Ramzan brings a multitude of culinary delights, with haleem reigning as the city’s most-loved delicacy. The dish is traditionally prepared by expert chefs in large utensils placed on earthen ovens in restaurants and roadside stalls dotting the city.
Over the past few years, catalysed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent shutting down of restaurants, women from across the city began preparing haleem in their kitchens, mainstreaming ‘homemade haleem’.
“Homemade haleem offers a healthier alternative to the one prepared in bulk at restaurants. In the Ramzan rush, the quality of ingredients and hygiene is compromised as big restaurants focus more on raking in profits,” says Maqsood Khan, a Begumpet resident who has been purchasing the dish from homemakers SB Haleem and Taj Caterers for years.
