Easy Hyderabad Mutton Haleem (Instant pot Recipe)

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Haleem is a savory stew made with meat, grains and lentils and loaded with tons of ghee. Its a popular street food in Hyderabad, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Mutton Haleem is an age-old traditional dish that is super simplified in this easy Instant pot recipe. This recipe achieves the perfect laced and stringy consistency of haleem with the same classic flavor in under 2 hours, I promise!

Two bowls of haleem with rose petals, fried onions, cilantro and ghee around it.

I always found haleem recipe overwhelming even though its super delicious to eat. The process is super long and the ingredients list is huge, it was just not for me. But, when I found a short cut to make this recipe in one pot, it changed my whole perspective. Its so fricking easy and done in one shot! So, if you think making haleem is too complicated, this recipe is for YOU!!!

What is haleem?

Haleem or Daleem is a savory stew popular in middle east and south east Asian countries. The list of ingredients used to prepare haleem varies from region to region but the process is usually the same. A traditional haleem takes hours to cook, the meat is cooked till its tender and the grains and lentils are cooked separately. Then, the grains and meat are blended and cooked together to get that signature stretchy consistency of haleem.

My grandma used to make haleem during the month of Ramadan when I was very little and remember that the cooking process used to start at Sehri(start of the fast) and the Haleem was done and served by Iftar(end of the fast), so you know its a lengthy process. And since the meat is cooked for so long, the bones literally fall apart as well.

close up shot of haleem with rose petals, fried onions and mint on top.

What meat is used in Haleem?

The most traditional version of Haleem uses Beef, but mutton or Goat meat is the most popular version of haleem in Hyderabad. If you ask for haleem, its always Hyderabad Mutton haleem, its just a well known secret 😊. I believe mutton is the best for Haleem since the meat needs to be hearty, as it is slow cooked for several hours but, it can also be prepared with lamb or chicken. It should also be noted that vegetable haleem is getting super popular these days as there is more cultural appreciation and vegetarians want to try out haleem too.💕

What ingredients are used and How to make Hyderabad Mutton haleem?

Since this is a super quick and easy recipe, there is no soaking and cooking of lentils involved. Instead, everything is cooked together in Instant pot from start to finish, kinda like a dump and go recipe. So, first we need to make a powder of all the lentils, grains and spices combining 3 different steps in one easy step.

First Step: Making the grains and lentils powder:

Gather the grains, lentils and spices and grind them together. These are the following things we need to make this powder.
- Grains:
  - Cracked wheat/Daliya
  - Steel cut oats/rolled oats/Barley : Traditionally Barley is used but you can substitute with any kind of oats you have.
- Spices:
  - Cloves
  - Cumin seeds
  - Cardamom
  - Black Cumin/Shah Jeera
  - Cinnamon
  - Black Pepper
- Lentils:
  - Masoor dal
  - Moong dal
  - Urad dal
  - Chana Dal
- Nuts and Seeds:
  - Almonds
  - Sesame seeds

lentils and spices used for making haleem.

grind the lentils and spices into powder.

Grind all the above into a semi-coarse powder, as fine as you can.

Second Step: Marinating the mutton:

Since its a one pot recipe, I like using stew meat or boneless meat as it makes the cooking process much easier. Traditionally, mutton with bones is recommended.
Marinate the mutton with ginger-garlic paste, salt and yogurt for at least 30 minutes.

Marinate mutton with ginger garlic paste, salt and yogurt.

Gather the rest of the ingredients used for making Haleem.
- marinated Mutton
- Lentils and grains powder
- Ghee
- Mint
- Cilantro or Coriander leaves
- Milk
- Lemon
- Onion and Thai green chilies
- Chicken stock
- Fried onion: I take a shortcut and use store bought fried onion. If you don’t have store bought fried onion, add 1 tablespoon flour to 2 cups of thinly sliced onion and deep fry in oil. They can be air fried too.
- Dried rose petals

All the ingredients required to make haleem.

Third step: Making the Haleem:

Turn on Sauté mode(NORMAL) on your Instant pot and add Ghee. Add marinated mutton and sauté for 5 minutes.
Scrape or deglaze the pot and add sliced onions, green chilies, rose petals and give it a stir.
Add powdered grains and lentils powder and stir it in. Add chicken stock, milk, water and deglaze the pot. ITS VERY IMPORTANT TO DEGLAZE THE POT AFTER ADDING THE LENTILS AND GRAINS POWDER TO AVOID THE BURN SIGN.

Haleem making process 1: Add ghee, onions, mutton and chicken stock.

Turn off the sauté mode, close the lid and set the pressure cook mode for 45 minutes, vent in sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally (NPR) and check if the mutton is cooked.
Use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash/shred the mutton. Turn on sauté mode on Normal for 30 minutes.

Haleem process 2: Pressure cook for 45 minutes and mash well.

Add mint, cilantro and fried onion and keep stirring until the haleem thickens and achieves a lacey consistency.
Add lemon juice and Serve it piping hot with a dollop of ghee.

A few questions to note about Hyderabad mutton haleem:

What kind of meat cut is best for Instant pot Hyderabad Mutton haleem?

Traditionally, meat with bones is used because the haleem is cooked for several hours. But, since this is an Instant pot version and we are hurrying up the process, use stew meat or small boneless cuts of meat.

Can we use chicken for haleem?

Yes! You can use any meat you like. The most traditional versions use beef or goat meat but chicken and lamb meat are perfect alternatives. If you are using chicken, reduce the pressure cooking time to 30 minutes. Two bowls of Hyderabad mutton Haleem with rose petals, fried onions, cilantro and ghee around it.

Can I use store-bought haleem spice mix?

The basic spices used for haleem are Cloves, Cumin seeds, Cardamom, Black Cumin/Shah Jeera, Cinnamon, Black Pepper. But if you are in a hurry, this store bought Shan Haleem Masala works just fine. Also, please avoid any spices and dals if not available.

How to serve haleem?

Haleem is served as is and is often eaten alone but sometimes served with a side of naan. We like to serve haleem with some crispy fried onions, fried cashews, dash of lemon juice and a dollop of ghee.

How to freeze haleem?

Haleem is meant to be frozen. Its often made in huge quantities so that its easy for Iftar time. Save the haleem in freezer safe containers in single portions for up to 3 months and warm it up on stove top with a little water added.

Yield: 5-6 servings

Hyderabad Mutton Haleem

Easy and flavorful one-pot Hyderabad style mutton haleem made in Instant pot. A flavorful stew made with grains, meat and loads of ghee.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Sauté time to get the lacey consistency 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the lentils and grains powder

Ingredients for Marinating the mutton

1 pound or about 1/2 kg boneless mutton
2 tablespoons Ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup plain yogurt or Curd
Salt to taste(only for the mutton)

Ingredients for making the Haleem

1/4 cup Ghee
1 cup sliced Onion
1/4 cup Dried rose petals or 1 teaspoon rose water (Optional)
5 Thai green chilies
2 cups Chicken stock / water
1 cup whole Milk
6 cups water
1/2 cup Mint
1/2 cup Cilantro or Coriander leaves
1/2 cup Fried onion
salt to taste
juice of 1 Lemon

Instructions

Grind all the ingredients under the "For the lentils and Grains powder" section into a semi-coarse powder, as fine as you can.
Marinate the mutton with ginger-garlic paste, salt and yogurt for at least 30 minutes.
Turn on Sauté mode(NORMAL) on your Instant pot and add Ghee. Add marinated mutton and sauté for 5 minutes.
Scrape or deglaze the pot and add sliced onions, green chilies, rose petals and give it a stir.
Add powdered grains and lentils powder and stir it in.
Add chicken stock, milk, water and deglaze the pot. Its very important to scrape the bottom of the pot to avoid burn sign.
Turn off the sauté mode, close the lid and set the pressure cook mode for 45 minutes, vent in sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally (NPR) and check if the mutton is cooked.
Use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash/shred the mutton. Turn on sauté mode on Normal for 30 minutes. Keep mashing or shredding the mutton for 5 minutes.
Add mint, cilantro and fried onion and keep stirring for 30 minutes until the haleem thickens and achieves a lacey consistency.
Add lemon juice and Serve it piping hot with a dollop of ghee.

Notes

Traditionally Barley is used but you can substitute with any kind of oats you have.
I take a shortcut and use store bought fried onion. If you don't have store bought fried onion, add 1 tablespoon flour to 2 cups of thinly sliced onion and deep fry in oil. They can be air fried too.
Its okay to skip any dals and spices if not available.
ITS VERY IMPORTANT TO DEGLAZE THE POT AFTER ADDING EACH INGREDIENT TO AVOID THE BURN SIGN.

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