Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed cooking vessel, preferably a pressure cooked or Dutch oven for best results.
Sauté the onions in the oil/mutton fat until golden brown, set aside and reserve the oil for later use.
Toss in the meat, chilies, ginger garlic paste, and ground toasted spices, and cook until the meat is tender and the oil separates, rising to the top. Add water as required, ensuring that the spice and meat mix isn’t too diluted.
Meanwhile, cook the lentils in a pressure cooker until they are tender and can be mashed with the back of a spoon. Reserve any excess dal water and combine to make a thick slurry.
Grind the wheat and barley into a powder. Soak the powder in water for at least 40 mins to an hour, till the grain mix has completely hydrated and looks like a thick paste.
Once the meat is tender, remove the bones and add the cilantro, mint, and rice to the broth. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and can be mashed easily.
Add the barley and wheat powder, mixing as it comes to a boil, and cook for an additional 30 mins. Add water to adjust the consistency to your liking.
Add the rose petals, ground almonds, and cooked dal a little at a time and start “ghoting”. Ghoting is a process of pounding the mix of meat, lentils, grain, and spices using a thick wooden mallet to combine and mash everything into a homogeneous and uniform consistency.
This is done until the Haleem is sticky and can be scooped out of the vessel without sticking to the side of the Handi or pot.
Add salt to taste, followed by oil, ghee and cream and continue to pound until the Haleem is stringy.
Garnish with fresh mint, cilantro, cashews, fried onions and ghee. Accompany it with a wedge of fresh tangy lime.