Millet Daleem

Millet Daleem is thick and tasty porridge recipe made with aromatic spices, protein-rich meat, fiber-rich dals and millet. This daleem recipe is nutritious and wholesome one pot meal. My Millet Daleem recipe has got all the ingredients of authentic Daleem (Haleem) along with the goodness of millet. Millet Daleem is a great addition to your iftar meal or party. This Ramadan do give this recipe a try!

After sharing with you my contest winning and much appreciated Chicken and Oats Haleem Recipe, Millet Daleem is my latest twist to the authentic and much-loved Hyderabadi Haleem recipe.

What is Daleem | Haleem?

Initially what was called as Haleem, is now called as Daleem. Daleem is one of the authentic recipes of Arabian Cuisine. Making authentic Daleem recipe is a long and laborious job. Daleem is usually made by combining spices, meat, dals, ghee, coriander leaves, mint leaves, fried onions and nuts. Then this is set on fire in a heavy bottom cooking vessel and cooked overnight for at least 6-8 hours by stirring and pounding with large wooden spoons.

Why is Haleem called Daleem now?

The urdu meaning of the word Haleem is Gentle, Understanding and Patient. Haleem is one the among 99 names of Allah SWT. So, slowly many food joints, recipes on internet, etc; are changing the name from Haleem to Daleem. You can read more about this in an article on Scroll.in by Shoaib Daniyal.

Hyderabadi Daleem

No Muslim Hyderabadi Wedding or Iftar or Iftar Party is complete without serving hot and yummy daleem. This is often served as main meal in weddings and parties. Hyderabad Daleem Recipe has its own and unique flavour and spice blend.

During Ramadan, you will see Haleem pitstops in mostly every corner of the road. Apart from this, Pista House Haleem recipe is world famous. There is a saying like Hyderabad jake Nimrah ki chai nahi pi, Pista House ki Haleem nahi chaki aur Shah Gouse ki biryani nahi khayi to kya kiya? (If you have not tried chai at Nimrah Café, Haleem at Pista House and Biryani at Shah Gouse, then what did you do in Hyderabad?) These are the iconic food joints in Hyderabad, which are popular for their recipes.

Why Millet Daleem?

Millet is gluten-free, rich in minerals and good for health. As many recipes are getting healthy and nutritional uplift, I thought of giving a wholesome and nutritive makeover to daleem recipe. I have been making this millet daleem quite often as this is light and gentle on tummy. Most of the time, this has been my family favorite weekend brunch and dinner recipe. Millet Daleem is,

• Gluten-Free
• Gentle on tummy
• Easy to cook
• Nutritious
• Comforting
• Wholesome

Best millet recipes to try,

Loving this millet daleem recipe, then here are few of the best and easy to make millet recipes for you to try,

Barnyard Millet Khichdi

Barnyard Millet Onion uttapam

Ganji | Nombu Kanji With Millet

Millet Pongal

Kuthitaivali Sambar Sadam

Kodo Millet Curd Rice

Ragi Button Idli | Finger Millet Steamed Rice Cakes

Savory Barnyard Porridge

Main Ingredients to make Millet Chicken Daleem are,

Millet: You can either use foxtail (korra | thinai) or barnyard millet (udalu | kuthiraivali) in making daleem. I prefer using barnyard millet, as I like the taste and texture it imparts to daleem porridge.

Chicken: Instead of lamb meat on bone, I used boneless chicken pieces in making this recipe. You can even use chicken breast or chicken curry cut pieces too in making this recipe. These days chicken mince is also easily available in online stores. You can use that too.

Garam Masala: Though daleem recipe calls for long list of spices, I have reduced them to just three. I used my homemade garam masala powder which includes cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

Birista: Birista is nothing but thinly sliced deep fried onions. This is the key ingredient in making any variety daleem recipe. Beautifully golden brown and crunchy deep-fried onions will bring not only good taste but also adds amazing aroma.

Dals: I normally add urad dal, chana dal, yellow moong dal and masoor dal. You can add or skip any one dal depending on the availability and taste preference.

Must-Try Varieties of Daleem (Haleem) Recipe

Chicken and Oats Haleem Recipe,

Fish Daleem Recipe (Haleem)

Quick and Easy Daleem Recipe (Cheat’s Way)

FAQ,

• Can I make millet daleem ahead of time?

Yes. You can make this millet daleem in advance and leave it to come down to room temperature. Once daleem is cool enough, transfer it into a moisture free airtight container and refrigerate. Stays fresh for 2-3 days.

• How to reheat daleem?

You can reheat daleem in two ways,

Take required amount of daleem in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 4-5 minutes by stirring for every 30 seconds.

Alternatively, you can heat daleem on stovetop, by adding required amount of daleem to a thick bottom vessel and heating it on low flame until it is warm again.

• What to do, if daleem has turned hard upon refrigerating?

If daleem has turned hard, then it will loosen up upon heating. But if you feel, it is still hard not of porridge consistency, then adjust the consistency adding warm water. If adding warm water, then check for salt and add if required.

• How to store leftover daleem?

This daleem recipe is so yum, that you will hardly have leftover. But if it is there then,

Store it in a clean, dry and moisture free refrigerator box by covering with a lid.

Do not refrigerate for more than 2-3 days.

Tips to make perfect Millet Daleem recipe:

Adding mutton or chicken stock to daleem will bring good taste in the recipe.

Soaking the dals overnight or for 4-5 hours will reduce the cooking time.

Puréeing the dal and millet to soft will impart nice creamy texture and thick consistency to the recipe.

Do not grind the chicken. Shred and add. Shredded chicken will add nice texture. For that reshadar daleem, always shred and add cooked chicken.

Always use thick bottom vessel to make daleem. Keep stirring and avoid sticking of daleem to the bottom or sides of the vessel.

You can even add cashew or almond paste for more creamy taste.

Do not add lemon juice while making daleem. Sprinkle lemon juice only before serving.

How to make Millet Chicken Daleem in Instant Pot

You can easily make this millet chicken daleem in Instant Pot by following these easy steps:

Soaking

Step 1: Soak Millet, Urad dal, Masoor dal, Chana dal and Moong dal separately for at least 30 minutes. Make a paste of onion, green chili and coriander leaves.

Marinate chicken pieces with salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala. To this add above made onion-chili paste. Now add black pepper powder, roasted coriander powder, roasted cumin powder and curd.

Mix well and leave this to marinade for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Cooking

Step 2: By turning on the sauté option on instant pot, fry thinly sliced onions until light brown. Remove half of them for serving. To this add tbsp. of ginger-garlic paste and fry till raw smell wafts. Now add marinated chicken, soaked millet, urad dal, masoor dal, chana dal and moong dal. Stir well.

To this add 4 cups of water and set the Instant Pot on pressure cooker setting. Cook on high for 20 minutes.

Step 3: When the pressure settles, remove the lid and using an immersion blender or mixer, puree the ingredients. Now add fried onions and ½ tbsp. of garam masala. Bring this to boil by continuously stirring and gently scrapping the edges.

Step 4: Serve warm by garnishing with fried onions and fried cashew nuts.