LPG shortage looms large, but Hyderabad haleem to stay on menu

Despite an LPG shortage, Hyderabad's iconic haleem remains unaffected as it's primarily cooked in traditional wood-fired ovens.

As the restaurant industry in the country and in Hyderabad stares at a shortage of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder shortage, the industry-scale haleem production during Ramzan is unlikely to be affected in a big way. “The cooking of haleem will not be affected as most of the industry uses wood-fired kilns. However, we use gas stoves to make the caramelised onions that are very much part of both biryani and haleem. That will be affected,” said Mohammed Majeed of Pista House, one of the biggest restaurant chains serving haleem and biryani.

“The regular food served to the personnel working in the restaurant industry is also likely to be affected by this sudden development. Most restaurants and hotels have a stock of only two or three days,” said Mr. Majeed.

At 10.52 p.m. on March 9, the Union Petroleum Ministry shared information about the supply constraints: “LPG supply to other non-domestic sectors, a committee of three EDs of OMCs have been constituted to review the representations for LPG supply to restaurants/hotels/other industries.”

Haleem is a GI-tagged seasonal delicacy served during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan in Hyderabad, that is shipped across the country by multiple restaurant chains. Cooked over wood-fired ovens — known as ‘bhatti’ — for nearly 12 hours, the wheat, meat, and spices are turned into a gooey consistency by evening and is part of the fast-breaking food items at Iftaar.

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