Uzbek-Style Halim
A thick, tender wheat-and-meat dish from Uzbek cuisine, slow-cooked to a silky, smooth consistency.
Ingredients
- husked wheat500 g
- beef600 g
- oil80 g
- water3500 ml
- salt2 tsp
- black pepper (ground)0.5 tsp
- ground cinnamon0.25 tsp
Instructions
Rinse 500 g of hulled wheat, lightly crush the grains, and pour over 1.5 L of boiling water; leave covered for 5–6 hours.
Drain the water from the wheat. Cut 600 g of beef into pieces of about 50–60 g each.
Heat 80 g of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and sear the beef until browned.
Add the prepared wheat and 2 L of water, and bring to a boil.
Cook over the lowest heat for 2 hours, stirring often, until the wheat breaks down and the meat starts falling apart into fibers; if the liquid evaporates too soon, top it up with small amounts of boiling water.
Once the wheat is soft and the meat very tender, season with 2 tsp of salt and keep stirring the halim for another 10 minutes until it turns into a thick, smooth mass.
Remove from the heat, season with 0.5 tsp of black pepper and 0.25 tsp of ground cinnamon, let it rest for 5 minutes, and serve hot.
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