My Tryst With Haleem

Growing up in Calcutta, Ramzan time meant one thing and one thing only. Eating Haleem during Iftar or breaking the fast. I remember we used to sit at the restaurant around 5pm but the waiters did not serve us any food till the fast was officially broken. Respecting everyone’s sentiments around us we never even used to sip water even though water was provided to us at the table.

Then the magic started happening. Waiters started dishing our steaming hot bowls of mutton Haleem with piping hot tandoori rotis. It was a delight. Slivers of ginger and chopped green chilies on top of a soupy bowl of Haleem with the ever-present lime wedge on the side and two pieces of makhana floating on top– Heavenly.

Fast forward 10 years I was on my first trip to Hyderabad on work in early 2000s. My client said let’s go eat Haleem. A gush of memories flashed in front of my eyes. So many years it’s been since I tasted my favourite dish. ?We sat down waiting to be served. Haleem arrives.

This is when I started sensing something is amiss. The dish in front of me resembled nothing like the Haleem I was used to in Calcutta – it was a thick gooey meaty dish with the only similarity being the ginger, green chili, and lime wedge. The first bite transposed me to an alternate dimension, and I was oblivious to anything around me till I licked the plate clean.

This got me thinking – how can one dish with almost similar ingredients have such a different cooking process across two cities. I started digging more.

Few years later during my maiden trip to Kashmir I discovered a breakfast dish called Hareesa – no it’s not the red Moroccan chili paste. Hareesa is a very similar dish cooked with meat and lentils and millets painstakingly pounded together over hours to form this delicious dish – A true Frenchman probably will end up calling it a Pate as it sometimes sets in its container due to the cold climate.

The origin of Haleem lies in the popular Arabian dish known as Harees. The first written recipe of Harees dates to the 10th century, when Arab scribe Abu Muhammad al-Muzaffar ibn Sayyar compiled a cookbook of dishes popular with the "kings and caliphs and lords and leaders" of Baghdad. The version described in his Kitab Al-Tabikh (Book of Recipes), the world's oldest surviving Arabic cookbook, is strikingly like the one people in the Middle East eat to this day. The Harees was cooked as the Arab empire was extended to different parts of the world including the humble Hareesa in Kashmir.

Harees was introduced in the Indian subcontinent by the Arab soldiers of the Hyderabad Nizam's army to the city who over the years modified it to suit their palate.

Haleem is also very popular in West Bengal and Bangladesh, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, when it is a staple dish. However, the Bengali version of Halim differs from other areas slightly as the meat and bones are stewed and kept as small pieces instead of mashing them with the lentil soup. In addition, the variety of spices used is also different.

In 2010 Hyderabadi Haleem was awarded Geographical Indication status by the Indian GI registry office. It became the first meat product of India to receive a GI certification. This means that a dish cannot be sold as Hyderabadi Haleem unless it meets the necessary standards laid down for it.

Haleem, Halim, Hareesa or Harees – these are very serious culinary traditions and not to be taken lightly. A proper Hyderabad Haleem is impossible to be made in a small batch in a small fancy kitchen. It needs hours of back breaking effort which results in the super silky homogenous texture that dish stands for. That said the Bengal Halim and the Kashmir Hareesa are also excellent dishes. The Halim in Calcutta is a very satisfying meal in a bowl that acts as an excellent nutritious evening snack and eating the Hareesa during a cold morning in Srinagar will not only warm up your entire body but also will rejuvenate your soul.

Happy Eating

Ramadan Kareem