Zafar's recipes
Hyderabadi fried mutton (Tala hua gosht)
This has been a favourite recipe at home for decades. Although it takes a bit of time to make, it is a simple recipe. I remember having...
Tomato carpaccio with smoked salt and fennel pollen
Summer is all about tomatoes - bright, colourful, and juicy. Tomatoes come in hundreds of varieties and sizes. Here, I focused on the...
Hyderabadi eggplant curry (Bagara baingan)
Bagara baingan, or eggplant curry, is an iconic dish in Hyderabad. Its history can be traced back to a dish served in Tashkent and...
Hyderabadi pasande
Pasande is a very traditional Hyderabadi dish, one that is being forgotten. Mutton Pasanda dates back to the 16th century and became a...
Arunachali champa shake
I recently took a trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, where this shake was on the breakfast table. On the first sip, I wanted the...
Arunachali red rice porridge (Thupka)
Thu pk a is a rice porridge from Arunachal Pradesh. It is not to be confused with the Tibetian noodle soup Thu pk a Red rice is one of...
Sicilian chicken breast with quick tomato sauce
I was cooking a private dinner one evening, and one of the guests was very particular about her diet. The curated menu did not fit her...
Creamy watercress soup with toasted walnut butter and tamarillo chutney prawns
Watercress is now available in India. It is part of the nasturtium family and has a mild peppery flavour that is delicious. It is most...
Hyderabadi mutton with tomatoes (Tamatar gosht)
A good friend, Nilesh, found out I was cataloguing my mother’s recipes and reminded me of this dish from about 20 years ago that he had...
Sprouted lentil cheela
A cheela, also called chilla, is a lentil pancake found across India. These pancakes are made out of lentils only rather than rice. The...
Arunachali millet pancakes
At the luxurious Timilo Resort in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, I was greeted with these delicious pancakes for breakfast. They are part of...
Hyderabadi tomato chutney (Tamatar ki chutney)
Chutneys play an important role in Hyderabadi cuisine and all over India. They are the pop on the table and complete every meal. This is...
Tahari
Tahari or Tehri is an ancient dish that dates back to Ayurvedic cooking. It is a dish of rice cooked with vegetables and other...
Hyderabadi green pepper curry (Mirchi ka salan)
This is a classic dish of the Hyderabadi Nizams. The Nizams rules Hyderabad and the Deccan plateau from 1724 to 1948, 224 years. Over...
Hyderabadi lentils with purslane (Bhagare Katli)
Purslane, known locally in Hyderabad as kulfa, is a favourite. It is a seasonal crop and floods the market during the summer months when...
Farfalle with cherry tomatoes and basil
Farfalle, also known as bow-tie pasta, originated in Northern Italy in the Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia regions in the 1500s. T he word...
Podi prawns on mini idlis
I had visited my sister-in-law a few years ago, and she had brought these little bites out in the evening while I enjoyed a beer. And I...
My mother's Haleem
Haleem originated in old Persia as a dish called Harees. This dish and its variations are still eaten today in many parts of the Middle...
Yoghurt curry with meatballs (Kache dahi ki khadi kofte ke saat)
I grew up loving this recipe and have always thought it was Hyderabadi. On a recent visit, I asked my mother to make it for me and...
Hyderabadi chicken with roselle leaves (Murg ambada)
Roselle leaves, locally called ambada, is a favourite across India. These leaves impart an intense tangy flavour to the dish that most...