Haleem Dhaka Style

Haleem is the signature Ramadan dish of Old Dhaka, sold from street stalls and restaurants throughout the holy month, eaten for iftar (the breaking of the fast). It is a thick porridge made from wheat, barley, several types of lentils (chana, masoor, urad), and beef or mutton, slow-cooked for 6 to 8 hours until all the ingredients dissolve into a single, homogeneous, thick mass. The meat disintegrates completely, its flavour permeating the entire dish. The Dhaka version is distinguished by the generous garnish: fried onions (birista), fresh ginger matchsticks, green chilies, chopped coriander, a squeeze of lime, and sometimes a boiled egg. Eaten with a spoon from a bowl, haleem is filling, nutritious and intensely flavoured, designed to restore energy after a day of fasting.

Thick, paste-like and intensely savoury, the wheat and lentils dissolved into a meat-permeated mass, each spoonful loaded with fried onions, sharp ginger, chili heat and lime. One bowl is a complete meal, deeply filling and warming.

The technique is a very long braise that dissolves everything into a single mass. Wheat, barley and mixed lentils are soaked overnight, then cooked in a large pot with water for 2 hours until completely soft. Separately, beef or mutton is cooked with onion, ginger-garlic paste and spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili, garam masala) until tender and falling apart. The two are combined and cooked together for another 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently and mashing with a heavy spoon, until the meat has disintegrated completely and the grains and lentils have dissolved into a thick, homogeneous paste. The consistency should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright. Served garnished with fried onions, ginger, green chilies, coriander and lime.