Chicken Haleem

Ingredients

• 100 g broken wheat (dalia), rinsed
• 30 g barley (jau), rinsed
• 40 g chana daal, rinsed
• 40 g masoor daal, rinsed
• 40 g moong daal (split, skinless), rinsed
• 30 g basmati rice, rinsed
• 1 kg bone-in chicken pieces, skinned
• 3 large onions (2 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped)
• 120 ml cooking oil
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ cup plain yogurt, whisked
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 5 cm)
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tbsp haleem masala (or 1 tbsp garam masala plus 1 tsp ground cumin)
• 2½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 2.5 l water, divided
• 4 green chillies, 2 slit for cooking and 2 sliced for garnish
• 30 g fresh ginger (a piece about 5 cm long), peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• ½ cup fresh coriander and mint leaves, chopped
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp chaat masala, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Put the wheat, barley, all three daals and the rice in a large bowl. Cover with plenty of water and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight, then drain.
2. Heat the oil in the large pot over medium heat. Fry the 2 sliced onions, stirring often, until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges. Lift out half with a slotted spoon onto paper towels for garnish and leave the rest in the pot.
3. To the oil and onions in the pot, add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin seeds and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes and the onion softens.
4. Add the chicken, salt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder and slit green chillies. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring, until the chicken turns opaque and the masala clings to it. Lower the heat, stir in the yogurt and cook until the oil starts to separate at the edges.
5. Pour in 1 litre of water, cover and simmer on low until the chicken is fully tender, reaches 74°C at the thickest part and pulls easily off the bone.
6. While the chicken simmers, put the drained grains and daals in the second pot with 1.5 litres of water. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then cover and cook on low, stirring now and then, until the wheat is completely soft and breaks when pressed between your fingers. Add a splash of hot water if it catches.
7. Lift the chicken out of its pot and let it cool for a few minutes. Shred the meat finely and discard the bones and cinnamon stick. Return the shredded meat to the pot with its gravy.
8. Tip the cooked grains into the chicken pot. Add the haleem masala and mash vigorously with a wooden masher, or pulse briefly with a hand blender, until the mixture is thick, smooth and stretchy with a little texture left.
9. Cook on the lowest heat, stirring from the bottom so it does not stick, until it falls from the spoon in a slow, thick ribbon. Add hot water if it is too stiff and taste for salt.
10. Serve hot in bowls topped with the reserved fried onions, ginger matchsticks, sliced green chillies, chopped herbs and a sprinkle of chaat masala. Put lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over.

Tips

• Keep the pot on the lowest heat and scrape the base often once the grains are mashed. Haleem catches and burns easily.
• Skinning the chicken keeps the finished dish from becoming greasy and makes shredding easier.
• Mash while the mixture is hot. If it cools it becomes hard to break down.
• Haleem thickens as it rests, so keep a little hot water ready to loosen it before serving.