The food of the Nizams

Lal murgh, haddi ka shorba, kheema biryani...Nizami cuisine specialty chef Samyra Ruheen showcases the food of the Nizams

yderabadi cuisine goes beyond biryani and haleem, says Samyra Ruheen, an expert on the Nizami cuisine of Hyderabad. “There is variety and a lot of vegetarian fare too,” she adds. Ruheen is in Kochi for Mughal-e-Nizam, a 10-day-long Nizami food festival at Port Muziris, Nedumbassery.

She clari„es that her specialty is Nizami cuisine, not to be interchanged with Andhra cuisine because the latter tends to be extremely spicy in comparison. “My paternal grandmother hails from the family of Nizams, and she cooked the food the family had. Everything I know I learnt from her,” says the 33-year-old. Ruheen started out as a home chef, before becoming a Nizami specialist visiting chef for hotels such as Sheraton and Marriott Bonvoy three years ago. This is her „rst trip to Kochi, on work.

Ruheen, a graduate in Financial Studies, also cooks for private functions, has cooked for many Hyderabad-based celebrities such as Telugu actor Nani, Tamannah, Ram Charan, tennis players Sania

HMirza and Saina Nehwal. She even prepared a Nizami spread for RRR’s success party.

Ruheen’s earliest memories of food is of elaborate meals cooked by her late grandmother when they were in Hyderabad on vacation from Saudi Arabia. She would join her grandmother in the kitchen to help. “I love to cook and feed people,” she says.

We start with the delicately spiced soup, haddi (mutton) ka shorba, which is followed by starters paneer reshmi kebab and hariyali kebab (chicken). While the reshmi kebab isn’t a standout, the hariyali kebab hits the spot with its hint of a marinade and mild spices. Starters done, the main course, led by kheema biryani, arrives.

The combination of rice and kheema is di‡erent from regular biryanis. As we prepare to dig in, Ruheen says, “Wait! It has to be served with mirchi ka salan and raita.” Spicy as it sounds, mirchi ka salan is not. It is curried green chilli with roasted and ground peanuts and a must-have with Hyderabadi biryani. This was followed by chicken biryani. Mutton and, to some extent, beef is an important component of Nizami cuisine, she says.

While dum gobi and paneer korma are a shade of pale yellow, the dishes taste di‡erent. Dum gobi is cauli‹ower in a thin gravy made of cashew paste and comes with a mild smoky ‹avour that works well with the stu‡ed kulcha. “The stu‡ed kulcha has potatoes and garam masala, which is not normally found in stu‡ed kulchas in North India.”

A word on the lal murgh, it may remind one of butter chicken but it is not. Despite the hint of sweet, it is a must try if it is on the bu‡et menu of the day. Lal murgh or Hyderabadi lal murgh (literally red chicken) is chicken in a „ery red gravy. Don’t be deceived by how it looks. It is mild, not spicy at all.

What is a Hyderabadi meal without dessert? Shahi tukda and beetroot halwa it is. You can’t go wrong with shahi tukda, but the revelation is the halwa. Ruheen clari„es that beetroot halwa is not a traditional recipe, but the processes are the same. For beetroot-sceptics put o‡ by the root’s hard-to-miss earthy ‹avour, the halwa is a happy surprise. Roasted in ghee and cooked with khoya and a syrup of sugar, give it a shot.

The Nizami food festival, a buet spread, open for dinner at Lila’s Kitchen, Port Muziris, Nedumbassery ends on April 30.

₹3,600 plus taxes for two

◣ (Left) Kheema biryani; below, Samyra Ruheen.