haleem plate | photo credit: Nagra Gopal
For many people in the city, haleem is a delicious dish that appears in a grand form during Ramadan. Not commonly available in Thiruvananthapuram, it was initially popularized five to six years ago by home cooks and some eateries.
Sheeba La Fleur was one of the first home cooks to start making Haleem during the season. An experienced cook who has a huge following, she makes it at home and it is available only on alternate days. Haleem will be available on Saturday. (contact on 9995288457)
“It’s a laborious process and unless it’s done well with good ingredients, it won’t taste good,” says Sheeba.
The meat, usually mutton, is slow cooked with spices and wheat and mashed vigorously to get the right consistency and mix all the ingredients. It is then garnished with fried onions, coriander leaves, green chillies and lemon slices. The taste of haleem depends to a large extent on the region in which it is made and therefore a lot of local ingredients can be added to haleem.
Shahina Safi has been cooking haleem for this time of the year for the last five years. She serves both Chicken and Meat Haleem on Sundays and it has to be ordered in advance (Contact: 7012847606).
Madison Street, a restaurant, is another place where haleem is available. However, it has to be picked up from their outlet in Kulathoor or ordered through the delivery app as the outlet is relocating from its current location. Haleem is available till 10 pm. (contact on 9645229991)
Hilton Garden Inn is another place to eat Haleem. It is served separately and also served with vegetable samosa, cut fruits etc.
Le Arabia Outlet, Zam Zam Restaurant and Kebab Dukan in Kazhakkuttom also serve Haleem.