Mamidikaya Mamsam Kura

Mutton/lamb cooked in spices with raw mangoes makes this a unique dish which is commonly known as 'Mamidikaya Mamsam Kura (Mango Mutton curry)'. It is one of the popular mutton dishes in the Telugu states of South India.
One of my favorite dishes along with Chinta Chiguru Mamsam. They are just irresistible!

Cooking Time: 30 mins                      Servings: 3 
Preparation Time: 15 mins                Category:  Main course, Non-Veg


Ingredients:
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Mamidikaya Mamsam Kura

Mutton/lamb - 250 gms (cut into small pieces)
Fresh raw mangoes - 2 (peel the skin and cut into medium sized pieces)
Onions - 1 (finely diced)
Coriander leaves - 1 small cup
Green Chillies - 4 (sliced)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp


 
Preparation Method:
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• Wash the mutton or lamb in warm water couple of times, drain the water out and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a cooker and saute onion until they turn golden brown or get caramelized.
• Add green chillies and half cup finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. You can use coriander powder as an alternative instead of coriander leaves.
• After couple of minutes, add mutton/lamb, ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder.
• Mix well, add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Turn off the stove and let the pressure settle down.
• Open the lid and add chilli powder, salt to taste, mango pieces and two cups of water. 
• Now turn on the stove and cook for 10 mins.
• When the dish starts to ooze out the oil and the sauce thickens, turn off the stove, add garam masala and take the dish into a serving bowl.
• Garnish with remaining finely chopped coriander and serve hot.
• This dish goes best steam rice and can also be served with any of the Indian breads.

Methi Chicken

Methi Chicken or Murgh methi is a dish prepared with chicken combined with fresh methi (fenu greek) leaves. Both chicken and methi compliment each other. The earthy aroma of the methi leaves blends well with the chicken and when cooked properly, the outcome is an out-rightly delicious curry. This is one of the popular dishes in Telangana home cuisine. An ideal dish for lunch/dinner or any get together/parties.
In few restaurants this dish is served under North Indian or Punjabi cuisine, where kasuri methi is used instead of fresh methi leaves. It tastes good but lacks the punch of the fresh methi leaves. There are only few restaurants that serves this dish better in Hyderabad and Ulavacharu is the best among them.

 
Cooking Time: 40 mins                      Servings: 5 
Preparation Time: 15 mins                Category:  Main course, Non-Veg

Methi Chicken

Ingredients:
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Boneless Chicken breast - 250 gms (diced into medium cubes)
Fresh Methi leaves - About 1 medium cup (soak it in water with salt for 10-15 mins and then drain out the water)
Onions - 1 (finely diced)
Coriander leaves - 1 small cup (for garnishing and in curry)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Saunf powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Yogurt - 1 small cup
Vegetable or cooking oil - 2 tbsp


Preparation Method:
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• Take chicken in a bowl and add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, and about 1/2 cup yogurt. Mix them well and keep it aside to marinade.
• Heat oil in a cooking vessel and saute onion until they turn golden brown or get caramelized.
• Add saunf powder and half cup finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. You can use coriander powder as an alternative instead of coriander leaves.
• After couple of minutes, add the marinated chicken. Mix well and cook for about 15 mins. 
• Add methi leaves to the dish, stir well and cook for another 10 mins with a closed lid.
• Open the lid and add the remaining yogurt. Mix well to avoid it to form lumps. Let the dish simmer for another 10-15 mins.
• When the dish starts to ooze out the oil and the gravy thickens, turn off the stove, add garam masala and take the dish into a serving bowl.
• Garnish with remaining finely chopped coriander and serve hot.
• This dish goes well with any of the Indian breads, steam rice, fried/jeera rice and Hyderabadi Bagara rice.

Aloo Besan

Aalu or Alu or Aloo or Potatoes being one of the staple vegetables in India, had lot of variations and methods to prepare. Potatoes cooked in spices and then adding besan (chana/chick pea flour) to it at the end makes this dish so irresistible. It's mostly prepared in gravy style but I like it to be little dry as it goes well as a side dish and can also be served with steamed rice.

Cooking Time:  45 mins                                                                             Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  15 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Non-Veg 

Ingredients:

Aloo Besan

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Potatoes/Alu - 250 gms
Besan/Chick pea flour - 2 tbsp
Vegetable/cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies (crushed) - 2 or 3
Curry leaves - 8 to 10
Red chilly powder - 2 tsps
Salt - to taste
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 stem


Preparation Method:
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• Peel the skin of potatoes (I don't like it with skin) and chop them into regular sized cubes.
• Heat oil in a kadai/vessel. Simmer the flame and add mustard, cumin, curry leaves and dry red chillies. Saute them for a minute.
• Add the potatoes and stir well.
• When they are about half cooked and turn gold in color add chilly powder, turmeric, salt to taste, ginger garlic paste. Mix them well and cook for about 10 mins on medium flame.
• Now add coriander power and two medium cups of water in the vessel and cook with a closed it until water comes to a boil. 
• Now simmer the flame and start adding chick pear flour and keep mixing the dish to ensure flour won't form into any lumps. Cook on medium flame until the water is completely absorbed.
• Keep stirring delicately until entire dish is completely cooked (on low flame) and the flour is not sticky anymore.
• Turn off the stove, take the dish into a serving vessel and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with phulkas, chapathis, rotis, pooris or steam rice.

Lazeez Murgh

Lazeez Murgh is one of the classic chicken dishes of Hyderabad. The origins of this dish goes way back during the times of Nizams. But often this dish is mistaken to that of a punjabi dish with similar name i.e. Lazeez Murgh Tikka Masala. Though some of the ingredients for both these dishes are same, the recipe is totally different. 

I got an opportunity to taste this dish in one of the Indian restaurants during my stay at the US. Just after a bite, I could make out this dish surely comes either from the kitchen's of Lucknow Nawabs or Hyderabadi Nizams. Not to my surprise, the chef was a Hyderabadi and from Old city. He was so polite and kind enough that when I asked, he shared the recipe to me without any hesitation (may be due to the 'Hyderabad' connection we both had in common). I was looking for this in all the restaurants I'd been too in Hyderabad and hardly came across the one which serves this dish baring few, one of them being 'Ohri's-Guffa' at Basheerbagh.

This is one such dish that surely makes any dining table royal just by it's rich aroma, tangy and spicy flavors. Definitely worth in any menu. So here goes the recipe:-

Cooking Time:  30 mins                                                                             Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  45 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Non-Veg 

Ingredients:
========
Boneless Chicken - 250 gms
Tej patta/bay leaves - 2

Lazeez Murgh

Cloves - 4
Crushed Cinnamon sticks - 2
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp 
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Saunf powder - 1/2 tsp 
Yogurt - 1 cup
Amchur Powder - 1 tsp 
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Onion paste - 1 cup (roast them for a couple of mins in a pan and then blend to a paste)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsps
Ghee - 2 Tbsps.
Salt to taste
Finely chopped coriander and roasted garlic cloves - for garnishing


Preparation Method:
=============

• Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and drain them into a vessel.
• To it add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, amchur powder, salt to taste, garam masala powder, coriander powder, yogurt. Mix them well and let it marinade for 30 mins
• Heat ghee in a cooking vessel and add bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Saute for couple of mins. Add saunf powder and mix well.
• Now add the marinated chicken, mix and cook for about 15 mins on medium flame.
• Add the onion paste to this and mix it gently. Then add 2 cups of water, close the vessel with a lid and cook for another 10 mins on medium to low flame.
• Open the vessel, mix for one last time and take the dish into a serving bowl.
• You can make a tempering with mustard, jeera, dry red chillies, finely chopped coriander and garlic cloves and garnish the dish else garnish it with finely chopped coriander and garlic cloves.
• Serve hot with steam rice, any Indian breads, chapathis, Hyderabadi Bagara rice or any rice dish.

Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi

Khichadi is an Indian dish made from rice and lentils. It is commonly considered to be a comfort food and is an all time favorite in many Indian homes. It is very healthy and a very delicious dish. A simple rice & cereal khichadi without any spices & onions, is generally given to babies considering its health & nutritional values. There are many variants of Khichadi. Simple Rice Khichadi, Masala Khichadi, Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi, Vegetable Khichadi being the most popular in India. There are many ways to prepare this dish. You can cook rice & dal together and then season it with spice mix or temper the spices initially and then add soaked rice & dal and pressure cook it etc. You may even add varieties of dal, fresh vegetables if you want to but the standard method and ingredients remain the same. This post is for Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi though.


Cooking Time:  30 mins                                                                             Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  20 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Veg


Ingredients:
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Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi

Rice - 2 cups
Split yellow moong dal - 1 cup
Sliced onions - 1
Slit & chopped green chillies - 2
Chopped coriander - 1/2 cup
Salt - as needed to taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cumin sticks - 2
Cardamon - 4
Cloves - 4

Preparation Method:
=============

• Soak rice & dal in water and keep it aside (about 30 mins). Dal & Rice mix should be in 1:2 ratio respectively.
• Heat ghee in a vessel/cooker and add cumin, cardamom & cloves. Saute it for couple of mins and add chopped onions.
• When onions change to light brown in color, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chopped green chillies, ginger garlic paste and turmeric.
• Mix them well and saute for about 5 more mins. Add water (1:1/2 ratio). Rice & Dal mix is 3 cups here, so add not more than 5 cups of water approximately.
• Add 2 more cups, if you want the consistency to be semi-liquid.
• Add salt to taste and bring it to a boil. Now drain out the water from dal & rice mix and add it in the vessel/cooker.
• Stir carefully and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles or cook on medium flame until all the water is absorbed.
• When done, take it in a serving bowl and garnish with ghee and chopped fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with curd raitha or mango pickle