Hyderabad Food

Hyderabad food is very yummy... yummy... you will never forget the taste of Hyderabad dishes. Not only in India but Hyderabad food is very popular all over the world for delicious and mouthwatering dishes.

To think of Hyderabad is to recall its rich and incomparable cuisine, its wealth of architecture, its refined traditions of gracious hospitality and an exquisitely cultured way of life.

Hyderabad is a heaven for "Food Lovers".

There is nothing to beat Hyderabad delicacies.

If there’s something that makes my mouth water, it has to be the traditional Hyderabadi delicacies.

Must Eat in Hyderabad...
Hyderabad is incomplete without talking about its food - a rich blend of royal Mughlai flavours, Nizams special, and spice-up culinary traditions of South India.

Must eat dishes in Hyderabad are:

* Hyderabadi Biryani
* Pathar-ka-Ghosht
* Nahari
* Haleem
* Double-ka-Meetha
* Khubani-ka-Meetha
* Seviyon-ka-Meetha
* Kheer

Most Popular...
Most popular dish of Hyderabad is Hyderabadi Biryani. Ask anybody about their favorite dish of Hyderabad, and they will definitely tell you Hyderabadi Biryani.

Prepared in a unique style - a blending of Mughal kitchen with the style of cooking practised by the Nizams - Hyderabadi Biryani has a distinct aroma.

Beautifully garnished with pudina, fried onion & boiled eggs. Mostly it is served with dahi-ki-chutney and mirchi-ka-salan.

Biryani has many variants like Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani, Biryani Khaam, Biryani Zard or Zafrani or the most exotic of all Joban Malti Biryani in which mutton, partridges and quails were cooked with rice.

Hyderabadi Biryani Dish - HyderabadPlanet.com
Hyderabadi Biryani Dish
I captured this image from my dinning table while having dinner.

Feeling hungry ? I am sorry I can't share my plate with you from my website... but I can say one thing... this is so delicious... yummy yummy...

So, on your next trip to Hyderabad never miss spicy and delicious “Hyderabadi Biryani”.

Pathar ka Gosht or marinated meat cubes cooked on hot stone is another delicacy of Hyderabad.

Ok, now enough talking about Biryani dish, let’s go further...

My Favorites...
My favourite dishes are Hyderabadi Biryani, Paya, Pather ka Gosht, Talawa Gosht, Kebabs, Khoorma and many more. When it comes to sweet then the list is unlimited but my favorites are Qubani ka Meetha, Double ka Meetha and Kheer.

I am lucky enough to taste these dishes every week. My wife makes delicious Hyderabadi dishes for me, she is expert in cooking but the one dish which I like the most is…yes you are right, it is “Hyderabadi Biryani”.

But no chef in this world can make dishes like my 'Ammi (Mom)', she really have magic in her hands. All her dishes are perfect and tasty, but the most I like are Alu-Kheema, Talawa Ghosht, Shakkar-ki-roti and Bheja. I pray to God for her good health.
Must try during Ramadan...
Hyderabadi Haleem Dish If you are here during the month of Ramadan (Holy Month of Muslims) then you should never miss “Haleem” the best dish Hyderabad has to offer. Muslims break Ramzan fast with this perfect dish because of its high nutritional value. Nothing can quite beat the flavor, taste and consistency of the Haleem you get here. Haleem or minced meat cooked with butter and ground wheat.

Also it is a traditional opening dish during important ceremonies. So not only in Ramadan but in rest of the year also you can try Haleem.

Best places to try Haleem are Pista House (very famous specially for Haleem) near Charminar, Madina Hotel and Nayaab Hotel at Old city and Cafe 555 at Masab Tank. I get chance to eat Haleem from Cafe 555 daily, as my home and office is very close to it.

You can order Haleem from home too, but I will recommend you to go there and taste it, as you will get chance to explore food tradition of Hyderabad. Real taste of Haleem is when it is hot with little oil, lemon and fry onion mixed into it.

Breakfast and Occasions...
Breakfast mostly consists of khichdi, kheema, khagina (egg and onion curry) along with paratha cooked in fresh home made butter.

On festive occasions the breakfast comprised of nahari, kulcha, zaban and paya prepared with sheep and goat meat.

Baghare baingan (spicy eggplant) and mirchi ka salan (green chilli curry) are the popular vegetarian dishes of Hyderabad.

Sweet Desserts...
Where to go to satisfy your sweet tooth? Well the answer is simple, Hyderabad.

Popular Hyderabadi desserts are double ka meetha (bread pudding), khubani ka meetha (apricot pudding), seviyon ka meetha (vermicelli pudding), kheer and Dil-e-firdaus (or you can say Gul-e-Firdaus).

Double-ka-Meetha is made with bread, sugar, dry fruits, pure ghee and milk is very popular in Hyderabad.

Khubani-ka-Meetha is made with apricot, boiled with sugar to make a thick, sugar soup garnished with blanched almonds or apricot kernels and topped with malai or ice-cream.

How Lucky You Are ?
People of Hyderabad are very friendly. If you have any friend or business partner from Hyderabad then you will definitely get invitation for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Don’t say no if you get invited, else you will miss delicious Hyderabadi dishes.

Right from cooking to the presentation, Hyderabadis are connoisseurs. Not only the best condiments spiced the food, but the dishes are beautifully garnished, served in the best plates and laid out on fancily embroidered cloth called the Dastar Khan, else on Chowkis and Dinning Table.

If you are lucky enough like me ;) then you will get invitation for grand functions, where you will get a chance to taste various dishes and desserts.

Other Options...
Hyderabadi people do party very often, so your chances of trying these dishes are 100%. If you are not so lucky then don’t cry or worry… ;)

You have a better option... Restaurants of Hyderabad, are a place where you will get to eat each and every dish.
Cuisine of Hyderabad
Cuisine of HyderabadWhile in Hyderabad, one must make it a point to try out the famous cuisine the city has to offer. Hyderabad boasts of a wide range of traditional vegetarian dishes, which are tempting to the core. They also have an assortment of typical non-vegetarian cuisines. Both the categories are rich in spice content and you need to be careful if you are not used to spicy and tangy food. Though spicy, it is extremely tasty and delicious and is definitely worth a try.

The prominent mouthwatering vegetarian dishes of Hyderabad are the Dahi Vada, Mirch-ka-sabu and Bagaara Baingan. The Dahi Vada essentially contains spicy and creamy curd in which round pieces of ground lentils have been immersed after being fried. The mirch-ka-sabu is a delicious vegetarian dish of Hyderabad consisting of hot chilies, which are immersed in cream gravy.

For all of you who have an active sweet tooth, pamper yourself with yummy sweet dishes like double-ka-meetha (bread pudding), Gajar-ka-halwa (carrot sweet dish) and Qubani-ka-meetha (apricot pudding). After relishing on the yummy Hyderabadi dishes one should have a sip of the Iranian chai or tea. This hot drink has a distinct flavor and you can easily find it in the street side cafes where you can just laze around and enjoy this famous Hyderabadi beverage.

The cuisine of Hyderabad is highly influenced by the Mughals who ruled here. Hence, the cuisine also has some elements of the Mughlai cuisine. The most famous of all is the Biryani, which is an aromatic assortment of rice, meat and seasonal vegetables. There is also a wide range of Kebabs to choose from which include Chicken korma, Sheer korma, Sheekh Kebab, Shammi Kebab etc. These special vegetarian and non-vegetarian Hyderabadi dishes are best enjoyed in the traditional Shahi Dastarkhana or the Royal Dining Hall. It is a conventional dining place where the ancient royal families relaxed and relished on the Hyderabadi cuisine. It is a 'low chowki ' or wooden bed, on which cotton mattresses are spread. They are bordered with relaxing supports and soft cushions on the edges. All you have to do is make yourself comfortable and feel like a Nizam! No meal is complete without the traditional paan, which is betel leaf stuffed with a mixture of betel nuts and spices which is folded in the betel leaf and held together with a clove.

Some of the ingredients of the traditional recipes are kept secret and are only known to the subsequent generations of the royal cooks. The royal cooks of the traditional Hyderabadi families are known, as 'Khansas' and are held in high esteem in these families.