Haleem

In my home, there is always lots of food being prepared.  We enjoy going out as well, trying new restaurants, etc.  But when we make things here at home, it is always the most satisfying and the most enjoyable.

This dish is a wonderful dish to make at home.  Haleem is a lentil stew with lots of spices and onions, and in this case chicken as well.  The chicken is in there twice.  First, it is cooked in the lentil stew, having been put in as shredded pieces.  And then we take an immersion blender and do a rough blend to grind up the chicken and thicken up the stew.  Usually that's where it ends and it's all done.  However in this case, we have added more chunks of wonderfully slow-cooked chicken with more spices.  This is all simmered slowly for a time.  Then to add one more element, it has been spooned over fresh biscuits.

What you get is a warm, spicy, high-protein, healthy dish that is an excellent comfort food, perfect in the winter when you need to be warmed up with spices, but also great in the summer for filling up after after a day of activity that has left you hungry.

Lentils are often overlooked here in the US.  However, in many parts of the world they are one of the most common ingredients to use.  Give them a try sometime.

And look up a few haleem recipes.  There are many of them out there.  Everyone has their on take on spices to add, how long to cook, whether to use chicken or goat or something else.  Let it cook long and slow and then grind it up with an immersion blender or a food processor.  You'll be happy you gave it a try.