Fry the onions in the oil in a large pot, until they’re golden brown.
Add the chicken and cook for about 1 minute until it starts to change colour, and then add the haleem spice mix or masala. And cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat, until the oil separates. This step is called bhoon-na.
Add the tomatoes and cook them for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Add 1/3 cup water and lower the heat, and cover the pot.
Let the tomatoes cook for about 15 minutes until they have softened (refer to the step by step photos).
Transfer the chicken masala to a bowl, and set aside.
In the same pot, add the lentils, the remaining spice mix and 12 cups of water.
Cook on medium heat for about 1 hour, or until the lentils have cooked through. Keep stirring every 10 minutes or so, to ensure that the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Refer to the step by step photos to see how the lentils look when they are cooked through.
Add the chicken masala to the lentils, and using a hand blender, blend the haleem to your desired consistency. I like to blend it just so that there’s some texture still remaining.