The Famous Hyderabadi Cuisine

The highlight of the Andhra Pradesh cuisine is the Hyderabadi food. It is famous for its rich and aromatic nature. It's taste is very distinguishable having a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee. The Hyderabadi food uses fresh fruit instead of dried fruits. It is also famous for its non-vegetarian preparation and Lamb is the most widely used meat here.Biryani, one of India's most popular foods, is a flavored rice with meat or vegetables. It is an important part of Hyderabadi cuisine.

Hyderabadi cuisine is inspired by the Mughlai cuisine. This style of cooking is here since the Asaf Jahi period. Thus, the Hyderabadi cuisine is a perfect amalgamation of the typical Mughlai flavors with a blend of rich spices.

What makes the Hyderabadi Cuisine special is the use of special ingredients, carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree. The addition of a certain Herb, Spice, Condiment, or an Amalgam of these add an unique taste and texture to the dish. The herbs and spices used and the method of preparation gives the dish its name. "Murgh do pyaza" gets its name from the onions that are added twice to the dish in two variations.

The Masalas or the rich blend of herbs, spices and condiments give the dishes a base, or what is popularly known as "Gravy". Some of these blends are a well-kept secret that pass only down the family line or from the Ustad(Teacher) to his Shagird(Pupil). The head cooks or the "Khansas" were an asset to the house hold, and were treated with due respect.

The word "Nawabi" is as synonymous with the Hyderabadi cuisine as "Shahi" is with Luknowi. These terms conjure delicacies that are rich in taste and texture with mouth-watering aromas. The "Kebabs" in Hyderabad need a special mention, the "ShammiKebab" is one such popular dish. The Kebabs are originally from Greece!!

Popular Dishes and Recipes

Click on the dishes below to get the recipe (Ingredients and Cooking Instructions)

1. Hyderabadi Kheema---------------------11.Lamb Biryani
2. Hyderabadi Fish-------------------------12. Kheema Liver Masala
3. Hyderabadi Biryani----------------------13. Mirch ka Salan
4. Chicken Korma--------------------------14. Nihari
5. Haleem----------------------------------15. Ghost Palak Curry
6. Sheer Korma
7. Mirchi Ka Salan
8. Shahi Tukre
9. Malai Korma
10. Hyderabadi Rice Pulao

Gosht Palak Curry

Ingredients :

1 kg - Mutton
4 nos - Onions
1 cup - Spinach
2 tsp - Green chillies
6 tsp - Red chillies
2 tbsp - Coriander leaves
1 tsp - Ginger-Garlic paste
3 tbsp - Oil
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Fry the onions and green chillies in oil till the onions become brown in color.
- Add mutton, mix ginger-garlic paste, red chillies.
- Put the lid over the pan and allow it to cook.
- Add blanched and chopped spinach and again cook for 2 minutes.
- Mutton Paalak Curry is ready, check salt
- Garnish the curry with coriander leaves.

Nihari

Ingredients :

1/2 kg - Beef
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Ginger paste
1 tsp - Pepper
1 tsp - Chilli powder
4 tbsp - Oil
3 tbsp - Flour
Salt to taste

Spice mix :

2 tsp - Fennel seeds
2 nos - Green cardamom
2 nos - Black cardamom
2 tsp - Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp - Peppercorns
1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds
10 nos - Cloves
1 no - Cinnamon stick
1 no - Bay leaf
1/4 tsp - Nutmeg
Onion slices, coriander, ginger and green chilies for garnishing

Cooking Instructions :

- Take a heavy based pot and heat oil. Fry the meat a little.
- Mix salt, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, pepper and ginger paste. Pour a little water. - Mix flour in half cup of water.
- Add this mixture to the meat and boil it.
- Grind all the spice mix until powdery fine.
- Add this to the meat.
- Add 3-4 cups of water cover and leave it to tenderize over very low heat.
- It will take about 7 hours for beef to get done.
- Fry some onion slices in oil until golden brown.
- Garnish the Nihari with it.
- Fresh coriander, ginger and green chilies can also be used for garnishing.

Mirch ka Salan

Ingredients :

500 gms - Green chillies
1 no - Large onion
1 no - Large tomato
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Ground corriander
2 tbsp - Roasted cumin seeds
2 tbsp - Roasted peanut seeds
2 tbsp - Coconut grated
2 no - Garlic flakes
1 no - Ginger
1/2 Cup - Tamarind juice
3 Cups - Oil
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Grind the roasted peanut and cumin seeds to make a powder.
- Chop onions and tomatoes finely.
- Grind garlic and ginger to make a paste.
- Heat the oil and fry chilies and keep it aside.
- Fry chopped onions and tomatoes.
- Add ginger garlic paste and fried chillies, saute for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle tamarind juice and salt
- Add this mixture to fried green chillies.
- Serve it with rotis.

Sheer Korma

Ingredients :

100gms - Vermicelli
Milk - 1.5litre
Sugar - 250gms
Chopped cashew nuts - 50gms
Chopped almonds - 50gms
Chopped dates - 50gms
Powdered cardamom - 6nos
Butter - 4tsp
Water - 250ml

Cooking Instructions :

- Fry nuts in 2tsp butter till light golden colour, drain and keep aside.
- Fry vermicelli in the remaining butter until golden brown.
- Make a sugar syrup (one string consistency).
- Boil the milk until it is thickened to half the quantity.
- Add the fried vermicelli to the milk and cook. Do not allow lumps to form.
- Add sugar syrup and cook for a while until it comes to a homogeneous consistency.
- Sprinkle cardamom powder. Garnish with fried nuts.
- Serve hot or cold.

Mirchi Ka Salan

Ingredients :

250 gms - Green chillies
50 ml - Oil
30 gms - Tamarind pulp
100 gms - Beaten yogurt
2 tbsp - Lemon juice
Salt to taste
250 gms - Onions
35 gms - Roasted peanuts
35 gms - Grated coconut
10gm - Ginger
10gm - Garlic
1 Tsp - Sesame seeds
Chopped coriander leaves

Cooking Instructions :

- Saute onions in oil
- Grind sauteed onions, peanuts, coconut, ginger, garlic and sesame seeds to a fine paste.
- Heat oil and deep fry green chillies, remove and keep aside.
- Fry the ground paste in the same oil by stirring continuously.
- Pour little water at regular intervals while frying the paste.
- Stir well by adding yogurt, lemon juice and salt.
- Add tamarind pulp and stir well until the gravy is of sauce consistency.
- Add fried chillies. Bring to a boil and remove from fire.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with biryani.

Shahi Tukre

Ingredients :

4 Nos - Slices of bread
6 Tbsp - Condensed milk
500 ml - Milk
1/2 Tsp - Ground cardamom seeds
1/4 Tsp - Nutmeg
15 gms - Almonds, pistachios, Charoli, walnuts, cashew-nuts, raisins each
3 Tbsp - Sugar

Cooking Instructions :

- Trim and cut each slice of bread into four pieces and deep fry to a golden brown colour.
- Drain thoroughly and keep aside.
- Fry all the nuts and pound coarsely. Also fry the raisins.
- Take a wide pan and put in milk, condensed milk, sugar, cardamom and nutmeg.
- Cook on a low fire till the mixture turns a little thick, then put the fried bread side by side in the pan.
- Let it cook till all the moisture is absorbed by the bread.
- Serve cold garnished with nuts and raisins and covered with foil.

Malai Korma

Ingredients :

2 cups - Fresh cream (malai)
2 nos - Finely chopped onions
1 No - Finely chopped tomato
10 Flakes - Garlic
1 Inch - Peeled ginger
5 Nos - Split green chillies
1 Tbsp - Finely chopped coriander leaves
12 Nos - Sliced cashew nuts
1/4 Tsp - Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3 Tsp - Ghee

Cooking Instructions :

- Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste.
- Heat ghee and fry cashew nuts. Drain and keep aside.
- Sauté onions in the same ghee till golden brown and add ginger-garlic paste, salt, green chillies and turmeric powder.
- Add tomatoes and sauté well till oil separates.
- Add fresh cream, stir and cook. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and fried cashew nuts.
- Serve hot with rotis

Hyderabad Rice Pulao

Ingredients :

2 Cups - Basmati Rice
3 Tbsp - Sunflower oil
1 No -Finely sliced onion
3 Nos - Finely chopped shallots
1 Clove - Crushed garlic
1 Tsp -Grated ginger
1/2 Tsp - Cayenne
2 Cups - Trimmed okra (ladies finger)
4 Cups - Chicken stock
1 Tsp - Lightly crushed saffron
1/3 Cup - Golden raisins
1 Tbsp - Lemon juice

To Garnish :
Toasted Almonds
1 Tsp - Chopped mint
1 Tsp - Chopped coriander

Cooking Instructions :

- Heat oil in a pan and fry onions till golden brown and keep aside.
- Reduce heat and cook shallots in the remaining oil until soft.
- Add garlic and ginger and sauté well. Stir in the rice, cayenne and okra.
- Pour in the chicken stock and add saffron.
- Bring to a boil and simmer over moderate heat for 15 minutes.
- Add raisins and stir in the lemon juice.
- Serve with garnish of fried onion, toasted almonds, mint and coriander.

Lamb Biryani

Ingredients :

500 gms - Sliced lamb
500gms - Basmati rice
Water as required
1/2 tsp - Mace powder
4 nos - Green cardamom
4 nos - Black cardamom
4 nos - Cloves
5 nos - Bay leaves
200 ml - Oil
50 gms - Onions
5 tsp - Ginger-garlic paste
2 Tsp - Salt
2 tsp - Chilli powder
1000 ml - Water
3 1/2 tbsp - Brown onion paste
Saffron few strands
60 gms - Sliced onions(fry the onions till brown and keep aside)

For the covering:

1/2 cup Flour
100 gms - Butter

Cooking Instructions :

- Wash and soak rice in water for one hour.
- Drain and boil in sufficient water with mace powder, green and black cardamom, cloves and bay leaves till three-fourth done.
- Remove from heat, drain and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry sliced onions till brown. Saute by adding ginger-garlic. Put the lamb pieces and fry for about 10 minutes.
- Add salt, chilli powder and water and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes on medium heat.
- Stir in the brown onion paste and cook till the lamb pieces are tender and the curry thickens. Remove from heat.
- Mix butter and flour. Knead to a smooth soft dough by adding enough water.
- In an oven proof vessel place alternate layers of rice and lamb curry.
- Sprinkle saffron and browned onions. Seal the vessel with the prepared dough and place in a moderately hot oven (150oC to 175oC) for 20 minutes or till the covering is cooked.

Kheema Liver Masala

Ingredients :


500 gms- Minced mutton (kheema)
200 gms - Liver
450 gms - Tomatoes
1 tsp - Ginger-garlic paste
Red chilly powder to taste
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
50 gms - Finely chopped onions
10 gms - Garam masala
2 nos - Cardamom
2 no - Cloves
1"piece - Cinnamon
1/4 tsp - Cumin Seeds
2 tbsp - Oil
50 ml - Curd
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp - Chopped coriander

Cooking Instructions :

- Wash minced meat and liver. Marinate it with curd, half of ginger- garlic paste, red chilly powder & salt for half an hour.
- Heat oil in a pan and add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and cumin. Add chopped onions and sauté well.
- Stir in by adding remaining ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and chilli powder.
- Add Minced meat and cook for a few minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and fry by stirring occasionally.
- Add liver pieces and sauté well.
- Once the oil starts oozing out of the mixture, add garam masala and salt.
- Mix well and remove from fire. Sprinkle chopped coriander.

Haleem

Ingredients :

200 gms - Wheat (whole)
300 gms - Boneless Mutton
20 gms - Green Chillies
2"piece - Ginger
6-8 flakes - Garlic
100 gms -Ghee
3 medium - Sliced onions
1/2 tsp -Turmeric Powder
2 tsp - Garam Masala
Salt to taste


Cooking Instructions :


- Clean wheat and soak in water for 2 hours.
- Grind ginger, garlic and chillies to a fine paste.
- Clean and slice mutton into small pieces.
- Marinate mutton pieces with half quantity of ground paste and salt for 1 hour.
- Pressure cook the soaked wheat and marinated meat till done.
- Once cooked mince and grind to a fine paste.
- Heat ghee in a pan and saute onions till brown.
- Add turmeric, garam masala, salt and remaining ground paste and keep stirring occasionally on a low flame till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
- Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Chicken Korma

Ingredients :

2 kg - Chicken pieces
1tsp - Turmeric powder
2 tsp - Garam masala
100gms - Ginger-garlic paste
50gms - Green chilli paste
2 tsp - Coriander powder
1 kg - Finely sliced onions
500gms - Yoghurt
1 cup - Water
100gms - Grated Coconut
1/2 tsp - Pepper powder
300 ml - Oil
1 sprig - Chopped coriander leaves
1 sprig - Chopped mint leaves
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Marinate chicken pieces in turmeric powder, garam masala, ginger-garlic and green chilli paste, coriander powder and salt for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil and fry onions till golden brown.
- Add marinated chicken pieces and mix well.
- Stir well by adding yogurt and water.
- Add coconut pieces, pepper powder, chopped coriander and mint leaves.
- Cover and cook till done. Serve hot.

Hyderabadi Kheema

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Minced meat
• 1 Cup chopped white cabbage
• 1 Cup chopped carrots
• 1 Cup chopped celery and leaves
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• Green chilies
• 3 Onions
• 2 tsp Grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp Grated garlic
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions:

- Heat oil and fry the meat until it is well done. Keep it separate.
- Add chopped onions, chopped carrots, cabbage, celery leaves, grated ginger, turmeric powder, garlic and green chilies to the mince.
- Mix properly and cook it uncovered in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Kheema is ready. Serve it garnished with coriander leaves.

Hyderabadi Fish

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 Cans of fish
• 4 tbsp Oil
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3 cm Piece ginger
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 5 Red chillies
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 4 Green chillies
• 1 Cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp Melted butter
• Salt to taste


Paste of:

• 2 tsp Aniseed
• 3 tsp Cumin seeds
• 2-3 tbsp Coconut
• 1 Ball of tamarind

Cooking Instructions:

- Heat oil and add split green chillies, bay leaves and blended mixture.
- Fry the mixture for about 10 minutes till the oil starts seperating.
- Now add fish, sugar and salt. Simmer it after adding a little water.
- Add coconut milk and garam masala. Bring the mixture to a boil and take it off the fire.
- You can also add melted butter to the dish.
- Hyderabadi Fish is ready to serve.

Hyderabadi Biryani

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Basmati rice
• 1 kg Boneless meat
• 500 gm Curd
• 4-6 tsp Ginger-garlic paste.
• 4-6 Green chilli
• 2 Big onion
• 1/4 Cup limejuice
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
• A pinch of shazeera
• Finely chopped coriander leaves
• 8-10 Sticks mint leaves
• 2 Pinch saffron
• 1-2 Cinnamon
• 2-3 Cardamom
• Saffron color
• 1-2 Clove
• 2 Cup oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Ghee

Cooking Instructions:

- Wash and chop the meat into square pieces.
- Marinate the mixture of meat and ginger garlic paste for an hour.
- In the meanwhile, chop the onions lengthwise and saute them in the oil on low heat till light brown.
- Cool these fried onions and crush them in a plate with your hand.
- Mix 3/4th of crushed fried onion, curd, red chilli powder, cinamon, green chilli paste, cardamon, shazeera, coriander leaves, clove, safron water, mint leaves and salt into the marinated meat.
- Leave the mixture for 1 hour.
- Wash the rice and cook it.
- Pour little water and add one tsp salt, shah zeera, cinamon, clove, cardamon, mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chilli.
- When rice becomes half cooked, remove it from the flame.
- Drain the water completely.
- Spread this cooked rice over marinated meat.
- Add saffron color, limejuice, ghee and the remaining crushed onions over rice layer.
- Tightly cover with a lid.
- Keep on a low flame.
- Remove from the heat exactly after half an hour.
- Hyderabadi Biryani is ready to serve.