Pakistani #CHICKEN HALEEM Recipe
What I have for you here is a traditional and authentic chicken haleem recipe. This is seriously comfort food at its best! If you ever go to a good Pakistani restaurant, chicken haleem will almost certainly be on the menu. Now you can make it at home with restaurant quality results. You will find step by step photographs of how to prepare one of the most popular Pakistani dishes around.
Naans and chapatis are always good with a homemade haleem. I have a lot of good recipes for you here. Why not try Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you’re cooking outdoors, karahi naans. You might also like to try these homemade chapatis.
Each of the different lentils have their own flavour that they add to the dish so you will want to use them all if you can source them. They are all available online and at Asian shops.
You could cheat, however and omit one or two varieties and just top it up with one of the others. Chana dal is a must, however and as chana dal is one of the easiest to source, you shouldn’t find that a problem.
I can’t stress enough, however that from my experiments, you really do want to get all those different lentils into your chicken haleem.
Step.1
Get all your ingredients together before you start. It’s easier that way and as you can see, there are a lot of them.
Step.2
Not photographed above are the essential lentils and wheat. Let then soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Clockwise are moong, urid, massor, cracked wheat and chana
#Step 3
Lentils soaking. You should soak the wheat separately
#Step 4
Fry the sliced onions until golden brown and crispy. This should take about 15 minutes.
#Step 5
Remove the fried onions from the ghee with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Then add the chicken to the onions seasoned ghee.
#Step 6
Cook the chicken until it is completely cooked through and can easily be shredded.
Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and shred it by hand or with a couple of forks.
#Note _How to use less ghee…
You could opt for not pouring all the ghee into the pan with the lentils. Use it to cook the chicken and then perhaps save a little for the tarka.
Once shredded, return the chicken to the pan with the ghee and add about 3/4 of the fried onions, leave some behind to garnish. Stir well and set aside.
#Step 7
Now take a large pot and add the lentils. Cover with water or chicken stock and simmer until you can literally smash them between two fingers.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare your haleem spice blend. Toast the whole spices in a pan until fragrant but not yet smoking. Then grind to a fine powder and stir in the ground spices.
Pour the shredded chicken, onions and all the ghee into hot lentils
#Step 8
Pour the shredded chicken, onions and all the ghee into hot lentils
Stir in your prepared haleem spice blend and season with salt to taste. Keep simmering until the haleem is rich and gooey.
#Step 9
Just before serving, prepare the tarka and then pour it over the top to serve.
You are going to love this! Garnish with the remaining fried onions and the tarka.
What I have for you here is a traditional and authentic chicken haleem recipe. This is seriously comfort food at its best! If you ever go to a good Pakistani restaurant, chicken haleem will almost certainly be on the menu. Now you can make it at home with restaurant quality results. You will find step by step photographs of how to prepare one of the most popular Pakistani dishes around.
Naans and chapatis are always good with a homemade haleem. I have a lot of good recipes for you here. Why not try Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you’re cooking outdoors, karahi naans. You might also like to try these homemade chapatis.
Each of the different lentils have their own flavour that they add to the dish so you will want to use them all if you can source them. They are all available online and at Asian shops.
You could cheat, however and omit one or two varieties and just top it up with one of the others. Chana dal is a must, however and as chana dal is one of the easiest to source, you shouldn’t find that a problem.
I can’t stress enough, however that from my experiments, you really do want to get all those different lentils into your chicken haleem.
Step.1
Get all your ingredients together before you start. It’s easier that way and as you can see, there are a lot of them.
Step.2
Not photographed above are the essential lentils and wheat. Let then soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Clockwise are moong, urid, massor, cracked wheat and chana
#Step 3
Lentils soaking. You should soak the wheat separately
#Step 4
Fry the sliced onions until golden brown and crispy. This should take about 15 minutes.
#Step 5
Remove the fried onions from the ghee with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Then add the chicken to the onions seasoned ghee.
#Step 6
Cook the chicken until it is completely cooked through and can easily be shredded.
Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and shred it by hand or with a couple of forks.
#Note _How to use less ghee…
You could opt for not pouring all the ghee into the pan with the lentils. Use it to cook the chicken and then perhaps save a little for the tarka.
Once shredded, return the chicken to the pan with the ghee and add about 3/4 of the fried onions, leave some behind to garnish. Stir well and set aside.
#Step 7
Now take a large pot and add the lentils. Cover with water or chicken stock and simmer until you can literally smash them between two fingers.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare your haleem spice blend. Toast the whole spices in a pan until fragrant but not yet smoking. Then grind to a fine powder and stir in the ground spices.
Pour the shredded chicken, onions and all the ghee into hot lentils
#Step 8
Pour the shredded chicken, onions and all the ghee into hot lentils
Stir in your prepared haleem spice blend and season with salt to taste. Keep simmering until the haleem is rich and gooey.
#Step 9
Just before serving, prepare the tarka and then pour it over the top to serve.
You are going to love this! Garnish with the remaining fried onions and the tarka.
