Murgh Haleem

Haleem has originated or is inspired by an Arabic dish, “Harees” which is made with meat, ghee, wheat, rice and whole pulses. The Persian name for the meat – wheat dish is “Hareesah”, which unlike Haleem is bland and uses lesser amount of pulses as well. An author once also suggessted that the version of Haleem made in India should have its name revised as “Daleem” since it uses a variety of Daals / Pulses.

Like so many other dishes that proudly make a mark in Indian/Pakistani/ Bangladeshi cuisines, Haleem was also introduced to Hyderabad recipes during the Mughal Era. The research shows that it came to Hyderabad during the Mughal period via Iran and Afghanistan. Adding the local spices and ingredients to it was definitely an upgrade from the original Arabian dish.

It says that it was during the rule of the sixth Nizam, Mahbub Ali Khan when Haleem was being revised to suit the Indian taste buds. The addition of spices made a huge difference to the dish and it did take effort and time to make it what it is today. By the the time, the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan made his way to the throne, Haleem had become an integral part of the Hyderabadi cuisine.

With time, it became popular amongst all Muslim rulers and royal chefs made few changes here and there to make it more appetizing. The basic Haleem recipe comprises of a variety of lentils, meat/ chicken , and spices which are pounded together and cooked on a low flame for about 12 hours, which in todays time and age sounds time consuming and insane. Even today, if you wish to taste autjentic Haleem, you will have to take a trip to the Muslim areas of popular cities and visit those restaurants that are popular for their food and do not care much about the ambience. Honestly, I call them food lovers Paradise. As soon as you are close to those places, you can follow the fragrance of delicious food with your eyes shut. If you are like me, and can ignore the tables put close together and with people staring at you while you eat, you should visit these places at least once when you are in these popular cities. Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Mumbai’s Mohammed Ali Road, Hyderabad’s Char Minar and Bangalore’s Frazer town is where you will always find authentic Muslim cuisines which are pocket friendly and wonderfully delicious. These days you will also find places where they offer great seating arrangements for families as well.

However, the local spices give the Hyderabadi version a peculiar taste and flavor. I once saw a TV show based on Hyderabadi cuisine and watching Haleem being cooked was a delight. Haleem is prepared using Daals, mutton/Chicken, Broken wheat, Rice and a blend of spices. Everything is cooked together and then mashed together to bring in the perfect taste. Haleem has to be prepared in Ghee. It definitely is high in calories but its nutritious as well, and that’s what makes it the perfect dish to open your fast with. Even today, traditional Haleem is prepared in Brick – mud ovens or Bhattis on firewood and takes anywhere between 8-12 hours to be prepared. Basic Haleem recipe only used Mutton, but with time, chefs added more variety and Chicken Haleem or Murgh haleem came out as a lighter version of the traditional Haleem. I love both, but Chicken Haleem seems to be liked more in my house and therefore is cooked more often. I am sure you will love the recipe as much as we do. Enjoy!!!

Lucknowi Mutton Biryani

Lucknow food is food of the Nawabs and I love the Kebabs, curries and of course, the Biryani. Lucknowi Biryani uses a lot whole masalas and requires the chicken to be marinated in whole spices, powdered spices and Yogurt.

I have been to Lucknow once, with my parents in 2002. Though we didn’t stay for too long, but few days were enough for me to love the flavors and food from Lucknow. I wasn’t a complete cook back then and as much as I loved the food, I wasn’t so keen about doing a research to find out or look for recipes and try them out. Its much later, few years ago when I decided to get on the band wagon of cooking varieties of Biryani and started my journey of getting minute details about everything, is when I discovered the details about the Lucknowi Nawabi Cuisine.

This particular recipe happens to be one of the most old and original recipes from the Khansamas of the Nawabs. There were a few books in Urdu that described the times of Nawabi culture and traditions and how posh the era of Nawabs were and how beautifully and exclusively served food and how delectable the food used to be. The article gave an idea of how the Khansamas marinated the meat/ chicken and the ingredients they used and following the notes, I came up with the recipe as close to the original.

I have also tried making Lucknowi seekh and Galouti kebab and if you check the Kebab section, you will find the recipes for them. This Biryani doesn’t use tomatoes, but uses a lot of coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilies.

This Biryani is one of my family’s favorite.  This was my first dish from Lucknow and from there on, its been pretty regular in our house. This is a wonderful recipe. Like I say for most recipes, Please read the complete recipe properly before you try this out. Its a sure hit.

Awadh Ki Biryani

The Non vegetarian recipes of Awadh are influenced from the Nawabs of Awadh, who were rulers of the Persian origin and settled in India. The dishes were always rich in nuts, saffron, spices and ghee. With time, the Persian rulers, just like the Mughals developed liking for chilies and a few other spices in India and developed new flavors and dishes. In modern times, the famous Awadhi Murgh Musallam, kebabs and Biryani are a gift from those ancient times.

Awadhi recipes are not only different from Hyderabadi cuisine but also different from the Lucknowi cuisine. Very few people understand that Awadh and Lucknow could be names of the same region, even then the recipes are very different. Awadhi recipes are more ancient and depict the flavors from Persia more than the Lucknowi cuisine.

One thing that holds a very distinct flavor, is the idea of using whole spices, as opposed to the use of a ready made masala. The masala used in Awadh Biryani has to be grounded just before you start cooking, to keep the flavor and fragrance intact. The original Lucknow Biryani does not require you to grind the spices, they keep it whole.

The Awadh Biryani can also be made in Vegetarian style and hopefully, I will try it soon and post it as well.

Bisibelebath Masala

Bissibhelebhaath is a traditional breakfast dish from the southern part of India.