Beef Haleem

Start by soaking the lentils/wheat overnight. Place the red lentils, yellow split peas, pearl barley, and cracked wheat in a medium sized bowl. Rinse the lentils/wheat really well under running water. 

Once the lentils are rinsed thoroughly, fill the bowl with warm water about 2 inches over the level of the lentils. Cover with a plate and leave at room temperature overnight, until ready to use. 

When ready to make beef haleem the next day, start by cooking the lentils. Drain the water from the soaked lentils. Add the soaked lentils/wheat/barley to a heavy bottom pot along with the 6 cups of hot water. Mix and bring to a boil. 

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 1.5-2 hrs, stirring occasionally, to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. You may need to add more water during the cook time if you find that there isn't enough water to cook the lentils. Once done, the lentils/wheat/barley should be really soft and easily smushed between your fingers. 

While the lentils are cooking, start cooking the beef. Heat a large, heavy bottom pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add the oil and allow to heat up. Add the sliced onions and fry until soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes. 

Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, cloves, green cardamom, bay leaves, and cinnamon piece. Mix and cook for about 1-2 minutes. 

Add the beef and mix everything together. Cook for a few minutes, until the beef develops colour all around. 

To the beef, add the salt, black pepper, ground cumin, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, and ground nutmeg. Mix everything together really well. If you find it is too dry to mix, you can add a splash of water to loosen things up. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring well. 

Add the 4 cups of water, stir, and allow to come up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the beef is very tender. This can take anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hrs, depending on the cut of beef you use. So keep checking on the beef occasionally, adding more water if needed, until tender. 

Once beef is tender, remove the pieces and place on a plate. Fish out as many of the whole spices as possible from the pot and discard the spices. Keep the gravy in the pot. 

Shred the beef on the plate using two forks. 

The lentils/wheat mixture should be soft at this time. Use an immersion blender to blend the lentil mixture until smooth. 

Return the shredded beef to the pot of gravy. Add the blended lentils/wheat to the pot with the beef. Mix very well until the beef/lentils/wheat/barley are all incorporated together completely. 

At this point, if it is too thick, you can add some hot water to thin it out to your preference. Taste and adjust the salt. I added about 1/2 tsp more. You can also adjust the other spices at this point, if you feel something is missing. 

Let this cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes to allow the ingredients to come together well. If you have more patience, you can let this cook even longer over low heat for the ingredients to really come together. 

Serve immediately with your choice of toppings: fried onions, lemon/lime wedges, chopped cilantro, julienned ginger, sliced green chilies.