place meat on a plate, pat dry with paper towels, and season all over with 2 tsp. salt; set aside
  • Finely grate half of ginger; set aside
  • Thinly slice remaining ginger. Stack slices and cut crosswise into matchsticks; set aside
  • Combine shallots and ghee in the pot of electric pressure cooker and set to sauté function or high. Cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed if your cooker has that option, until shallots are just beginning to brown
  • Reduce to normal function or medium if possible, or, if your cooker doesn’t have a lower setting, turn off for a minute if mixture is getting too hot
  • Add reserved ginger matchsticks and cook, stirring often, until shallots are brown and crisp and ginger is frizzled, 4–10 minutes, depending on your cooker
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer shallots and ginger to a plate, spreading out into a single layer. Season lightly with salt; let cool
  • Add garlic, Haleem masala, cayenne, turmeric, and reserved grated ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds
  • Add meat and stir to coat in spices. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon and repeatedly adding splashes of water as spices begin to stick to bottom of pot and scraping up browned bits, until flavors come together, about 15 minutes
  • Drain dal mixture and add to pot along with 1 tsp. salt and 5 cups broth
  • Secure lid and bring to full pressure according to manufacturer’s directions. Cook 1½ hours. Let sit 20 minutes, then manually release pressure and open up
  • Taste haleem and add more salt and cayenne if needed. Add chiles if using. Simmer on normal function or medium, stirring often, 5 minutes
  • Stir in ½ cup cilantro
  • Serve haleem with lime wedges, reserved crispy shallots and ginger, and more chopped cilantro

Notes

As we are still in Winter, we can take advantage of the season’s strong digestive abilities to enjoy heavier foods. While mixing different protein sources such as red meat with various types of lentils is not recommended by Ayurveda, especially during hotter months when our bodies are expending less energy on breaking down food, during winter our robust “digestive fire” can handle it pretty well. Resetting our system in preparation for Spring is still a month or so away, and in the meantime, we can indulge in cozy stews such as this one. 
Adapted from Epicurious
Keyword Lentil, Meat Stew, Pakistani Lentil, Pakistani Lentil, Grain and Meat Stew
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