Hyderabadi Cuisine

Source - Wikipedia, The Hindu & Outlook Traveller

Hyderabadi Cuisine is a princely legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Hyderabad, a city created by the Nawabs of Golconda, has developed its own cuisine over the centuries. It is a blend of Mughlai and North Indian cuisine, with an influence of the spices and herbs of the native Telugu food.

The cuisine is special because of the use ingredients that are carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree and time. Utmost attention is given to picking the right kind of spices, meat, rice etc. Therefore, an addition of a certain herb, spice, condiment, or combination of all these add a distinct taste and aroma. The key flavours are of coconut, tamarind, peanuts and sesame seeds which are extensively used in many dishes.

Traditional utensils made of copper, brass, earthen pots are used for cooking. All types of cooking involve the direct use of fire. There is a saying in Hyderabad, cooking patiently or ithmenaan se is the key; slow-cooking is the hallmark of Hyderabadi cuisine.

Hyderabadi haleem (Urdu: ???? ????? ????) is a type of meat stew of Hyderabad. It is a popular dish during the Muslim month of Ramadan. The cooking of haleem in Hyderabad is mastered to an art form, like the popular Hyderabadi biryani.

It is a type of stew made from pounded wheat and mutton (or beef) made into a thick paste. It is the mainstay during the Holy month of Ramadan. It is a tradition to break the daily fast (roza) at Iftar with a plateful of haleem. In Hyderabad, haleem is the traditional starter at Muslim weddings, celebrations and other special occasions.

One of the best examples of this is the cuisine of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Here the Moghul love for meat was blended with the fiery spices of Andhra Pradesh to create what is truly one of the greatest of dishes of India. The Hyderabadi likes his meat in large chunks and heavily spiced, unlike the delicate kebabs of Lucknow (Avadh), where the meat is ground so fine that a child can eat it. Also the subtle fragrances and flavours used in Avadhi cuisine are not to be found here. Meats are spiced with fiery chillies and tempering this fire is the sourness of raw mangoes, tamarind, lemon and yoghurt. Hyderabadi Patthar Gosht, a tongue searing kebab so named because it is cooked on a heated stone, can today be found in the galis around the Charminar. It is said that the heated stone releases minerals that mix with the spices on the meat and give the kebab its special flavour. Another kebab is made of minced meat baked and then presented covered in silver varq to resemble a sweetmeat! Still another kebab is cooked and then smoked with a live coal to give it an unusual smoky flavour.

Given below are two kebab recipe, adapted from Shalini Devi Holkar's book, Cooking Of The Maharajas. These unusual recipes are ideal to start off your kebab cooking sessions. Bon appetit!

Mutton pieces (from the leg) - 1/2 kg
Chana dal (split gram) - 1/3 cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons ( or to taste )
Green chillies, whole 3-4 ( or to taste )
Salt to taste
Black cardamom - 4
Bay leaves - 4
Cinnamon sticks - 4
Cloves - 6
Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
Garam masala powder - 1-1/2 teaspoons

Green chillies, finely chopped - 2-3
Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped - 1/3 cup
Fresh mint leaves, finely chopped - 2 tablespoons
Lime juice - 3 or 4 tablespoons
Fresh cream or hung yoghurt - 1/2 kg
Eggs, lightly beaten - 2
Oil or ghee to fry

Place cream or hung yoghurt in the refrigerator overnight or until firm.

Put the meat along with the spices into a pot. Cover with water and boil until the meat is tender and all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pot and discard the chillies and whole spices.

Grind the meat to a fine paste without adding water. Add the yoghurt, garam masala powder, coriander leaves, mint leaves and lime juice to the ground meat and mix well.

Divide the meat mixture into equal parts (approximately 20 or 22). Take a portion of the paste and roll it into a ball between your palms.

Flatten slightly and make an indentation in the centre of the meat, like a small cup. Fill this indentation with a small spoonful of the cream or yoghurt and fold the ground paste over to seal.

Make all the kebabs in this way and dip in beaten egg, shaking off any excess, and fry in hot oil or ghee until golden brown.

Fresh, thick yoghurt - 4 cups
Saffron threads, a pinch
Boiling milk or water - 2 tblsp
Gram flour (besan) - 2/3 cup
Powdered cloves - 15 cloves
Powdered black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Powdered cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Ghee to fry

For sauce:

Garlic, finely pasted - 5-6 cloves
Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder to taste
Salt to taste
Milk or buttermilk - 1/4 cup or as required

Place the yoghurt in a muslin cloth and hang to drain for at least four hours. There must be approximately two cups of yoghurt thick enough to stand a spoon in.

Presoak the saffron in two tablespoons of boiling milk or water. Add the saffron water, gram flour, salt, cloves, pepper, cinnamon and one teaspoon chilli powder to the yoghurt and mix well.

Divide into equal parts to form small balls, flatten slightly to form kebabs. Heat ghee and shallow fry the kebabs, a few at a time, until a pale gold in colour. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same ghee, fry the onions until golden brown. Remove and grind to a fine paste and set aside. Add the garlic, chilli powder, garam masala, salt and ground onions to the ghee and cook on a slow flame adding the milk or buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, to prevent them from burning. Cook until the flavours are blended and you have a thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the kebabs and serve hot.