Main Course: Hyderabadi Haleem

It’s raining and it means only one thing. No, not that it is a romantic season. That is passé and we are old enough to let that thought pass.

• Boneless chicken 1000 g
• Wheat 250 g
• Barley 100 g
• Chana daal 100 g
• Split moong daal 100 g
• Red lentil 100 g
• Rose petals ½ cup
• Cardamom 10 g
• Cinnamon sticks (2 inch) 2 n
• Cloves 10 g
• Pepper corns 10 g
• Kabob chini 10 g
• Cumin seeds 1 ts
• Shahi jeera 1 ts
• Sesame seeds 1 ts
• Ginger garlic paste 75 g
• Turmeric ¼ ts
• Onions 200 g
• Salt to taste
• Green chilly 3 n
• Ghee ½ cup

1. In a pan, heat 1tbsp ghee, whole spices: shahi jeera and cumin seeds and dry roast them.
2. Add chana daal, moong daal, masoor daal, barley, wheat, sesame seeds, roast them and let the mixture cool down.
3. Put them into the blender and add dry rose petals, blend this into a coarse powder.
4. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add half of the whole garam masala and sauté.
5. Add chopped onions, salt, saute it and add ginger garlic paste. Cook this till the raw flavor is gone.
6. Add green chillies, then add chicken, mix this and saute this for few minutes.
7. Add water to cover the meat and put the lid on. After one whistle, cook this on slow flame for 1 hour.
8. Take another pressure cooker, add prepared coarse powder and enough water; put the lid on and simmer after one whistle. Cook this for 30 minutes.
9. Add more water after you open the pressure cooker and cook the lentils till they are soft. Mash the lentil mixture with a potato masher.
10. Take another vessel and add cooked chicken, lentil mixture and mash it once.
11. Cook this for few minutes then check the consistency, if it is thicker than required add some water and cook it for few minutes till water is dissolved.

Serve this hot!