‘Haleem’ preferred choice of food for ‘niyaz’ in Muharram

Islamabad : As ‘Niyaz’ is in fact a tradition of Muharram and other Islamic months when people with diverse backgrounds distribute food amongst others, ’Haleem’ is the preferred choice of food for ‘niyaz’ where people are busy to make ‘haleem’ at their homes or from caterers.

Food for any religious group and gathering plays an important role, many dishes are prepared for ‘niyaz’ including ‘haleem’, chickpeas and rice, chicken rice and ‘kheer’ though ‘haleem’ is the more popular dish for ‘niyaz’ during the first Islamic month for distribution.

‘Haleem’ is made with various pulses, spices, chicken or beef and wheat all of which are cooked on slow heat for several hours and is served with ‘naan’.

‘Haleem’ is also served all over the year at various restaurants, which also see an increase in demand for the dish during Muharram.

“We make ‘haleem’ every day, but demand increases during Muharram and we try to prepare beforehand for ‘niyaz’,” said Mohammad Noman, the owner of a restaurant.

He said most people preferred the beef ‘haleem’.

For many, ‘haleem’ is a complete meal and should be taken with a spoon and for others the dish is not complete without a ‘naan’ or a ‘kulcha’.

“I always like to go to the ‘haleem’ shops where they make the perfect ‘haleem’. In some shops, the chefs boil pulses and add the leftover chicken, so one should know where they use quality ingredients,” said a resident Imran Rao.

Another resident, Safdar Mushtaq said, “Haleem was made in homes in the past but now people prefer to get it from restaurants. People call caterers to their homes during Muharram and provide them all the ingredients for ‘haleem’, which they make outside the house.”

The trend of ‘niyaz’ connects people in a cycle: from the wholesaler to the commercial kitchen owners, from the grocer to the ordinary home cook, ‘niyaz’ benefits many people in many ways, a housewife Sawera Amin said.

Many food-related businesses wait for times such as Muharram or Rabiul Awwal to see a seasonal spike in business.

In these months, food-related professions tend to put their all in arranging supplies to meet demand, she added.

“More and more people are now trying to do something during the first 10 days of Muharram as some form of commemoration,” said a shopkeeper Azmat Ali.