Flavour of haleem… in words

Haleem is not some roadside food to be eaten and the bones and spices spat out. No. If you are a Hyderabadi it is a love affair to remember, to wait, to drool, to savour, to Twitter notes, to make your Facebook pals envious (one of whom says:kanisam tinali anukunna tinaleni postion ra naku ikkkada dorakadu, and another bloke says: yaad mat dilao bhai raha nahi jata) and, okay, to worry about the money part (nearly Rs. 2000 if a person eats daily). But making haleem is no rocket science. Housewives with their hand-me-down secret recipes cook up better stuff than the men swirling the gooey stuff in huge cauldrons. But then you cannot persuade ammis...

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The best cappuccino in town

Beethoven counted and used 60 coffee beans to prepare his brew. Each time for each cup of coffee. Perhaps that would explain the perfection he achieved with his symphonies and notes. Every evening at 6.30 pm a robust old man walks inside the Taj Mahal Hotel in Secunderabad, sits in the second row in the centre twirls his moustache and waits. As he sees the smoothened granite flooring polished by a billion footfalls, a steaming cup is brought for him. Sip and a furrowed brow lines curl up in appreciation. The waiter in white walks off pleased. Not a word spoken.The entry of coffee pubs has kicked the game wide open. Now the Minerva Coffee Shop, Chutneys, Taj Mahal Hotel with their staid appearance, pre-mixed sugar, chicory and varying quality (in the morning the brew is perfect, quality plummets...

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21 days to go for Ramzan

The magrib azaan rings out from a thousand minarets near Madina and its neighbourhoods, the faithful in their skull-caps, pyjamas folded above the ankles, rush in to bow their heads in prayer as the sing-song intonation continues. A little later, the troop of devout march to the nearest stall selling fruit salad, falooda, and oh yes! haleem. Across the city in Toli Chowki, you can hear the same sound having the same effect on people.The calm piety of the day disappears in the razzle dazzle of shopping for clothes, shoes, caps, burqas and sevain.Move on from Madina to the inner lanes of Patherghati, Charkaman and Mitti ka Sher and you get meat on stick, coloured ice lollies, phirni, pathar ka gosht and a zillion other temptations costing from 50 paise for the lollies to the expensive but perfectly...

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In love with haleem

The Fajar azaan sounds at 5.07 a.m. and the basic ingredient of haleem: meat; is being checked for quality in the best traditions of Michelin chefs in a function hall at Shahalibanda. A little distance away, Behind Haveli Manjli Begum, workers are firing up the logs as a few others fix the clay ovens enclosing the gargantuan couldrons. Between the two spots, this is the kernel of evolution of haleem as the meat, wheat, and spices are transformed by the kasais and the khansama into the gooey, gelatinous, spicy, fragrant and the to die for dish for most Hyderabadis. The measurements are oriental, as the workers dunk two baskets of meat, three fistfuls of chillies, a fist of scrapped papaya and water and cover it with a lid and seal it tight with a cloth. It is 6.15 a.m. and the traffic is picking...

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Biryani fit for a nawab

Think Hyderabadi biryani and you would think about either a mutton biryani or a chicken biryani. But biryani, a gourmand’s delight born in adversity, has another cousin called Kalyani Biryani.As fragrant, as tempting and just as addictive but at one-third the cost. Step inside one of the restaurants selling it with an unobtrusive sign and you will get a heapful of helping with chunks of meat that is dark, tensile and juicy. It is the food of choice for wrestlers, body builders and other people without bulging wallets.The birthplace of this enigmatically appropriate euphemism for beef biryani is small bylane in Shah-Ali-Banda. There, you will find Kalyani Nawab-ki-Devdi. You can easily pass it by unless you chance upon the centerpiece of arresting colourful tiles, roosting pigeons, delicate...

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Eventful history of Irani cafes

One warm day in April 1984 Syed Turab Husain Abid and his brother walked into the MCH office with just the thought they would apply for a permission for opening an Irani Bakery in Begumpet. To their surprise the officer said he would give the permiss ion right away and asked them for the name of the place. They didn’t have any. The officer suggested a name: Flyover Bakery, after the structure right in front of his proposed café. The name stuck, the place morphed.Now, the Flyover Bakery in Greenlands looks like a glass cubicle that might tumble onto the road along with the diners tucking into chicken manchuria or chilli chicken.In another corner of the city is Skylab. Stolid by the Mettuguda crossroads as passersby think about the queer name for an Irani café, but the older residents know the...

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Is it biryani?

Everyone loves biryani, Hyderabadi kacche gosht ki biryani that is. The meat that falls off the bone, the long grained rice that doesn't stick to fingers, the fragrance of spices that can make stomachs rumble with hunger and anticipation and the Irani restaurants where it is cooked by the tonnes.But is it biryani as it was created in biryans over campfires for armies on the march? Is it the same dish that the men created where they dunked everything in sight to create the one dish to fill all the tummies? Is it the same dish, the royal women, including Emperor Jehangir's wife, modified to create the multi-layered gastronomic extravaganza? Step into some of the busiest biryani joints and get an eyeful of the fragrant rice with a piece of meat or bone sticking out. Roll up your sleeves and dig...

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Twist in the tea cup

The hustle and bustle of Hyderabad is kept alive thanks to the innumerous chai-wallahs that feature in every nook and cranny of the city. These are virtually the lifeline of many people, some of who are addicted to the tea of particular joints. The city may have many coffee pubs, but its tea drinkers remain staunch supporters. And so, two unique tea places in different settings caught our fancy.As you drive away from Paradise towards the end of Prenderghast road, is a quaint little place called Chai Ho Jaye. It is located right across the road from the supermarket and curiosity surrounding the name itself will lead you to the place. It's not quaint like a picturesque , homely tea parlour, but quaint in the sense of being a tea stall with a difference. A pan shop will easily rival it in size,...

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New turn for cafés

Why don't Indians play in the world cup soccer?Because the moment they get a corner, they build a restaurant.This might be a chauvinistic joke in East Africa, but in Hyderabad, corners have always meant Irani chai. They are called Irani café cafes, but serve only chai. And there are over 10,000 of them. And they are changing. Not just the interiors with cane chairs and marble tops making way for chrome, wood and glass. Not just the addition of Chinese finger foods to the Osmania and Chand biscuits. But the very corners where they have existed are now being threatened as the city's roads get widened.The importance of corners can be seen where it all started: the Karvan (the first Irani restaurants were started to serve the brew to the Irani cavalrymen who were part of the Golconda kings' frontline...

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LAUKI KA JUICE INDIAN RECIPE

LAUKI KA JUICEHealthy cooler - a must try! Preparation Time : 5-10 minutes Cooking Time : 5-10 minutes Servings : 4 Ingredients Bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi), peeled , seeded, chopped2 mediumAmla (Indian gooseberry), sliced4Ginger, chopped2 inch pieceFresh mint leaves15-20Saltto tasteBlack salt (kala namak)to tasteCumin seeds1 tablespoonLemon juice2-3 tablespoonsIce cubesas required Method Put the bottle gourd, amla, ginger, mint leaves, salt, black salt and cumin seeds in a blender. Add one cup of water and blend it for two to three minutes.Add another cup of water, lemon juice, ice cubes and blend it for another two to three minutes.Strain...

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ADRAK NAVRATAN Indian Recipes

ADRAK NAVRATANA tasty digestive lemonade. Preparation Time : 5 mins Servings : 4 Ingredients Green chillies5-6Tender ginger100 gramsLemon juice1/4 cupSaltto tasteRaisins1/2 cupDried dates (chuhare)10-12 Method Peel, wash and cut ginger into julienne.Wash and pat dry raisins. Deseed and finely slice dried dates lengthwise.Remove stems, wash and cut each green chilli into two.Combine all the ingredients and pour into wide mouthed glass jar. Shake well.Serve when the juice turns pink. It makes a tasty digestive a...

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AAM KA ABSHOLA -Indian Recipe

AAM KA ABSHOLASweet and sour mango drink Preparation Time : 15 mins Cooking Time : 10-15 mins Servings : 4 Ingredients Fresh mint leaves, 1 cm cubes test6-7 sprigsSaltto tasteRock salt (sendha namak)to tasteRoasted cumin powder2 teaspoonsPowdered sugar1 cupBlack peppercorns, crushed1 teaspoonLemons, cut into roundels2Raw mango1 kilogram Method Place serving glasses in a refrigerator to be chilled.Boil and peel raw mangoes and extract the pulp.Keeping aside a few mint leaves for garnish, grind the rest.In a pan mix raw mango pulp, sugar, salt, rock salt and two cups of water.Cook on high heat for a minute. Add crushed peppercorns, roasted cumin...

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