Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Tehsin for bringing me a box of Shan’s Haleem masala!
We loved it. It is so easy to make Haleem with this.
You could follow the recipe on the box, but I did it a bit differently. My recipe takes less than 2 and half hours. The recipe on the box takes about 4-6 hours!
Ingredients:
boneless Chicken/meat pieces 2 lbs (or 3/4 kg)
1 packet Haleem Shan Masala (It contains, 2 packets inside the box; one is the spice mix, and the other is the lentil/grain/pulses mix)
Ghee / Oil for cooking about 2 cups
1 1/2 cup fried onions
hot water for soaking the grains/lentils
Method:
First soak the lentils/grains packet in hot water for an 1 or 2 hours (if you dont have a pressure cooker, then soak overnight). Fry the chicken/meat pieces in ghee/oil for a few minutes. Add half the packet of the Spice mix, little water, pressure cook for 4-5 whistles, or if you dont have a pressure cooker, then cook covered till the meat is tender.
After this, pressure cook the lentils/grains mixed with the remaining spice mix, and lots of water; for about 5-6 whistles (if soaked for 1-2 hours).
Finally, using a food processor, first grind the chicken/meat till it appears to look like shredded. Then put this in a big pot. Now do the same to the lentil/grain mixture, to get a slight crushed feel. Mix this in the same big pot.
Add fried onions to this, and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
While serving, Tehsin suggested to put a layer of hot ghee on top of the haleem. 
This tastes best with tandoori rotis or pita bread.
14 Comments, Comment or Ping
What on earth is Haleem? Is it Sabahan, or a Malaysian dish? Uh… I thought I got onto your blog because you are a Sabah blogger, but I see now you’re actually in the States. Hmm…
February 26th, 2008
Thanks for your comment, Haleem is an Indian dish, and I am from India and my name is Sabah. Haleem is basically, whole grains, lentils, and meat/chicken all cooked together with a blend of some spices, till it is very tender.
I have never tried Malaysian food, though I have a friend whose parents are Indian, but she is born in Malaysia. She is fantastic, and she says Malaysia is fantastic! You are lucky, if you live there. An Indian friend recently told me that the food is great!
February 26th, 2008
Where have you been?What happened your web site? I hope you dont forget your website (just kidding) SEE YOU SOON..
March 20th, 2008
I know, I have become so careless. Just gotten busy.
March 21st, 2008
Haleem is the best… my #1 favorite food..biryani is next
July 3rd, 2009
I didnt use a pressure cooker, I used a crock pot, and it came out perfect. I soaked the pulses for a couple of hours, and then browned the meat (with the mix), and threw it all the fridge over night. The next morning I put it in the crock pot, with enough water to cover, and set it on low. I came back at night, browned the onions, and shredded the meat, and it was excellent.
My family loved this, but I cannot find a recipe to make this without using the boxed ingredients. Any suggestions?
March 1st, 2010
Hey William,
My friend Tehsin, who is an awesome cook, has given me the recipe to make it from scratch. I will upload it soon. Do you have access to Indian grocery store, because you will need quite a few spices, and some pulses/lentils.
Thanks for your comment!
March 10th, 2010
Great recipe, do you leave the meat after you cooked it in the pressure cooker and cook it again with the lentils? Or do you take out meat and cook lentils separate?
December 8th, 2011
Hi Ambreen,
Thanks for your comment. I cook the meat and lentils separately. This way, you have more control over the texture, as the lentils will cook faster than the meat.
I hope I have answered your question.
Thanks again,
Take care!
December 11th, 2011
Hi Tehsin,
Sounds simple with a lot of time investment (as we do not use pressure cooker) but I am up on trying it soon.
Just one little question, did it turn out to be too spicy at the end because usually if I use Shan masala in full for any of my dishes, it turns out to be above average spicy for my family. Hence, using half the spice packet usually works most of the time.
Would you suggest the same with haleem or still advise me to pour in full masala packet?
Thanks,
Fareeha
March 20th, 2012
Hello Fareeha,
My friend is Tehsin, who gives me some of these amazing recipes. I will ask Tehsin your question, but I did use the whole packet, as the quantity of meat or chicken is large. But then again, you could always start with a small amount of spice mix, and then later on add more towards the end, before simmering with the fried onions (remember to check the salt).
I hope you try this out. It is very very good. I would not call this very spicy, but haleem is meant to be a little spicy.
Thanks for your question, Take care
March 29th, 2012
i bought shaan haleem masala but i dint find pulses in it ??
April 4th, 2012
Hello Mrs. T,
Some packets of Haleem masalas are the small sized and some are big, the bigger ones have the pulses in it. I usually get that. The smaller ones just have the spice mix.
I hope I could help you.
Would you like me to give you the list and quantity of pulses that you need to put now with the small packet masalas? My friend Tehsin knows how to make the perfect haleem.
Thanks again for your comment.
May 12th, 2012
Actually the SHAN masala is Pakistani, and this recipe is Pakistani Haleem
May 15th, 2012
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