Haleem

Method

1. 1 Soak whole wheat grains for 4 hours, then simmer with 900 ml of water for 1 hour and 30 minutes until the grains crack open.
2. 2 Simmer the lamb separately with ginger and chili powder for 1 hour until the meat separates from the bone, then shred it along the grain.
3. 3 Mix the wheat, the cooked chana dal, and the meat, then pound it with a wooden pestle for 25 minutes — it is this pounding step that transforms the haleem into a fine, fibrous mass; a grinder will only produce a paste.
4. 4 Continue simmering for another 20 minutes, stirring constantly and adding ghee in batches until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
5. 5 Serve with fried shallots, shredded ginger, mint, and squeezed lime.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 2 hr 20 min

  Replace steps 1 and 2: simmer the wheat for 40 minutes and the lamb for 30 minutes in a pressure cooker, releasing pressure naturally each time. Hand pounding is still necessary in step 3 because the pressure doesn't shred the meat.