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Kashmiri Hareesa — slowcooked for generations

Kashmiri Hareesa — slowcooked for generations

It is no surprise that the popularity of hareesa, a specialty winter dish, shoots up as the mercury plummets.
Updated 18 Jan, 2016

RAWALPINDI: Kashmiri cuisine is the go-to food for most residents of the twin cities with the advent of winter. The flavours of the valley are rich, as is the food, which is designed to keep people warm in the most subzero of temperatures.

So it is no surprise that the popularity of hareesa, a specialty winter dish, shoots up as the mercury plummets. While this broth-like dish may look like haleem, the two could not be more different.

Made from a cornucopia of ingredients including pulses such as moong, maash, channa as well as wheat grains and meat, the dish is usually made from lamb meat, but chicken and mutton are also popular.

The ingredients are slow cooked for hours and stirred with a wooden spoon, until the consistency resembles a thick gravy. Then, meat balls or kebabs are added to the hareesa, which gives it a unique taste and texture. Traditionally low on spice, the dish is flavoured with black pepper.

However, red and green chillies are also added to suit the local palate.

Although the recipe followed in Pakistan is the Kashmiri one, its origins can be traced back to the Middle East.

“Hareesa came to South Asia from the Middle East through the Muslim settlers and gained popularity in many parts, specifically Jammu and Kashmir. However, Kashmiris adapted the dish to suit locally available ingredients,” said Malik Aslam, who owns a hareesa shop in the garrison city.


This Kashmiri dish is a perennial favourite in the winter months


“I have had something like this in Iran, but that had rice and spinach in it. Hareesa was definitely brought to the Indian subcontinent by Muslims coming from Iran and Central Asia because traditionally, meat is not widely used in the food of the subcontinent,” said Waqar Shah, a hareesa enthusiast.

While there are many establishments in Rawalpindi that serve the Kashmiri treat, Dilbar Hotel – located in the narrow alleyways of Raja Bazaar – stands out for its unique taste.

Over the last few years, several restaurants advertising hareesa as their specialty have opened on Saidpur Road, College Road and in Saddar. These newcomers add rice to the hareesa, turning it into something reminiscent of the Afghan sticky rice dish, Shola Goshti.

“Traditionally, hareesa is served with boiled fenugreek, or methi, leaves. It is different from haleem because it is spiced with black pepper alone,” Malik Aslam, the owner of Dilbar Hotel, told Dawn.

He said that his father, who came from Srinagar, brought the traditional recipes of Kashmiri cuisine to Rawalpindi before partition.

“We have been serving hareesa here for the last 69 years and our recipe has not changed. We did not add rice here, which is the Amritsari style. Instead, we put mini-kebabs or meatballs in the hareesa,” he said.

Rustam Hussain, a customer at Dilbar Hotel, said that a single serving of hareesa was a fulfilling meal.

“The small tasty kebabs offer a good juxtaposition to the creamy, rich texture of the hareesa.”

Others, like Mohammad Anwar, prefer a plate of hareesa for breakfast.

“I’m used to having hareesa for breakfast on weekends in winter. It’s not too oily or spicy and mutton is always better than chicken. And if the hareesa is followed by a cup of salty Kashmiri tea, it makes my day.”

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2016

Comments

Kashmiri Jan 18, 2016 10:12am
Indeed a culinary delight!!
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M. Omar Jan 18, 2016 11:06am
Now that you have vet the appetite....where is the recipe?
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Farrukh Kiani Jan 18, 2016 12:12pm
ALERT! Not for vegs...!
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Mirza Jan 18, 2016 12:52pm
Hareesa is also a popular winter Dish in Iraq too ...
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k sri krishna prasad Jan 18, 2016 12:53pm
The recipe is nearer to haleem , minus spices. can any body share the exact proportion of ingredients used and the method of cooking. Haleem is very popular during the month of Ramadan festival in Hyderabad, India. for winters this seems to be a good one to keep one self warm.
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Rk singh Jan 18, 2016 01:27pm
@M. Omar Try YouTube
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Riz Jan 18, 2016 02:28pm
Write the recepie !
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usman777 Jan 19, 2016 02:20am
We Pakistanis are so lucky for the diversity we have in the Indus Basin
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East Indian Jan 19, 2016 07:04am
is there any indian branch of this restaurant?
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Afaaq Sayeed Jan 19, 2016 07:33am
As a Kashmiri, I know its importance. It is the most sought after delecacy during winters in my city Srinagar. We usually prepare it at home . Recepie Ingredients : Mutton, Rice or Wheat, Shallots, Garlic, Sounp Saboot, Baddi Elaichi, Saffron, Dry Pudina. Method : Boil boneless mutton (2Kgs) in a big vessel adding 2 Table spoons of saboot sounf and Salt. Boil till mutton breaks up to become a thick paste. Add boiled rice (pre cookeed) or Wheat flour ( 5 Cups). You can also add one cup of boiled channa Dal. Boil and stir / mash rigorously till ingredients mix to form a tick paste. Add mashed garlic and baddi elaichi fried in mustard oil (1 cup). Add a pinch of saffron, water and stir. At the time of serving: Take the required portion on the plate. Fry one bulb of shallots in 3 Tb Spoonsof Mustard oil, Pour the oil with fried (deep brown) shallots over the plate. Garnish mildly with dry pudina. Eat with Kashmiri Nan.
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Mohammed Ali Rizvi Jan 19, 2016 12:35pm
@Afaaq Sayeed The Saunp referred to is apparently fenugreek or Fennel? is it right? I think you should also mention slow cooking & use of a wooden spoon? In the photo with the article, there is Naan, fried Shallot, Hareesa, Salt and what is 4th plate comprise of ? any clue? The article also mentions Moong & Mash as well besides Chana! Can everything be used , if so then what proportions? for your readers, Shallots are like onions, but small, have a sweet and mild (although pronounced) flavor, with a hint of garlic, and lack the bite you get with yellow or white onions. Regards
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