Haleem

Roxana Begum’s Hyderabadi-style haleem combines meat, wheat, lentils and pearl barley into a thick, silky meal. This selection uses cracked wheat, her four named lentils and bone-in lamb, following the main stovetop recipe.

Thinly sliced onions are fried until deep golden and crisp. A spoonful of the frying oil browns the meat; ginger, garlic, yogurt, spices and half of the fried onions then join it before a slow simmer.

The soaked wheat and drained lentils cook with pearl barley in a separate pot until soft. Begum removes the meat bones and finely shreds the meat, then blends the grain-and-lentil mixture until smooth.

The shredded meat, its cooking liquid and the blended grains are combined with cilantro and mint. Further simmering brings them into a creamy mixture that falls from a spoon in thick ribbons, with fine meat strands running through it.

Begum finishes the haleem with ghee, fried onions and fresh herbs, with toasted cashews as an optional garnish. It is served hot with lemon wedges on the side; her personal account connects the dish with Ramadan meals while growing up in Hyderabad.