Haleem

Red meat(beef or mutton) boneless, cook in 5 litres of water in a large pot with 8 cloves garlic,1 inch piece chopped ginger, salt to taste, I use 2 teaspoon,till tender and half the broth is left, take out the meat and set the broth aside for later use

Mixed lentils (500 gms gram lentil skinned and split,250 grams black lentil skinned and split,125 gms green lentil skinned and split) soaked over night and then boiled in a large pot with 5 litres water including the meat stock,till very soft and excess water dried, alternatively use pressure cooker and follow the instructions of the manufacturer

Blend the lentils in blender to make a smooth paste, in the original recipe you have to use a hand masher to mash lentils well when soft and still on heat but too time consuming, the trick is not to over blend so that chunks of lentil remain and the paste is NOT very slimy and smooth

Wheat(soaked overnight and then cooked with 2-3litres of water till soft and water dried, blend similarly as the lentils, alternatively use pressure cooker

Thinly slice onion after cutting halfway, fried in shallow pain with enough oil to cover them well, till brown and crispy. take onion out from oil spread on kitchen towel, to prevent them from being soggy. use 3/4th of onions for frying meat, rest for topping

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pot,use the left over from fried onion as mentioned above add garlic and ginger paste till golden, add 3/4 th of the fried onions,all the dry spices including the salt to taste,I use 1 tablespoon,continuously stirring for 5 min, add the tomatoes,fry till tomatoes are soft, add the cooked boneless meat(chopped in a chopper)cook for 10 min while stirring and sprinkling water to prevent sticking and over browning, till oil separates and a nice curry is formed

Add the lentil and wheat paste n batches and vigourously stirring, cook for 30 to 45 min stirring at intervals till a nice slow dropping consistency is achieved

Water can be added at intervals if the mixture is too thick

Don't forget to use cooking hand gloves and apron as the mixture bubbles up while cooking

Serve hot with 1/4 th of the fried onions, fresh coriander, ginger and lemon

Equally good on its own or with baked flat bread(naan)

Enjoy your meal