Minty Beef with Cracked Wheat and Lentils

Name: Minty Beef with Cracked Wheat and Lentils (Haleem)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Ginger Paste; 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste; 1 pound boneless beef (chuck or “stew meat”), cut into 1-inch cubes; ½ cup skinned split brown lentils (salmon-colored in this form, masoor dal), picked over for stones; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ cup cracked wheat; ½ cup skinned split green lentils (yellow in this form, moong dal), picked over for stones; 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long); 2 fresh or dried bay leaves; ¼ cup canola oil; 6 whole cloves; 1 large red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced; 8 to 10 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (do not remove the seeds); ½ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves; 1½ teaspoons Kashmiri garam masala; 2 black cardamom pods; 2 fresh or dried bay leaves; 8 to 10 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (do not remove the seeds); 8 to 10 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (do not remove the seeds); ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

Haleem

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

You might wonder if the amount of beef called for here is correct—could 1 pound of meat be enough for eight folks? But fear not: the legumes and cracked wheat add bulk to the curry and provide more protein as well. This curry is a substantial meal all on its own. Serve it with a few slices of crusty French bread on a cold wintry night.

Ingredients

1 pound boneless beef (chuck or “stew meat”), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons Ginger Paste

Asia
India
Dinner
Main course
Spicy
Gluten-free

Method

Combine the beef, Ginger Paste, and Garlic Paste in a medium-size bowl, and toss to mix. Refrigerate, covered, to allow the flavors to permeate the meat, 6 to 8 hours.
At the same time, place the cracked wheat in a medium-size bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with water, and rinse the coarse grains by rubbing them between your fingertips. The water will become slightly