Pakistan – Chicken Haleem

by Dahiza Umar

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISH

This dish is so popular through out the Asia and is a part of national cuisine of Pakistan. This dish is made from legume and lentils like red lentil, yellow, white gram and even from the porridge with oats, barley in it and any meat is also added to this dish so that it enhance the taste flavor and texture of the dish. But if meat is used, it is totally mixed into the lentils mixture into the mixed form this dish id prepared.

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art!

TRADITIONAL FOOD OF PAKISTAN

If you search top 10 dishes of Pakistan this dish is included into the dish list. It is the dish used to cooked everywhere in Pakistan and especially in the province of Punjab. The ingredients used are so unique with the combination of the meat is just admirable. On the special occasion like when some food is distributed for the needy and poor and even on the occasion like Shabrat this dish is made on by the granny of the house from proper authentic flavors and than served to the people and distributed outside the house for the sake of nayaaz

STREET FOOD

As a street food this dish is also served on the road side hawkers served with rice or roti upon the preference of individual choice, this dish is so popular so that it may cooked on daily basis and even on the special occasions like Eid, shabrat and even on weddings with many more dishes to complement. The street food is so famous in the Pakistan and this dish is so popular must be included into the street food where small stalls of hawkers having huge pot of bowl haleem in it.

ORIGIN OF THE DISH

This dish is originated from the indian Subcontinent like all the Pakistani dishes so that as the traditional dish it is so famous even now a days and when it is originated this dish is like every one’s favorite to make anybody smile.

TIME REQUIRED

• Preparation time : 30 minutes
• Cooking time : 45 minutes
• Total time :1 hour and 15 minutes

SERVED WITH

This dish is so versatile it may served with any kind of bread made in Pakistan and even with simple boiled rice or zeera rice, breads served with haleem are:

• Khameri roti
• sada roti
• rogani naan
• sada naan
• paratha etc

and with rice like :

• Plain rice
• zeera rice
• white boiled rice etc

GARNISHING OF HALEEM IS IMPORTANT!

Haleem is the dish which is served with many side items like fried onion, slices ginger, green chilies, chaat masala and lemon as the part of this dish haleem is incomplete with all these things like:

• Fried onions
• lemon
• green chilies
• ginger slices
• chaat masala
• mint leaves

INGREDIENTS FOR LENTIL PREPARATION

• Red lentils : 1/2 cup
• yellow lentils : 1/2 cup
• Rice :1 cup
• Porridge : 1 cup
• barley : 1 cup
• oats : 1 cup
• gram lentils : 1 cup
• Salt : 1 tbsp

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN MASALA

• Chicken : 2 kilograms
• salt: 2 tbsp
• green chilies : 6 to 8
• onions : 4
• garlic paste : 3 tbsp
• ginger paste : 5 tbsp
• tomatoes: 4
• yogurt : 1 cup
• turmeric powder : 1 tsp
• red pepper : 3 tbsp
• cumin powder : 2 tbsp
• coriander powder : 4 tbsp
• chaat masala :1 tbsp
• garam masala : 1 tsp
• Oil: 1 cup

COOKING METHOD

FOR LENTILS

• Take a large cooking pot and add 12 glasses of water into with all the lentils that are soaked a night before.
• Add salt into it and let it cook either on pressure cooker or low heat until all the lentils cooked and soft and mixed with each another.
• Check the consistency of the lentils mixture it should be not so thin like water it must be of thick texture.
• Now let it cool down and than blend it into a thick paste

FOR CHICKEN CURRY

• Take oil and add onions into it and fry until it gets translucent than add garlic ginger paste with tomatoes into it.
• Now add chicken with all he spices into onion mixture and let it cook for 20 minutes.
• See the water of chicken dried out and chicken is tendered properly add yogurt into it.
• Now saute it for 10 minutes.
• Chicken is now just mixed into curry paste so the pieces is smashed and mixed into it

ASSEMBLING

• Now its time to add our lentils paste into smashed chicken curry and mixed it together and than bring it to boil and than put it on low heat.
• Cooked it for 20 minutes on low flame
• Enjoy by serving it with the all side items