DECCAN LARDERS
Whoever said that Hyderabad cuisine revolved only around the quintessential biryani was clearly wrong. A walk down the
gallis of the Old City, sometimes early in the morning, or a visit to some of the old Muslim families in the city will clear that misconception. Whether it is the paya that bubbles over a pot endlessly, where the mutton is so soft that the meat falls off the bone, or the slow-cooked stew,
nihari. Hyderabadi cuisine is rich, strong and dates back to centuries.
The sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, was known for a lot of things, but what made him really popular was his love for food. “He loved his food, there was no doubt about that. In fact, his cooks would come up with some very interesting recipes to please him and he would reward them handsomely,” explains food consultant Mumtaz Khan.
The Nizam had a very refined palate, having travelled extensively around the world, he made sure that his food had the best flavours from across the world. Just how rich was
his food you ask? “Well, there were a variety of tadkas that went into his food, but the richest of all was a gold coin. Yes, you read that right, to impress the Nizam, his cooks even added a gold coin in the
tadka, once it was done, the coin would be taken off,” adds Mumtaz.
Across the world, there are people who are divided on the taste of orange in their food, orange and chocolate some believe go well, and for others it’s quite a nightmare, but the Nizam swore by the taste of orange. “He loved it so much, that he even ordered his cooks to prepare a
narangi kheema (orange kheema). He was like that, always loved to experiment with his food and some of it paid off,” explains Mumtaz.
After his passing, it was his grandson who carried the culinary legacy forward. “The son of the seventh Nizam, Azam Jah, was another ruler who was fond of food. One of his favourites was the kheema made specially for him that was so rich, it had eggs and even dal in it,” she shares.
Over the years, several of these fantastic and quite refreshing recipes got lost or evolved, and today only a handful of families prepare them. Here’s a list of some flavours that will make old Hyderabad come alive in your kitchen. DECCAN CHRONICLE