Halim

Ingredients

Grains and pulses

• 150 gcracked wheat
• 150 gred lentils
• 100 gyellow split peas
• 50 gbasmati rice

Meat

• 700 glamb or mutton, on the bone
• 2 litreswater
• salt

Base

• 4 tbspoil or ghee
• 3onions, finely sliced
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbspgrated ginger
• 2tomatoes, chopped

Spices

• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspchilli powder
• 4cardamom pods
• 1cinnamon stick
• 3cloves

To finish

• a handful of coriander, chopped
• 2green chillies, sliced
• 1onion, sliced and fried crisp
• lemon wedges
• a knob of ghee

Directions

1. Rinse the cracked wheat, lentils, split peas and rice separately. Put the cracked wheat and split peas together in a bowl of cold water. Leave them overnight, since they take much longer to soften than the lentils. The red lentils and rice need no soaking and are added later.
2. Put the lamb in a large heavy pot with the two litres of water. Bring it to the boil and skim off the grey foam that rises. Add a good pinch of salt, the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Lower the heat and simmer it, covered, for an hour and a half.
3. Lift the meat out and let it cool enough to handle. Strain the broth and keep it, discarding the whole spices. Pull the meat off the bones and shred it with two forks. Warm the oil in the cleaned pot over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook them for fifteen minutes until deep gold. Take the onions well past soft, since the colour gives the soup its depth.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook them for two minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. Cook the ground spices for a minute until they smell toasted. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them down for five minutes.
5. Drain the soaked wheat and split peas and add them to the pot. Add the rinsed red lentils and the rice. Pour in the reserved broth and top it up with water to cover generously. Bring it to the boil and then lower it to a steady simmer. Simmer it uncovered for about an hour, stirring every ten minutes.
6. Add hot water whenever it thickens too far to stir comfortably. Now breaking it down, which is done with a spoon rather than a blender. Beat the mixture hard against the side of the pot as it cooks. This is what turns separate grains into one thick mass.
7. Stir the shredded lamb into the pot. Add the garam masala and simmer for another fifteen minutes. Taste it and adjust the salt and chilli. Now the consistency, which should pour thickly from a ladle.
8. Ladle it into cups or deep bowls. Melt a knob of ghee over the top of each one. Scatter over the fried crisp onion, coriander and green chilli. Squeeze lemon over it just before eating, which lifts the whole thing. Serve it very hot, with more lemon on the side.

Technique

• Soak the cracked wheat and split peas overnight, since they soften far slower than lentils.
• Stir and scrape the bottom often, because the grains catch and burn easily.
• Lemon at the table is what lifts the finished soup.

Substitutions

• Beef in place of lamb, which some Mauritian cooks use.
• Pearl barley in place of cracked wheat.

Variations

• Made thicker, closer to Hyderabadi haleem.
• With chicken instead of lamb.
• Vegetarian, with the meat left out and extra pulses.

History

A thick, slow-cooked porridge combining wheat, barley and meat, generally traced back through Persian influence, with the underlying dish closely related to Iranian and wider Persian-sphere haleem and harees traditions, carried to Mauritius through the island’s significant Indian and broader South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrant communities, brought to the island under both French and later British colonial rule from the 1700s and 1800s onward as indentured laborers and traders. Its long, slow cooking time, breaking the wheat and meat down into the dish’s characteristic smooth, thick texture, reflects the same labor-intensive preparation found in related haleem dishes across the wider region from which it descends. Halim remains particularly associated in Mauritius with Ramadan and other significant religious and community occasions within the island’s Muslim community specifically.

Frequently asked questions

What is Halim?

Halim is a soup & stew from Mauritius: hearty spiced lentil and meat soup, late-night favorite. A thick, slow-cooked porridge combining wheat, barley and meat, generally traced back through Persian influence, with the underlying dish closely related to Iranian and wider Persian-sphere haleem and harees traditions, carried to Mauritius through the island’s significant Indian and broader South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrant communities, brought to the island under both French and later British colonial rule from the 1700s and 1800s onward as indentured laborers and traders. Its long, slow cooking time, breaking the wheat and meat down into the dish’s characteristic smooth, thick texture, reflects the same labor-intensive preparation found in related haleem dishes across the wider region from which it descends. Halim remains particularly associated in Mauritius with Ramadan and other significant religious and community occasions within the island’s Muslim community specifically.

How long does Halim take to make?

Halim takes 20 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 3 hours of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Halim?

Yes, within limits. Beef in place of lamb, which some Mauritian cooks use. Pearl barley in place of cracked wheat.

What is the most important thing to get right in Halim?

Lift the meat out and let it cool enough to handle. Strain the broth and keep it, discarding the whole spices. Pull the meat off the bones and shred it with two forks. Warm the oil in the cleaned pot over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook them for fifteen minutes until deep gold. Take the onions well past soft, since the colour gives the soup its depth.