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Untold Recipes by Nosheen » Recipes » Pakistani Recipes

Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem Recipe

Modified: Feb 23, 2025 · Published: Oct 12, 2020 by Nosheen Babar · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

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This Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem Recipe is another one pot slow cooked wonder, like nihari, that Pakistani Cuisine is famous for. High in protein, complex carbs and fiber, it’s a complete meal all in one bowl.

Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem recipe

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Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

A Rich Recipe with A Rich History

This treasure of a recipe has a rich and varied history dating back to ancient Persia. The original Arabic version, called Harees, first made its debut in the Indian Subcontinent during the time of Humayun's reign.

According to an article in bawarchi.com, Humayun was first introduced to this hearty meal during his exile in Persia and brought it back to the Mughal court with him.

Popular during the entire Mughal reign, this hearty meat and lentil porridge was just as popular during the rule of the Nizams in the early 19th century.

During the reign of the 7th Nizam the dish gained widespread popularity in the State of Hyderabad and Haleem as we know of it today was born.

The Meat

Haleem is traditionally made with beef and I personally think it works best in this Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem Recipe. However, many people like to cook it with Lamb, Goat Meat, Chicken and even Veal. I recently even heard of a Vegetarian version that was made with Impossible Meat!

While I often use stew meat out of sheer convenience, the best cut to use is a beef shank. This will give you those perfect threads of meat that Haleem is famous for. Plus, the bone and the excess fat attached to it gives the stew a lot of added flavor. {The bone can later be removed and discarded}

The Lentil Mix

The blend of lentils or Dal that is used is just as important as the type of meat used. The type of meat used results in the fibrous threads and the lentil mix used results in the slightly sticky porridge like texture of the Haleem.

You’ll find many variations in different recipes, but the 3 absolutes are Whole wheat or Haleem wheat, Barley and Chana Dal (Chickpea Lentils).

Haleem Lentil Mix

I personally also like to use red lentils (masoor daal), white lentils (urad dal) and split mung daal in my blend.

The Wheat and Barley are the grains that give the Haleem it’s porridge like consistency. The Chana Daal provides a little texture and the other lentils help fuse the grains and this harder lentil.

 Together, the blend creates the perfect sticky, grainy and nutritious mixture that coats the meat fibres.

The Spice Blend

When you’re cooking something that requires so much effort, you want the perfect spice blend. Of course, you can always go the easy route and buy a store bought premade one but I prefer to make my own, using fresh spices.

Haleem Spice Blend

It takes very little time and the difference in taste is huge. The blend is a mixture of some whole spices, such as cinnamon sticks and cloves that are dry roasted and ground to make a garam masala powder.

This ground mixture is then mixed with powdered spices such as salt, red chili powder and turmeric powder to complete the Haleem Masala.

Haleem Masala

Now that the three main components of the Haleem are ready it’s time to start cooking!

Cooking Technique

Although Hyderabadi Haleem is perhaps the most famous one, I promise this home cooked easy Haleem recipe will be just as delicious.

You will likely come across many recipes, each one claiming that theirs is the best method to cook Haleem. After lots of testing, in an Instant pot, Slow cooker, Stovetop, Pressure Cooker, I’m giving you my favorite method below.

The best part about my recipe is that it can be cooked in just one pot! Use the stove top or my new favorite gadget, the 360cookware slow cooker!

Saute The Meat

In both methods, you start with the pot on the stove and start cooking on high heat. For this recipe I like to use the 360cookware 6 quart stock pot directly on the stove and sautee my garlic paste first.

Saute The Meat

Next, I add the meat, saute it till it is no longer pink and then add the spice blend. After about 2-3 minutes I add the lentils along with 12 cups of water. After a quick stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan, I bring this meat mixture to a boil.

Boil The Haleem Mixture

Tenderize The Meat

Then I cover it and either

1.  place the stock pot directly on the slow cooker base and set it to cook at speed # 4 for 2 hours. Till the meat is cooked.

Slow Cook The Haleem

2.  Cook the Haleem directly on the stove on medium heat for about 2 hours till the meat is cooked. With the stove method, I usually need to check and adjust the flame and water every 30 minutes or so to make sure the mixture is not sticking to the bottom.

Grind The Meat

After 2 hours, using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the mixture. Place it in a food processor and pulse just 2-3 times to slightly break up the pieces. Set aside in a separate bowl.

Remove about ⅓ of the lentil mix and puree it to a fine paste. Add back the pureed meat and lentils to the mixture in the stockpot. Stir, add some water if needed, cover and cook:

1.  On Speed #3 for 2 more hours on the slow cooker base.

2.  On low heat on the stove for 2 more hours on the stove. Once again, checking occasionally to see if it is sticking to the bottom of the pot or the water is evaporating too quickly.

Note: If you're interested in trying the above slow cooker, head over to 360cookware.com and use code Nosheen20 to get 20 % off your order.

Temper & Finish The Haleem

After 2 hours, temper the Haleem with some fried onions. Cook for another 30 minutes or so at Speed #2 on the slow cooker base or low on your stove. When you feel that your Haleem is the perfect consistency, turn the stove/slow cooker off, your cooking time is complete.

Temper The Haleem

The Garnish

Haleem is always enjoyed with an array of garnishes. They are usually prepped and laid out on the table and added per individual taste. The most common Haleem accompaniments are:

  • Lemon Wedges
  • Green Chilli Slice
  • Mint Leaves
  • Fresh Coriander Leaves {Cilantro}
  • Chaat Masala
Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem recipe

What To Eat It With

Now comes the best part! Eating your Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem Recipe. Where I come from in Punjab, we always eat Haleem with fresh Naan.

However, if you ever buy your Haleem off the Hyderabad Streets you may well get just a simple bowl of Haleem along with the garnishes.

Eat it as you wish but don’t miss out on this recipe! It sounds complicated but is actually very simple once you get all of your ingredients organized.

Eating The Haleem

Storage And Reheating

Your Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem Recipe will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. But the best part about Haleem is it freezes really well! I always make extra and store it in portions. It will stay fresh in the freezer for upto 3 months.

When you’re ready to eat it, defrost it, add a little bit of water to it and heat it on the stove. Stir it a little bit to get the consistency back to its original form and you’re good to go!

Happy Cooking! Please remember to rate and comment below and share your pictures on social media!

Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem recipe

Easy Pakistani Beef Haleem Recipe

Nosheen Babar
This easy pakistani beef haleem recipe is a slow cooked stew made with beef, lentils, barley, wheat and my personal homemade blend of spices.
4.75 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
soaking time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 13 hours hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Pakistani
Servings 6 people
Calories 316 kcal

Equipment

  • large pot
  • Cooking Spoon
  • Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Food Processor
  • Frying Pan

Ingredients
  

Spice Blend (For 1 Pound of Meat)

  • 2 dry red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon white cumin seeds
  • 1 pod black cardamom
  • 2 pods green cardamom
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaves
  • ½ nutmeg
  • 1 mace flowers
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper powder

Lentil Mix (For 1 Pound of Meat)

  • ½ cup haleem wheat (pounded wheat)
  • 4 teaspoon chana daal (bengal gram)
  • 2 teaspoon split urad daal (maash daal)
  • 2 teaspoon masoor daal (red lentils)
  • 2 teaspoon moong daal (yellow lentils)
  • 8 teaspoon pearl barley

stew Ingredients

  • 1 lb beef
  • ⅓ cup cooking oil
  • 2 teaspoon garlic paste
  • prepped spice blend
  • prepped lentil mix
  • 10 cups water
  • ½ onion

garnish

  • 1 green chili
  • ½ inch piece ginger
  • 1 lemon
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • ½ crispy fried onion (optional)
  • chaat masala powder (optional)

Instructions
 

Spice Blend

  • dry roast all the whole spices in a preheated frying pan for 2-3 minutes.
  • grind them all to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
  • mix with the other powdered spices.
  • use immediately or store in an airtight container.

Lentil Mix

  • measure all the lentils into a large bowl.
  • rinse thoroughly and soak overnight in 5 cups of water (minimum 8 hours.

Stew

  • Heat the cooking oil.
  • saute the garlic paste for 2 minutes.
  • add the beef and saute till light brown.
  • rinse and drain the lentils and add them to the meat along with the spice blend and 10 cups of water and bring to a boil.
  • lower the heat to medium and slow cook for 2 hours till the meat is tender
  • after 2 hours remove the meat along with 2 cups of the lentils and grind in a food processor
  • add back to the lentils in the pot and continue cooking for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes as to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pot
  • after 2 hours thinly slice and fry the onion to a dark brown and temper the haleem with the onion and oil.
  • continue cooking for 20-30 minutes.

garnish

  • finely chop the cilantro and green chilies.
  • thinly slice the ginger.
  • quarter the lemon.

Notes

NOTES:
  • Sticking To The Bottom Of The Pot - After cooking for an hour the lentils expand and the mixture becomes a little sticky and gelatinous. At this point you need to stir the pot at 15 minute intervals to scrape the bottom. If you feel the mixture is too thick then add a little more water but boil it first. Adding room temperature water will stop the cooking process and it will take you longer to get the desired results.
  • Grinding The Meat - A few pulses of the food processor are enough. You want to break down the meat but not completely grind it.
  • Adjusting The Spices - Once you add the meat and lentils back to the pot and continue cooking you will possibly need to adjust the salt and chilies. Since the lentils expand so much and you need to keep adding more water the balance of the spices is often thrown off and needs to be adjusted. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1personCalories: 316kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 18gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 1884mgPotassium: 388mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 646IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 3mg
Have you tried this recipe yet?Mention @Untoldrecipesbynosheen or tag #Untoldrecipesbynosheen!


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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. presentation

    May 23, 2025 at 12:18 pm

    UntoldRecipesByNosheen ki recipes bilkul unique aur asli Pakistani zaiqay se bharpoor hoti hain! Har dish ka taste aurpresentation lajawab hota hai. Maine yahan se kuch recipes try ki hain aur family ko bohat pasand aayi. Shukriya Nosheen apna itna khoobsurat aur detailed cooking content share karne ke liye

    Reply
    • Nosheen Babar

      May 31, 2025 at 1:08 pm

      Thank You so much for trying and loving my recipes Batool. I Truly appreciate your feedback!
      Nosheen

      Reply
  2. Misha Mayet

    October 11, 2024 at 7:21 am

    Hi Nosheen I hope you are well. Would it be possible to use the same recipe for chicken instead of meat? Thank you ??

    Reply
    • Nosheen Babar

      October 11, 2024 at 9:11 am

      Hi Misha,
      Yes of course you can make this with chicken.

      Reply
  3. Ayesha

    March 14, 2023 at 5:53 pm

    5 stars
    I made Haleem from this recipe and it is unbelievably good ! I was fantasizing about it on my drive home from work and had 2 hot steaming bowls of it . Nosheen your spice masala mix is perfect . Thanks so much

    Reply
    • Nosheen Babar

      March 14, 2023 at 9:11 pm

      Thank You Ayesha! I’m so glad you tried it and liked it! I appreciate you leaving a review!

      Reply
  4. Iman

    November 13, 2021 at 8:28 am

    I'm a big fan of pakistani food. Would i be able to substitute the beef cubes with lamb cubes if that is what i have? Also, could turkish bulgur be used instead of the haleem wheat?

    thank you!

    Reply
    • untoldrecipesbynosheen

      November 13, 2021 at 8:49 am

      Hi Iman. Absolutely substitute lamb for the beef. However, the Haleem wheat is the most essential ingredient in this recipe and bulgur won’t be an adequate substitute. The wheat swells up and creates a gel like consistency similar to porridge. I hope that answered your question!

      Reply
4.75 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Here, you'll find authentic Pakistani recipes inspired by my childhood—a curated space to explore nostalgic recipes for all aspiring home cooks. It's all here, from slow-cooked Mughal wonders to regional delicacies and street food favorites. I aim to make all the recipes approachable for beginner, intermediate, and advanced cooks alike.

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