Beef Degi Haleem

Ingredients

• 1 cup Broken Wheat (Gandum)
• 0.75 cup Barley (Jau)
• 0.75 cup Split Bengal Gram (Chana Daal)
• 0.5 cup Yellow Lentil (Moong Daal)
• 0.5 cup White Lentil (Mash Daal)
• 0.5 cup Red Lentil (Masoor Daal)
• 0.25 cup Rice (Chawal Tota)
• Water (as required for soaking)
• 2.5 Cinnamon Sticks (Darchini) (2-3 sticks)
• 2 Black Cardamoms (Badi Elaichi)
• 4 Green Cardamoms (Hari Elaichi)
• 5.5 Cloves (Laung) (5-6 cloves)
• 0.25 tsp Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
• 0.25 Nutmeg (Jaifal) (1/4 piece)
• 1 Mace (Javitri)
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds (Sabut Dhania)
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds (Zeera)
• 4 L Water (for cooking grains)
• 1 Bay Leaf (Tez Patta)
• 1.5 tbsp Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch) (or to taste)
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
• 0.5 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 1.5 cup Dalda Cooking Oil (for frying onions and beef)
• 600 g Onion (Pyaz) (sliced)
• 800 g Boneless Beef
• 6.5 Green Chillies (Hari Mirch) (6-7 chillies)
• 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste (Adrak Lehsan)
• 1 tbsp Iodized Himalayan Pink Salt (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp Dalda Cooking Oil (additional)
• 1 L Water (for beef cooking)
• 4 L Water (for final cooking)
• 0.333 cup Tamarind Pulp (Imli)
• 1 tbsp Iodized Himalayan Pink Salt (or to taste (second addition))
• 1.5 cup Hot Water (1-2 cups to adjust consistency)
• 1 tbsp Iodized Himalayan Pink Salt (or to taste (final adjustment))
• Fried Onion (for garnish)
• Fresh Coriander (Hara Dhania) (chopped, for garnish)
• Chaat Masala (to taste, for garnish)
• Ginger (Adrak) (julienned, for garnish)
• Lemon (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   In a large bowl, combine broken wheat, barley, split bengal gram, yellow lentil, white lentil, red lentil, and rice. Wash thoroughly and soak in water for 5-6 hours or overnight.

2. 2

   Prepare the Haleem spice mix: In a spice grinder, combine cinnamon sticks, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns, nutmeg, mace, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. Grind into a fine powder and set aside.

3. 3

   In a large pot, add the soaked grains and lentils along with 4 liters of water. Add bay leaf, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chilli powder. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low heat until the grains are completely tender.

4. 4

   In a separate large pot or pressure cooker, heat 1.5 cups of Dalda cooking oil. Add the sliced onions and fry until they are golden brown.

5. 5

   Add the boneless beef, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, and 1 tablespoon of Himalayan pink salt to the fried onions. Sauté until the beef changes color.

6. 6

   Add 1 liter of water to the beef. Cover and cook until the beef is extremely tender and falling apart (shreddable). Once cooked, shred the beef using a masher or wooden spoon.

7. 7

   Once the grains and lentils are cooked, use a hand blender or traditional wooden masher (ghota) to blend them until smooth but slightly textured.

8. 8

   Combine the shredded beef mixture with the blended grain mixture in a large pot. Add another 4 liters of water and the prepared spice mix.

9. 9

   Add tamarind pulp and another tablespoon of salt. Mix well and continue to cook on low heat, stirring constantly (ghota lagana) to develop the characteristic stretchy texture of Haleem.

10. 10

    If the Haleem is too thick, add 1-2 cups of hot water to adjust the consistency. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

11. 11

    In a small pan, heat 2 tablespoons of Dalda oil and pour it over the Haleem (tarka) for extra richness.

12. 12

    Serve the Haleem hot, garnished with fried onions, chopped fresh coriander, julienned ginger, chaat masala, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Notes

The key to a good Haleem is the 'ghota' (mashing) process, which creates the smooth, elastic texture. Using a wooden masher is traditional, but a hand blender can save time. Adjust the spice level by increasing or decreasing the red chilli powder.

Nutrition per serving

• Beef
• Haleem
• Main Course
• Pakistani
• Slow Cooked
• High Protein
• Traditional
• Dinner