'Haleem Hopping' in Charminar: What Makes This Hyderabadi Dish One of a Kind?

A slow-cooked savoury dish, haleem is traditionally served during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

A worker at hotel chain Pista House packing haleem on a busy Ramadan night, at Charminar.

(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)

The month of April isn't something that Hyderabadis look forward to, thanks to the scorching summer heat. But if there's anything that lifts their spirits, it's a walk through the streets of Old City's Charminar, hunting for the best version of the city's very own delicacy – haleem. A slow-cooked savoury dish that has a thick stewy consistency, haleem is traditionally served during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Sheikh Iqbal, who works at one of the oldest hotels in Hyderabad, Shadab, says it takes at least 4-5 hours to prepare a batch of haleem, which is basically made with meat, wheat, and lentils. "It requires a lot of time and patience and it needs to be stirred constantly," he adds.

To make haleem, the meat is first cooked with a blend of spices and then shredded into small pieces. Wheat and lentils are soaked overnight and then ground into a paste, which is then added to the meat along with more spices, and cooked over a low flame. The dish is typically served with a garnish of fried onions, chopped coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Crowds gather at Shadab Hotel late at night. Typically, restaurants in Charminar stay open till 2 am in the morning to sell haleem.

Now for some history. The origins of haleem can be traced back to West Asia, where a similar dish called harees was popular. Harees was prepared with ground wheat and meat. It was cooked for a long time until it turned into a thick, creamy, porridge-like consistency. The dish was brought to Hyderabad by Arab traders during the rule of Mehbub Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam of the Princely State. But it was Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam, who made haleem a part of the traditional Hyderabadi cuisine.

Shujaid, the owner of Hotel Nayaab near Charminar, says, "We start preparing the meat early in the morning. We make it in 'bhattis' (brick-and-mud ovens). By noon, we start selling it to customers." Shujaid adds that haleem is all about meat, meat, and meat. "Everything else just complements the meat."

But what is it that makes haleem so special during Ramadan? A worker at Iqbal Restaurant, located right next to Charminar, tells The Quint that a bowl of haleem is so heavy that it is perfect to break the fast with.

The owner of Iqbal Restaurant, Mohammed Mohsin, however, says it's still early days of Ramadan, and so the haleem business hasn't picked up yet. "It's usually quite slow the first few days." He says that his restaurant mostly sells a 'special chicken haleem,' which is available not only during Ramadan but all through the year as well.

Syed Anas tells The Quint that this is the first time he has set up a haleem stall at Charminar. The owner of Arabiana Restaurant, Anas says that he left his job as an IT solutions architect to start his own business.  As for Arabiana's haleem, he says: "Our specialty is that we don't compromise on quality. The ratio of grains to meat is 1:3 in our haleem. That is, the meat is higher. Generally, the ratio of wheat is higher."

Any haleem aficionado would tell you that it's all about the texture and the flavour. Haleem should ideally be so consistent that it shouldn't have any lumps or a gluey texture. It should also stretch a little when you grab a spoonful; some prefer it to be so well done that they want the meat to melt in their mouths.  In the photo, workers at the hotel chain Pista House are seen filling up a tub of haleem.

As for taste, haleem in Hyderabad is more suited to Indian taste buds. Unlike its Arabic variety, haleem has evolved over the years to include spices and staple grains of the Deccan region.  In the photo, workers at Pista House are busy packing and selling haleem. Restaurants often set up a separate space (outside the establishment) for haleem sales.