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home » hyderabadi

hyderabadi

Hyderabadi cuisine was heavily influenced by the Mughals, but there are also influences from Arabic, Persian and Turkish cuisines. The cuisine also borrows greatly from the neighbouring local food cultures.

Hyderabadi cuisine is sometimes called Deccan cuisine, referring to its old name.

Hyderabadi recipes feature meat more so than most of the other regional cuisines and rice is a staple. The British fixation with “curry and rice” may well be attributed to cooks coming from this region to cook in Raj households.

It is a diverse cuisine, with delicate dishes from the Nizam era, very similar to the food of the Nizams of Lucknow. The meat dishes tend to be quite robust and there is a great range between these two.

a bowl of dum pukht chicken

claypot chicken

Chicken, marinated overnight, then baked in a sealed pot. A favourite of the Raj, claypot chicken, or murgh dum pukht is a great entertaining dish because everything is done the night before.

a bowl of coconut chutney

coconut chutney

Getti chutni is a simple versatile chutney to go with most South Indian foods. It is most commonly served with idli, vada or dosa.

a bowl of cooked basmati rice, with some yellow rice decoration

decorative basmati rice

Plain, simple basmati rice, chawal, with a touch of colour.

a jar of eggplant pickle

eggplant pickle

This eggplant pickle, brinjal ka achaar, is deliciously hot and spicy. Great to serve with dal.

a serving bowl of lamb saag

lamb saag

This Hyderabadi dish of lamb, cooked with leafy green vegetables, or saag gosht, is a restaurant and home-cooked favourite. Spiced lamb, covered with clinging greens, lamb saag could be cooked with almost any leafy vegetable.

a serving dish, filled with pan-roasted brussel sprouts

pan-roasted brussel sprouts

Crispy outer leaves, and softer, but still crunchy centres, spiced with turmeric, cumin and mustard seeds, hoti bund gobhi sabzi is a wonderful way to prepare Brussel sprouts.

a small bowl of rasam masala

rasam masala

Rasam masala is a spice mix used to flavour the thin soups served as the second course in a traditional south Indian meal.

a small dish with sambar masala

sambar masala

Sambar masala is a spice mix used to flavour thick lentil-based soups that are the traditional south Indian first course.

a bowl of vegetable pulao

vegetable pulao

Our family vegetable pulao recipe. Typical of the Hyderabadi cuisine, sabzi pulao is a one-pot rice dish deserving of centre stage at a family gathering.

contents

  • essays
  • general
  • ingredients
  • menus
  • recipes
    • accompaniments
    • baking
    • basics
    • breads
    • breakfasts
    • desserts
    • drinks
    • eggs
    • fish and seafood
    • meat and poultry
    • rice, pulao and biryani
    • salads
    • snacks
    • soups
    • starters
    • vegetarian
  • techniques
© 2015-2023 Keith Pfeiffer
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contents