Taste of Telangana. What’s your favourite?

AbdulMuqtadir Syed / Headlines / 29 Comments

Telangana cuisine, the underrated rustic, spicy, pungent cuisine is now a days getting the recognition it truly deserves. It is now being viewed as a distinct and sophisticated form of cooking in its own right, with explosive new tastes and textures, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

But what are the qualities that distinguish Telangana food from the neighboring cuisines ?

The two singular aspects of this cuisine are the dependence on tamarind and chillies. This may appear straightforward and unexceptional. After all, most Indian cuisines use tamarind and chillies; but not in the same way Telangana chefs use them. For one, not only the fruit, but tamarind flowers and seeds are used in the cooking. The fruit of the tamarind is made into chutneys and can be used for drinks. The seeds can be ground into flour to make naan or unleavened bread. The most prized variety of tamarind is the ‘Lal’ or red imli.

If tamarind — the souring agent — is one of the pillars of Telangana cuisine, the other is the red chili. The combination of these two elements, the sour and the hot, give Telangana cuisine its particular USP.

There are other ingredients as well. The gongura leaf (also known as Ambada). This is the leaf of the rozelle, with the most stunning flowers. The gongura ghosht is delicious and for the vegetarian, the gongura beautifully compliments the channa dal. One of the most aromatic green chutneys is made from the gongura. Hing is used extensively in Telangana cooking and adds to the pungency.

There is also a variety of non-vegetarian food like the Hyderabadi biryani, pungent chicken curry, and Oorru Kodi Pulusu.

So, what’s your favourite Telangana dish?

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