Kheema Liver Masala

Kheema Liver Masala

Ingredients :

* Minced mutton (kheema) - 500gms
* Cubed mutton liver - 200gms
* Chopped tomatoes - 450gms
* Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
* Red chilly powder - to taste
* Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
* Finely chopped onions - 50gms
* Garam masala - 2gm
* Cardamom - 2nos
* Cloves - 2nos
* Cinnamon - 1"piece
* Cumin - 1/4tsp
* Oil - 10ml
* Curd - 50ml
* Salt - to taste
* Chopped coriander - 1sprig

Method of Preparation :

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.

Hyderabadi Dum Ki Raan (Lamb Meg Roast Spicy Gravy)

Hyderabadi Dum Ki Raan (Lamb Meg Roast Spicy Gravy)

Ingredients:

* Leg of lamb - 2nos (1.5kg)

For the marinade :

* Chilli powder - 2tsp
* Salt - 2tbs
* Raw papaya paste - 2tbs
* Ginger paste - 20gm
* Garlic paste - 10gm
* Vinegar - 60ml

For the filling

* Minced chicken breast - 150gm
* Grated cheese - 50gm
* Cream - 75 ml
* Sliced pistachios - 12nos
* Chopped red bell pepper - 1no
* Chopped green chilli - 1no
* Coarsely ground black pepper - 1/2tsp
* Salt - to taste
* Chopped mint leaves - 1/2tsp

The braising :

* Red chilli powder- 11/2tsp
* Oil to baste
* Crushed green cardamom - 3nos
* Crushed cloves- 3nos
* Crushed black cardamom - 1no
* Crushed cinnamon- 1"piece
* Crushed star anise- 1no
* Rose petals - 6



For the cashew nut paste :

* Cashew nuts - 15gm
* Poppy seeds - 15gm
* Chironji seeds - 15gm
* Coriander seeds - 10gm

For the gravy :

* Ghee - 75gms
* Green cardamoms - 3nos
* Black cardamom - 1no
* Clove - 1no
* Cinnamon - 1"pieces
* Bay leaf - 1
* Ginger paste - 15gm
* Garlic paste - 10gm
* Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
* Yogurt - 1/2cup
* Fried onions - 125gms
* Clear lamb stock - 1litre
* Salt - to taste
* Chopped mint leaves - 1tbs
* Chopped coriander leaves - 1tbs
* Powdered pathar ka phool - 1/4tsp
* Powdered rose petal - 1/4tsp
* Crushed Saffron - few strands

Method of Preparation :

Clean and remove the blade bone of the lamb leg (raan) and then, using a sharp knife, loosen the meat around the thighbone (without exposing the bone) and then make deep slits along the length. Wash and pat dry.

Marinade :
Rub the lamb leg, inside and out, with chilli powder. Repeat the process with salt followed by raw papaya paste, garlic paste, ginger paste and finally with vinegar. Rub the ingredients one by one separately. Marinate for 11/2 hours.

Filling :
Grind chicken mince with cheese followed by cream added intermittently until a thick paste is obtained. Replace it to a bowl and add the other ingredients for filling, mix well and divide it into 2 halves.

Open the slits of the lamb leg and stuff a portion of the filling in each leg. Bind each stuffed leg with a needle and string to retain the shape whilst cooking. Pour butter over the stuffed legs and prick with a needle.

Braising :
Rub the lamb legs with red chilli powder and repeat the process with oil. Place the legs in a roasting tray, add the remaining ingredients for braising and enough water to cover the legs. Braise in a pre- heated oven (275°F) for 2 hours. Remove, discard the liquor and rub again with oil and keep aside.

Roast the ingredients for cashew nut paste separately on a medium hot pan. Grind it to a smooth paste by adding required water and keep aside.

Gravy :
Heat ghee in a large pan and season with green and black cardamom, clove, cinnamon and bay leaf. Stir over medium heat until the green cardamom changes colour. Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté well until the moisture evaporates. Lower the heat and add the cashew nut paste kept aside and fry until oil separates. Then add chilli powder and stir for a few seconds.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the yogurt. Return the pan to heat, add fried onions and stir until ghee separates. Add the marinated lamb legs and fry the meat well. Add lamb stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer till done.

Remove the leg from the gravy and pass the gravy through a fine mesh sieve into a separate saucepan. Return the gravy to heat, add the legs, salt, mint and coriander leaves. Bring it to a boil and add pathar phool powder and rose petal powder. Stir well. Add saffron, stir and simmer till the gravy is of ketchup consistency. Remove and adjust the seasoning.

Arrange the legs on a serving plate, pour on the gravy and serve.

Hyderabadi Pucci (Chicken) Biryani

Hyderabadi Pucci (Chicken) Biryani

Ingredients :

* Basmati rice - 400gms
* Chicken - 1kg
* Sliced onions - 100gms
* Onion paste - 100gms
* Garam masala - 5gms
* Yogurt - 50gms
* Ginger-garlic paste - 10gms
* Crushed pepper corns - 5gms
* Lemon juice - 1large
* Chopped mint leaves - 2sprigs
* Saffron - a pinch
* Milk - 2tbs



* Cardamom - 4nos
* Cinnamon - 1"piece
* Cloves - 4nos
* Cumin - 1/2tsp
* Ghee - 100gms
* Salt - to taste
* Chopped tomatoes - 2nos
* Red chilli powder - 5gms
* Flour - 1/2cup

Method of Preparation :

Clean and cut the chicken into 8 pieces. Marinate it with yogurt, garam masala, half quantity of onion paste, 1/2tbs of ginger- garlic paste, crushed peppercorns, lime juice and salt for 11/2hours.

Clean and soak rice for 30 minutes. Boil 1litre water in a vessel and put one clove, one cardamom and 1/2cinnamon in it. Add soaked rice. When it is half cooked add 1tsp oil and salt. Drain and keep aside.

Heat some ghee and fry the sliced onions till golden brown and keep aside. Knead the flour to a smooth dough by adding enough water.

Heat 50gm ghee in a thick bottom vessel. Add cumin and the remaining cardamom, cinnamon and clove and sauté for a while. Sauté by adding the remaining onion paste, followed by ginger-garlic paste. Add chopped tomatoes and red chilli powder and sauté till it is slightly cooked. Add marinated chicken and cook till the gravy leaves the sides of the container. Adjust the seasoning.

Remove half the curry from the vessel and spread half quantity of boiled rice over the curry. Garnish with half quantity of chopped mint leaves and deep fried onion kept aside. Place the second layer of curry over the rice and repeat the same. Pour the remaining ghee on the edges of the layered biryani.

Seal the container with the dough and cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Break the seal just before serving.

An alternative method is that a griddle is put on the flame and the biryani container over it with a weight on top. Or the container can be put in an oven and baked for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma

Ingredients :

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

Method:

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 Lukhmi

Hyderabadi Lukhmi

Ingredients :

For the dough :

* Flour - 500gm
* Salt - 1/2tsp
* Ginger juice - 1tsp
* Garlic juice - 1tsp
* Ghee - 3tbs Milk - 1cup

For the Mince :

* Minced chicken - 500gm
* Ginger-garlic paste - 1tbs
* Minced onion - 2nos (large)
* Ghee - 2tbs
* Coriander leaves - a handful Chopped
* mint leaves - 1tsp
* Groundnut oil - for frying

To be ground :

* Green chillies - 6nos
* Peppercorns - 5
* Coriander seeds - 1tbs
* Cumin seeds - 1/2tsp
* Cinnamon - a small piece
* Green cardamom - 4nos

Method of Preparation :

Grind all the ingredients to be ground to a fine paste and keep aside. Boil the mince with ginger-garlic paste and salt till done.

Heat ghee in a pan and fry onion. Add ground masala and sauté well for 3-4minutes. Add the mince and fry till dry. Mix in the coriander and mint leaves. Keep aside.

Sieve the flour and salt together. Rub in the ghee till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a bay in the centre and put in the milk, ginger, garlic juice. Mix well and knead to a soft, but not sticky dough.

Divide the dough into 6-8 portions. Roll each portion into a thin chapati. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mince filling at the centre. Cover with another chapati. Seal the edges by pressing down. Cut into triangles and deep fry in hot oil.

Mirch Ka Salan

Mirch Ka Salan

Ingredients :

* Green chillies - 250 gms
* Oil - 50 ml
* Tamarind pulp - 30 gms
* Beaten yogurt - 100 gms
* Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
* Salt - to taste
* Roasted onions - 250 gms
* Roasted peanuts - 35 gms
* Grated coconut - 35 gms
* Ginger - 10gm
* Garlic - 10gm
* Sesame seeds - 5gm
* Chopped coriander leaves - a sprig

Method:

Grind roasted 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

Shahi Tukre

Ingredients :

* Slices of bread - 4nos
* Condensed milk - 6tbs
* Milk - 1/2litre
* Ground cardamom seeds - 1/2tsp
* Nutmeg - 1/4tsp
* Almonds, pistachios, Charoli, walnuts, cashew-nuts, raisins - 15gms each

Method of Preparation :

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, 2 tablespoon sugar, cardamoms 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.

Sheer Korma

Sheer Korma

Ingredients :

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

Method of Preparation :

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 refrigerated.

Avakai Pickle

Avakai Pickle

By Shru Reddy

Welcome to the land of Telugu and the Chillies. The pickles of Telangana are as famous as the Pride of the Telugus themselves. The range of pickles found here are just amazing, any vegetable or meat can be converted into a pickle. The ingenuity of the people here is such that they make pickle of egg, and believe me its delicious!!

Today it’s just about impossible to disassociate the spicy pickles from the Andhras. No self respecting Andhrite will ever say that he never had the famous "Avakai", one of the best known variety of mango pickles.

Summer is the time when most households are busy with the preparation of pickles for the year. Mouth-watering aromas of raw mangoes, hot oil, chillies and a variety of spices float around the household. The pickles are first allowed to marinate for a couple of days before the final adjustments to the seasoning are done. It’s then that these pickles are stored in special ceramic jars.

The preparation, storage and the taking out of the pickles is almost a ritual. Not every one is allowed to touch the jars holding the pickles, only the lady of the house or some other members are allowed to touch it. In fact the scientists have found an old wives tale that pickles spoil if handled by one and all, true.

The recipes of the pickles differ from one household to the other; the recipe of the avakai (mustard flavored) is given below :


Raw Mangoes (medium)
10 nos (each cut into 1’’ pieces)

Ginger Paste 150 Gms
Garlic Paste 150 Gms
Red Chilli Powder 200 Gms
Salt 200 Gms
Jeera powder 15 Gms
Methi Powder 15 Gms
Mustard Powder 30 Gms
Turmeric 10 Gms
Garlic pods (peeled) 50 Gms
Groundnut oil 500 ml
Cumin & mustard seeds 20 Gms

Method:
1. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and cumin and mustard seeds once the oil is hot.
2. Sauté. Add the Ginger and garlic paste. Keep stirring as this mixture froths a lot. Cook until the oil oozes out of the mixture.
3. Cool the mixture. Then add rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Store in a container tied with a cloth for two days.
5. Open on the third day mix and check for the seasoning. Adjust the seasoning if required.
6. Store in an airtight ceramic jar. Take out pickle as and when required. This keeps for a year.

P.s.- One teaspoon of vinegar can be added while mixing to keep the mango pieces firm.

Mutton Biryani

Ingredients:
• 1/2 kg Mutton
• 2 Cups basmati rice
• Few flakes garlic
• 3 tsp Coriander powder
• Dried coconut
• 1 Inch stick cinnamon
• 3 Green chillies
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 Cup onion
• 1 Inch piece ginger
• 1 tsp Poppy seeds
• 3 Cloves, peppercorns and cardamoms
• 1 Cup curd
• 1/2 Cup onion
• 2 Bay leaf
• 8 tbsp Fat
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:
• Clean the meat and cut into pieces.
• Soak the meat in curd.
• Roast cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and powder cloves. Make powder.
• Grind ginger, red chillies, green chillies, half the onions, garlic and copra.
• Now heat fat in a pan. Add chopped onions and ground spices.
• Fry until onions turn golden brown.
• Now add meat and fry well. Add poppy seed powder.
• Add salt and remaining curd. Cook till meat becomes tender.
• Add powdered spices to it and remove from the flame.
• Chop remaining onions. Fry them in fat in a separate pan.
• Add cloves and bay leaf.
• Fry for few minutes and add rice. Fry for another few minutes.
• Put salt to taste and make the quantity of water double.
• Remove from the flame when rice gets cooked and no moisture is left.
• Arrange a part of cooked rice in a pan and sprinkle saffron water over it.
• Place the meat over it and cover with rice layer once again.
• Garnish with fried onions and nuts.
• Mutton Biryani is ready.

Mutton Paalak Curry

Ingredients:
• 1 kg Mutton
• 4 Onions
• 10 tsp Spinach
• 2 tsp Green chillies
• 6 tsp Red chillies
• Coriander leaves
• Ginger
• Garlic
• 2-3 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:
• Fry the onions and green chillies in oil till the former become brown in color.
• Now add mutton.
• Mix ginger, garlic, red chillies and salt.
• Put the lid over the pan and allow it to cook.
• Add spinach and again cook for 2 minutes.
• Mutton Paalak Curry is ready.
• Garnish the curry with coriander leaves.

Malai Korma

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Malai (thick top cream of milk)
• 2 Onions (finely cut into pieces)
• 1 Tomato (finely cut into pieces)
• 10 flakes Garlic
• 1" piece Ginger (peeled)
• 5 green Chilies
• 1 tbsp Coriander leaves (finely cut into pieces)
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 10-12 Cashew nuts (broken into pieces)
• 3 tsp Ghee
• Salt

Cooking Instructions:
• Make a paste of ginger and garlic.
• Break cashew nuts into small bits.
• Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashew nuts, take it out and keep aside.
• Add onions to the same hot ghee and fry it for 2 minutes.
• Now to it, add the paste of ginger and garlic, green chilies, turmeric powder and salt.
• Add tomatoes and fry till oil separates from gravy.
• Now add cream, stir and cook on low flame for two minutes.
• To garnish, apply coriander leaves and fried cashew nuts.
• Malai Korma is ready.

Kheema

Ingredients:
• 1 lb Minced meat
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Cup chopped white cabbage
• 1 Cup chopped carrots
• 1 Cup chopped celery and leaves
• 3 Onions
• Few Green chilies
• 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.
• Keeema is ready. Serve it garnished with coriander leaves.

Hyderabadi Fish

Ingredients:
• 2 to 3 Cans of fish
• 4 tbsp Oil
• Paste of:
• 2 tsp Aniseed
• 3 tsp Cumin seeds
• 2-3 tbsp Coconut
• 1 Ball of tamarind
• 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

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.

Haleem

Ingredients:
• 250 gms Mutton
• 1 Cup wheat
• A handful of soaked masoor dal
• A handful of soaked channa dal
• A handful of soaked moong dal
• 2 Fried onions
• 1 tsp Dhania powder
• 2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 4 tbsp Ghee
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:
• Soak the wheat overnight, drain and pound.
• Heat 6-8 cups of water in a heavy-bottomed vessel.
• Add dal, wheat and mutton along with ginger-garlic paste, haldi, dhania powder, red chili powder and salt when the water begins to boil.
• Cook on low flame till the mutton turns tender.
• Mash the mutton.
• Add sliced and fried onion.
• Heat ghee and pour it over the Haleem.
• Haleem is ready. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

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.

Hyderabadi Biryani

In Hyderabad's 400 year history the Hyderabadi cuisine has, like its culture, stood high and unmatched by any other state in India. In fact Hyderabad was known for the spectacular way its aristocracy entertained. The feast at these banquets usually contained a selection of Mughlai dishes which would be decorated with varq (a very fine pure silver leaf).



Below are some of the more traditional Hyderabadi dishes which were probably served 400 years ago, and still served today