Beef Haleem South Punjab

Ingredients

• 1 kg gai ka gosht (beef) (Shank with marrow bones — South Punjab uses extra marrow for richness)
• 250 grams gehu (whole wheat) (Soak overnight)
• 150 grams chana dal (Soak 2 hours)
• 75 grams masoor dal (Soak 1 hour)
• 75 grams moong dal (Soak 1 hour)
• 10 tbsp ghee (South Punjab is emphatically generous with ghee)
• 5 large pyaaz (onion) (More onions than other versions — 4 for cooking, 1 for birista garnish)
• 4 tbsp adrak-lehsan paste
• 5 tbsp haleem masala (Extra masala is the South Punjab signature)
• 2 tsp lal mirch powder (Runs spicier than other regions)
• 1.5 tsp garam masala (Added at end)
• 3.5 tsp namak (salt) (Large batch needs confident seasoning)
• 2 large bunches hara dhania (South Punjab serves haleem with very generous garnish)
• 4 inch piece adrak julienne (Generous ginger garnish)
• 4 pieces nimbu
• 8 pieces hari mirch

Instructions

1. OVERNIGHT SOAK: Soak gehu overnight. Soak chana dal at least 2 hours before cooking. Morning: soak masoor and moong for 1 hour.
2. COOK LARGE-BATCH BEEF: In a very large pot or pressure cooker, heat 6 tbsp ghee. Fry 3 sliced pyaaz to very dark brown — South Punjab goes darker than Lahore. Add adrak-lehsan paste, lal mirch powder, half the haleem masala, salt. Bhuno vigorously. Add beef with marrow bones. Bhuno 12 minutes on high heat — South Punjab bhunai is aggressive. Add 1.5 litres hot water, cook on medium-low for 2 hours or pressure cook 50 minutes.
3. COOK GRAINS WITH EXTRA ONIONS: In a large second pot, cook soaked wheat in 2.5 litres water for 1 hour. Add all dals and 2 whole sliced onions (raw — the South Punjab trick). Add remaining haleem masala to the grains. Cook 90 minutes until everything is completely broken down.
4. SHRED AND COMBINE: Debone beef, shred very finely. Add to grain pot with all beef cooking liquid. The South Punjab version shreds more finely than Lahori — almost to a paste. Bring to gentle boil.
5. POUND AND STIR FOR 30 MINUTES: This is the work — pound and stir continuously for 30 minutes. South Punjab haleem is pounded longest, producing the densest, most unified texture of all regional versions. Add hot water if consistency becomes too thick.
6. FINAL SEASONING AND TARKA: Taste and adjust salt aggressively — large haleem batches often need more salt than expected. Add garam masala. Heat remaining ghee in a separate pan until smoking. Fry a sliced pyaaz to make fresh birista, pour the entire pan including hot ghee over the haleem surface as a final tarka.
7. SERVE SOUTH PUNJAB STYLE: Ladle into bowls. Top with a mountain of julienned ginger, chopped hara dhania, sliced green chillies, the birista tarka, and lemon wedges. South Punjab haleem portions are large — fill the bowl.