Narrator: During the month of Ramadan,
this kitchen runs 24 hours a day,
mashing goat, chilies, spices, and ghee
into a thick and creamy stew known as haleem.
For 25 years, Mohammed Abdul Majeed
and his sons have been running Pista House,
a popular chain known for making this dish
on massive scales.
Narrator: Haleem is popularly consumed
by Muslims in Hyderabad during Ramadan,
who often break their daily fast
with this high-protein and calorically rich dish.
But that doesn't mean it's exclusive.
Narrator: We visited Pista House's central kitchen
to see how it makes haleem in such big batches.
The day begins with unloading
and weighing all of the vegetables.
Narrator: Mountains of onions, green chilies,
and garlic are peeled by hand.
The onions are then grated through machines,
while the garlic is mashed into a paste.
On the other side of the kitchen,
hundreds of goats are wheeled into a large room
and chopped into smaller pieces.
Narrator: Every pot is filled with 100 liters of water
followed by 100 kilograms of goat
and 9 ½ kilograms of green chilies.
Once filled, the pots are covered and left to boil
for five to six hours.
Then the lids are removed
and a mixture of cilantro, basmati rice,
and the ginger-garlic paste that was prepared earlier
is poured inside.
Once that has cooked through,
a huge pot of soaked wheat flour is added.
Narrator: Keeping a consistent temperature
and constantly stirring the mixture
are two of the biggest challenges when making haleem.
Narrator: Once the flour is mixed,
it's time for the spices.
Narrator: After the masala is added,
they seal the pots for steaming,
which allows the flavors to be completely absorbed.
Narrator: Next is the most physically demanding part
of the cooking process,
smashing the haleem.
Workers pour large bags of ghee into the pots
and use wooden sledgehammers
to smash the haleem for 30 minutes
in a process called ghota.
Each of these hammers weighs 17 pounds,
making this strenuous work.
Narrator: When the mixture reaches a smoother consistency,
they add lentil paste
and continue mashing for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Finally, it's topped with boiled ghee,
then scooped into thermal containers
and wheeled to another room,
where its weighed and loaded onto delivery trucks.
At every Pista House location,
haleem is served in to-go containers,
and always with toppings.
Narrator: Arab merchants are believed
to have introduced haleem to India under the name harees
sometime during the 17th century.
Narrator: While haleem is exclusively cooked during Ramadan,
many locals who are not Muslim enjoy it just as much,
and many of the people who buy this haleem
have been doing so for years.