Halim
6
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2 lb
bone-in lamb shanks or turkey thighs
2
onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp
salt
1 lb
pelted (pearled) wheat or wheat berries
¼ c
melted butter
2 tsp
cinnamon
¼ c
sugar
You can find Sadaf brand pelted wheat at Middle Eastern specialty stores. This recipe requires a day or two of forethought, but the active work is minimal, and the dish freezes well.
Directions
- Soak wheat for 8 hours or overnight, then drain.
- If using wheat berries: Place wheat in a slow cooker with 6 cups of water and cook for 8 hours or overnight on low. Strain wheat, preserving liquid in a heavy-bottomed pot. Process wheat through a food mill, discarding skins, then add back to cooking liquid in pot.
- Place the lamb or turkey, onion, and salt in a large pot. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam. Simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, uncovered, until meat is tender and falling off the bone, adding more water if needed.
- If using pelted wheat: Place wheat in a heavy-bottomed pot with 6 cups of water and simmer for two hours, adding more water if needed.
- Strain broth from lamb or turkey directly into cooked wheat, then pick meat from bones and add to pot.
- Using an immersion blender, or working in batches in a food processor, blend halim until smooth and slightly elastic.
- Return to pot and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The halim can be now be kept warm until serving.
- To serve, top bowls of halim with melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar to taste.
Nozlee Samadzadeh
Nozlee Samadzadeh is a senior developer working on Chorus at Vox Media and an editor at The Morning News.