It was one of those weekdays! The kind of day whose only highpoint is the tasteless goop that is passed off as ‘food’, that too in impossibly large quantities. What’s the correlation between bad food and the quantity it is served in anyway? That’s some food for thought! I’ve had enough eating expensive gum in the canteen. I needed to be free. Between death and food, I choose food, that too good food.

The situation warranted a trip to old city, the much reviled yet treasured part of Hyderabad. The very mention of “old city” in the presence of outsiders (read non-Hyderabadis) conjures up technicolour visions of massively ornamented chandeliers, colorful bangles literally changing hands, seductive perfumes wafting from small, crazily stocked shops, piercing call of the Masjid muezzin to the faithful and the faithless alike.

But to me, old city means Adaab, and my destination Shadab, the Biryani Mecca of the faithful! It is where I get my plateful. It is where I satisfy the hunger in my soul. It is where I slake my thirst with cool and colorful Faluda or Lassi if that’s what my taste buds scream for. No matter how far, it is home 10km away from home. Stepping into Shadab is like getting a visa to the old world.

It welcomes me with open arms and insanely crowded tables. Its uniformed waiters greet me like an old friend does. Once in, I can’t wait to be ushered to a table. Soon, I am at a table with a dingy, chequered table cloth that hath seen the spillage of countless dishes and withstood the test of time. And I thought chequered cloths belonged to Formula 1!

I don’t care. I don’t want to care. I am too hungry to care. Get me my plate of heaven I say.

Lo and behold, in a matter of minutes I am staring at a rust coloured copper vessel holding my precious, the heavenly melange of chicken, spices and rice. I dig in with relish. The first feeling is that of relief; the taste hasn’t changed at all. Next is the warm feeling that flows through you when you see a beautiful woman. You know what I am talking about.

I let the fragrance and the atmosphere in Shadab transport me to a different world. The world of the old Nizams creating their histories in the majestic Falaknuma Palace. Around them are the hushed movements of the liveried waiters serving deliciously fragrant biryanis from copper vessels onto silver plates. Oh, I feel like the old Nizams, I feel like I am king. My 60 min of fame, and that too for mere Rs.120/-

Ladies and Gentlemen, my humble stomach is now the proud recipient of a plateful of Shadab’s delectably delightful biryani. Go eat!

Image Credit: Abhinaba

Popularity: 14%

Here’s the recipe for a chicken curry, I will call it Chicken Whatever and you will know why !

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 1kg
2. Onion – 4 big ones
3. 1 tsp – Red Chili Powder
4. 1 tsp – Powdered Coriander
5. 3 tbsp – Sunflower Oil
6. 2 tsp – Cumin Seeds
7. 200 gms – Chopped Tomatoes
8. 2 tsp – Salt
9. Half cup – Curd

 Method:

1. Cut Chicken into sizeable cubes, wash if required.
2. Add chili powder, coriander powder, salt, curd to the Chicken and mix well.
3. Add a half table spoon oil to the mix, mix thoroughly and keep aside.
4. Finely chop the onions and keep them aside.
5. Add two table spoons of oil in a pan, heat it.
6. Once heated, add 2 tea spoons of Cumin seeds.
7. Add the chopped onions to the oil and fry for a few min. Once the onion turns brown, transfer the contents of the pan to the Chicken container..
8. Cook the contents of the vessel on a low flame for about 15 – 20 min.
9. Do not forget to cover the vessel.
10. Garnish if required with some fresh coriander.

Your Chicken Whatever is ready to serve! Yeah I know the picture look pretty much like any other Chicken curry, therefore this curry is called Chicken Whatever.

Enjoy!

Image Credit: India Special

Popularity: 10%

Spicy and tangy – full of Chettinad flavor – this is one of my all time favorite dishes. The secret to this dish are the curry leaves and the spices, freshly ground.

Folks who find it hard to eat fire can spice down, but it would kill the fun.

Chicken Chettinad

Serves: 6 to 8
Preparation + Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes
Best with: White Rice or Roti/Naan

Ingredients
Chicken – 1 to 1.1 Kg (Skinless cleaned, medium size cut with bones)
2 Onions  (medium) – finely chopped
3 large bright red tomatoes finely chopped (or pureed)
1-1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1-1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon Ghee (or olive/groundnut/sunflower refined oil)
Curry leaves 2-3 sprigs
6-8 Mint Leaves (Pudina)
salt to taste

For the Paste
2 teaspoon Poppy seeds (khus-khus)
9-12 whole red chillies (large)
2/3 cup  finely grated fresh coconut
2 teaspoon coriander seeds (dhaniya)
2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1″ piece cinnamon broken (Dalchini/Tuj)
4 cloves (lavang)
2 green cardamom (elaichi)
4 pepper corns (kali mirchi)
2 teaspoon fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
2 teaspoon fresh garlic (peeled and chopped)

For Garnishing
1 Tablespoon Ghee
1/2 teaspoon mustard
6 nos. black pepper corns (kali mirchi)
Curry Leaves – 1 spring
Finely chopped coriander

First Things first:
1. Clean the chicken, add haldi, salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice. Mix and set aside.

Making the Paste:
This is the most important ingredient giving it the characteristic color and flavor.
1. In a flat bottomed pan, roast all the ingredients for the paste (mentioned above) except for the ginger and garlic. Make sure the flame is low and you stir frequently.
2. Allow to cool to room temperature
3. Grind this to a paste along with the ginger and garlic. (You can use your kitchen grinder). Add little water if needed, but make sure the paste is thick and not watery.

Cooking the Chicken:
1. Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed flat pan on medium flame till hot
2. Add the chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown. Stir frequently.
3. Add the curry leaves and stir
4. Add the chicken and mix well. Do not cover the dish.
5. Cook on medium level for about 5 minutes. Stir once every minute.
6. Add in the mint leaves. This will help remove any raw chicken smell too!
7. Add in the ground paste. Stir every minute for the next 4-5 minutes. The chicken will steam and absorb the flavor.
8. Simmer down the flame and cover the pan. Cook for 15-18 minutes, stirring once every 4-5 minutes.
9. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook for about 5  minute(s).
10. Ensure that the chicken is fully cooked and the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
11. Transfer contents to serving bowl

Note: if you want to add in water, add it sometime in step 8.

Garnishing
1. Heat ghee
2. Add in mustard and pepper
3. Simmer for a 1-2 minutes taking care not to burn them
4. Turn off the flame and add in the curry leaves
5. Pour this into the serving bowl
6. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

Popularity: 15%