Ramzan without haleem? Impossible!

Savour Shaan E Haleem at all Punjab Bistro outlets across the city till June 14. The cost for two is Rs 1,500 approx.
Haleem
Haleem

BENGALURU: Oh, how beautiful the city looks during the holy month of Ramzan! When the sun goes down and the iftar celebrations begin, there is not a single word that can describe the joy on people’s faces.   
CE too joined in the festive fervour by indulging in the numerous delicacies available this month, and the mouth-watering haleem is of course, the star of the season, which can never be overlooked by a foodie.  
Punjab Bistro in Koramangala brought over a Nawabi feast from the old by-lanes of Hyderabad to give you the festive feel on the eve of Eid Al Fitr. The rich culture brought seven kinds of haleem to the table, and much to our surprise, there was haleem for vegetarians too.

Apart from the traditional mutton haleem, we tasted duck, chicken, prawn and turkey in the non-vegetarian section. The duck haleem had been oven-roasted for over six hours and cooked along with a variety of spices and condiments, giving off a vibrant flavour that tantalised our taste buds. The turkey haleem was an exotic blend of the meat along with slices of turkey.

The thickness of the dish played efficiently with both the duck and the turkey, but our vote went to the former one, as it had more flavour and made us ask for more. The chicken haleem is for those who love chicken, and with the ghee garnished on top, it tasted richer and more flavourful. The prawn haleem smelled ‘fishy’ and could have been cooked a bit more for the pungent smell to go away. 

What surprised us and became the winner out of the seven was the jackfruit haleem. Because of the meaty taste of the ‘kathal’, a lot of people use it as a veg substitute, and the texture of the haleem was so scrumptious that the dish had us bowled over. The last of this league was the vegetable haleem that consisted of seven types of vegetables, with two different whole grains and five types of lentils. Quite healthy and ingenuously well put, came the verdict.

Next came the quintessential delight of the season -- boneless chicken and mutton biryani. The softness of the meats and the rich flavour of the basmati rice and various exotic spices left us craving for more. The desserts included Qubani-Ka-Meetha, which is a traditional Hyderabadi dessert of dried apricots served with Rabri and stewed with sugar and saffron. It was sweet and tart, but the Rabri lifted up the aura of the dessert to make it unique.

Gil-E-Firdaus was mostly sago, stewed bottle gourd and milk pudding which was served chilled in a kullad. The health factor came in with the mashed chironji, but eating a dessert from a kullad has always been exciting. Who knew a bottle gourd and sago will make for a lip-smacking dessert?

The last of the lot was Doh Ka Meetha, ‘Double roti’ and apricot pudding, which was a unique combo of two famous desserts from the City of the Nizams. We took a few bites of the delicious-looking dish, thanked Chef Shashikant Kalyanee and bid goodbye to the place.

Savour Shaan E Haleem at all Punjab Bistro outlets across the city till June 14. The cost for two is `1,500 approx.

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