An apt winter food with wheat, rice and lentils, blended with a thick meat gravy…
I love meals that are essentially complete meals. Apart from pasta and pizza, there are enough recipes that are essentially a full-on meal. If you ask me, my mind suddenly goes to Masala Aleesa, our very own local Harees, Shepherd’s Pie or my favorite Khichdi. Once while browsing through Instagram, one of my favorite Instagram accounts, which unfortunately has got deactivated – I sincerely hope that she is doing fine and whatever is bothering her will be taken care of by the Almighty – had posted this recipe called “Hareesa”. It sounded very interesting, considering that it had a mix of various carbs and dals to make the final dish. It also felt like a non-vegetarian version of the Khichdi, plus a nice variation to the Haleem. I had to try it, since I was sure my folks would love the flavors that go into.
I wasn’t sure of its origin, and when I checked with her, I was told that this dish is very much made in Kashmiri cuisine. However while trying to run the titles for SEO purpose, I felt that her recipe is very similar to what is made in Lahore in Pakistan. Yes, the name may be a little confusing, since it sounds similar to the Harissa paste, which is a spicy Tunisian paste. But this one is just mildly spiced and child friendly. 😉 Usually rice is used for this dish but I have used a mix of wheat berries and rice. As I could see, usually split moong dal is used in Hareesa, but I have used mixed dal, which had split moong dal. Similarly, you can use meat of your choice, but mutton or beef is more preferred. Basically, it is cooking the meat seperately with some spices, the carbs and lentils cooked together, and then combined together to make the final dish. It is literally a hug in a bowl when had warm on a chilled night. I would urge to bookmark this recipe and try it as soon as possible…
Lahori Hareesa/ Harissa
Ingredients
FOR MEAT
- 500 gm beef I used with bones
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 green chillies minced
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR REST
- 1 cup broken wheat washed and soaked for 30 minutes
- 1/2 cup basmati rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
- 1/2 cup mixed dal refer notes
- 2 tbsp ghee heaped
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ltr water
FOR TEMPERING
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 2-3 green chillies minced
- Coriander leaves not used
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients under "for meat" and allow it to marinate for fifteen minutes. Pressure cook till the meat is very well cooked and comes off the bone. Discard the bones and set aside.
- In a large pressure cooker, heat ghee. Fry the ginger garlic paste till done.
- Add the onion and tomato and cook till wilted and mashed. Add the turmeric and saute for a minute.
- Drain the rice, wheat and lentils and add. Toss and saute for around five minutes till it looks crisp.
- Add the water, adjust the seasoning. Pressure cook on meduim-low flame for at least 5-6 whistles, till everything is well cooked. Allow the pressure to go by itself.
- Once the pressure is gone, take off the lid and add the cooked beef with its stock into it. Give it a good mix. Using a hand blender, blend the mixture till smooth.
- Swith on the flame and keep on simmer for 15 minutes for the flavors to settle. Add water if required and adjust seasoning.
- For tempering, heat ghee and fry the green chillies. Add to the hareesa. Sprinkle in the coriander leaves and enjoy hot.