Vegetarian Haleem – Pulses soup
Haleem is a type of stew/soup prepared in the Middle East and South Asia. It can vary from region to region, but the main ingredients are wheat or barley, meat and pulses (mainly lentils).
Haleem is originally an Arab dish which was known under the name "Harees" and it was brought to Southern Asia by the Mughals (just like a lot of other dishes). They modified it as per their taste and this is how Haleem came into existence.
A traditional Haleem will contain meat and it will also take hours to cook, especially because the pulses and grains need soaking.
I wanted to simplify it and reduce the cooking time by using a pressure cooker and not soaking the pulses and I also chose not to add meat because it is extremely delicious like this as well. It is very nurturing, thick and creamy and full of amazing flavors!
Credits:
Original recipe: https://images.dawn.com/news/1178529
- 50 g mung beans (washed and drained (soaked for 5h if not using the pressure cooker))
- 50 g white lentils (urad dal) (washed and drained (soaked for 5h if not using the pressure cooker))
- 50 red lentils (washed and drained (soaked for 5h if not using the pressure cooker))
- 50 g basmati rice (washed and drained)
- 75 g wheat grains (washed and drained)
- 1 big onion (finely chopped)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cardamom pod
- 3 cloves
- 0.5 star anise
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 strand mace
- 1 pinch nutmeg powder
Start by boiling all the pulses and grains into a pressure cooker, together with the whole spices and some salt. Pressure cook them for at least 30 minutes.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you will have to boil them for longer. In this case, make sure you soak everything in advance. Everything has to be soft and mushy once it is cooked. Transfer the cooked pulses to a bowl and blend them until everything is creamy.
In a separate pan/pot, heat 2 tbsp oil and add the onion. Cook it for 5 minutes together with some salt, then add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell disappears.
Add the spices for the soup base (see above) to it and cook for 10 seconds, then add the blended pulses and grains. Add extra water for a less thicker consistency.
Boil it for further 5 minutes and then add the final spices (garam masala, cumin, mace, nutmeg).
Serve with lemon wedges and fried onions. It is divine!