Persian Meat and Wheat “Porridge”

IRAN

It was in Rasht, in the Gilan province of Iran, where I was researching an article on Iranian food that I first tried Persian haleem. It is quite different from the Pakistani/Indian version, with no legumes and a lot fewer seasonings. Rasht is not so far from Tehran and we got there in the morning just in time for breakfast. We found a rather kitsch pink café—the walls had been painted pink, and on each table there were plastic pink tulips—to have breakfast. As I peeked through a door that opened onto the courtyard, I found a burly man sitting on a stool by a huge copper pot placed over a low gas fire. He was bent over the pot, holding a long wooden paddle and stirring and beating whatever was in the pot. I got closer to him and realized he was cooking haleem, which he’d been stirring for hours. Luckily for me and my friend Ali Farboud, who took the Iranian pictures in this book, the haleem was just about ready and we asked if we could have some. It was delectable, with the grain and meat completely melded into a thick porridge-like mixture. I was surprised to find him still beating the haleem by hand with a wooden paddle as most people nowadays use a hand blender to pulverize the meat and grain. The texture of the hand-beaten haleem is superior, but if you don’t have the time, or the energy, to beat the haleem by hand, use a hand blender in pulses to mash it.

SERVES 4

2 small lamb shanks (1 pound 10 ounces/750 g total)

⅓ cup (50 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water with ¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 medium onion (5 ounces/150 g), coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1¼ cups (250 g) wheat berries, soaked overnight in cold water

Sea salt

FOR THE GARNISH

4 tablespoons (60 g) ghee or unsalted butter, melted

Ground cinnamon (optional)

Raw cane sugar (optional)

1. Put the meat in a large pot. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the meat. Add water to cover by 1½ inches (3.5 cm). Bring to a boil over medium heat, skimming any froth from the surface. Add the onion, turmeric, and pepper and let bubble gently for 1 hour 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put the drained wheat in a medium pot and add water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for at least 2 hours, until very tender, checking on the water so that it doesn’t dry up.

3. Reserving the broth, drain the meat, onions, and chickpeas. Set the chickpeas aside in a small saucepan to use as a garnish and cover with a little broth so that you can reheat them. On a cutting board, take the meat off the bone. Trim off any fat and cartilage and shred the meat. You can also process it or, if you have the energy, pound it in a mortar with a pestle, which is how it was done traditionally. Transfer the onions and meat to a mixing bowl.

4. When the wheat is done, uncover the pan and skim any husks that have floated to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and start stirring the wheat to help it disintegrate. Keep stirring until the wheat and cooking liquid become like a thick soup. Scoop a little out and mix with the meat and onions. Then pour the meat-onions-wheat mixture into the wheat and keep stirring until the meat, onions, and wheat are well blended and you have a somewhat stretchy “porridge.”

5. Transfer to a large shallow serving bowl. Drain the chickpeas and scatter them over the haleem before pouring the melted ghee or butter over the top. Sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon and cane sugar (if using) and serve hot, with more cinnamon and sugar if desired.