HYDERABAD : Ramzan has now become synonymous with haleem as people enjoy and relish this food—rich in nourishment and exquisite in taste—providing a distinct experience for those fasting. Pista House has been quite popular for its haleem, a go-to place for t food lovers during this month. However, preparing this dish is a 12-hour-long tedious process, and mastering the dish that is served and consumed with love is not easy. We get in touch with Mohd Abdul Mohsi of Pista House, Attapur, who takes us through the haleem—making process.
Speaking about the process that takes most of the time of their employees, Mohsi says, “Firstly, haleem takes a lot of effort, we do not have any kind of technology that can help us find shortcuts for that without compromising on the taste and nourishment. It is a traditional format which has been carried forward by my father for 25 years now. The same process, the same style and protocols have been followed all these years.”
He told CE that they start working from 2am, beginning with the cutting of meat. “When we put mutton into the vessels, it takes around six to seven hours to boil and for it to become tender. Then we add green chilli, ghee and all the spices that are required. We put it for dum (meat put under a mix of pulses) for an hour and mix it slowly so that it tastes good and the mutton should have a good flavour. Then we mash the haleem for about an hour. The total process takes around 10-12 hours, the best thing is that we do not use any kind of machines and it is a man-made process. It takes a lot of strength to make this and our team gets exhausted by the end of the day. We have people working in three shifts here and we have dedicated work given to them. There is no count of vessels of haleem that we make daily. There are more than 100 vessels here and each weighs around 100 to 1000 kg,” he said.
When asked about how the staff has been into the business for decades, Mohsi said, “Here, people have been working with us for 10-15 years now and we don’t treat them as employees but as family and friends. The bonding between the boss and the employee is so good that they do not go anywhere else to work. Pista House’s haleem is so popular that we make tonnes of it every day and ensure that our customers are happy. We try to maintain the same consistency. For us, the making of haleem is not that big of a deal but serving it with all our heart and gratitude. My father has always taught us that Aap Haleem Dil Se Khilao (serve haleem with all your heart). I believe, making, serving and appreciating haleem is part of a tradition of Hyderabad and the shaan (pride) of our city. We have bigger plans for haleem in the future like opening outlets in different places of the world. Right now it is in the US, Canada, Kuwait and Muscat (Oman).”
While haleem lovers in the city can enjoy the delicious dish at 40 outlets of Pista House in the city, served from 4pm to 10pm, there is also an option for those travelling across the country. “We have the tetra pack option as well which has a shelf life of one month. You can store it and have it anytime. We started it this year and people can find it in every branch of Pista House. It costs around `1200 per kg. You just have to cut open the pack, put it in a bowl and enjoy it with two ghee packs that come with it. We have mini packs and different sized packs. We also have premium gift packs for your loved ones,” he said.
Concluding, he conveyed a message to all the Hyderabadis: Pista House ki Haleem Khau, Agar Yehi Nahi Khaya Tho Kya Khaya!