Today is a very special day. It is my hubby's birthday so I have a great dinner planned that I would like to share with you all. Hyderabadi Haleem which is truly a delicacy :).
Ingredients:
25-30 medium sized pieces of lamb with and without bone (excess fat removed)
2 large red onions
6 tbs oil
4 tbs ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp. turmeric (haldi)
2 tsp dry roasted cumin seed powder (zeera powder)
2 tsp dry roasted coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1/2 to 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (laal mirchi)
1 tsp of garam masala powder
4 tsp salt
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 bunch of mint
3 limes
2 green chillies
3/4 cup yogurt
6 tbs of lemon juice
I usually start by washing about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the pre-packaged Haleem mix (mix of different lentils and bulgar wheat, you can find it at an Indian store) several times till the water runs clear. I then cook the haleem mix overnight in my Hamilton Beach crockpot on high (about 12 hours). If the lentil pieces are too big, you can use a hand-held mixture to mix the blend. I usually do this just so all the lentils and wheat get incorporated into a nice smooth consistency.
Ingredients:
25-30 medium sized pieces of lamb with and without bone (excess fat removed)
2 large red onions
6 tbs oil
4 tbs ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp. turmeric (haldi)
2 tsp dry roasted cumin seed powder (zeera powder)
2 tsp dry roasted coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1/2 to 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (laal mirchi)
1 tsp of garam masala powder
4 tsp salt
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 bunch of mint
3 limes
2 green chillies
3/4 cup yogurt
6 tbs of lemon juice
I usually start by washing about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the pre-packaged Haleem mix (mix of different lentils and bulgar wheat, you can find it at an Indian store) several times till the water runs clear. I then cook the haleem mix overnight in my Hamilton Beach crockpot on high (about 12 hours). If the lentil pieces are too big, you can use a hand-held mixture to mix the blend. I usually do this just so all the lentils and wheat get incorporated into a nice smooth consistency.
The next day, peel and slice 2 large red onions. Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onions and fry until transparent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the paste is well incorporated into the fried onions.
Then wash and add the lamb meat (you can add frozen vegetables or vegan options instead if you prefer). Then add all of the spices and mix well. Add just enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Then wash and add the lamb meat (you can add frozen vegetables or vegan options instead if you prefer). Then add all of the spices and mix well. Add just enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour.
While you're waiting for the lamb to cook. Soak the cilantro and mint (separately) for about 10 to 15 minutes. This is done so all of the dirt from the roots can be removed. Then chop the cilantro and mint and keep aside. During this step also wash and keep 2 green chillies aside. If you'd like to save some more time, you can go ahead and cut the limes and keep them ready as well. The limes are used as a condiment when eating the Haleem.
Once cooked, remove the meat pieces and let them cool. Once they are cool, shred the meat pieces. Before you start to shred, mix the cooked lentil and wheat mix into the leftover meat stock. Mix well, bring to a boil and let it cook on medium heat. Make sure to keep stirring because the mixture will stick to the bottom if you don't.
Let the mixture cook till the raw smell of the lentils and wheat is gone. Once the raw smell is gone, take yogurt and whisk until smooth. Then add the yogurt and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Then add the lemon juice and cook on high while stirring continuously until the raw smell of citrus is gone. Cook until consistency is not too thick or too thin but just in the middle. I usually make it too thin. I must work on the consistency in the future!
Then add the cilantro, mint, and green chilies and steam on low for 1 to 2 minutes. When serving, garnish with fried onion (this can also be found at a local Indian store). Bring out the limes for dressing the Haleem. My mom would commonly serve cucumber and carrots with this dish. You can also add Ghee (melted butter) to the Haleem as well. It tastes divine!
Now on to the fun part: baking!!!
I usually just search for cake and actually any recipe on this really great website. Fortunately, they have tons of recipes for cuisine from all around the world and there are so many users that you will find a number of reviews on each recipe. So I made a yellow cake with a chocolate frosting. Trust me, this was no ordinary cake ;-).
For today's yellow cake I used this recipe.
For the chocolate frosting I used this recipe but I substituted the evaporated milk with heavy whipping cream that I have left over from a previous cooking expedition.
The final product! The birthday hubby loved it despite the mishap with the 's', I will try and do better next time =)! And yes, those are date-coconut footballs =). He loves dates so I thought they would be the perfect footballs!
All in all, a wonderful night with the hubby. He loved his gifts =). Ended it perfectly by watching Chennai Express (finally).
Hope you all enjoyed the post, have a good night everyone!