5 must-have dishes when in Telangana
Just like any other place in India, the state of Telangana is also a culinary delight. The food here has influences from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. Millets are commonly used in several dishes. Jowar and Bajra are also prominently featured. Key ingredients in dishes include sesame seeds, red chilies, tamarind, and asafoetida. Here are some must-have dishes when in Telangana.
Sakinalu, a traditional deep-fried, circular-shaped snack from Telangana is made with freshly ground rice flour and sesame seeds. This snack may resemble Maharashtra's chakli. It is a commonly served snack at weddings and on Sankranti. The trickiest part of making this snack is to make them circular by twisting the dough between fingers.
In north India, chapatis are an accompaniment to curries and lentils. However, in Telangana, they are also used to make laddoos. Chapatis are cooked with ghee on both sides and then ground into a coarse powder. The powder is mixed with ghee, jaggery, and dry fruits and rolled into the shape of laddoos. These laddoos are best consumed as an after-meal snack.
Golichina Mamsam is for all meat lovers. The dish includes luscious pieces of meat cooked in a thick gravy that is filled with locally grown spices. It is slow-cooked to let the meat absorb all the flavors of the spices while lending its own goodness to the gravy. This lip-smacking dish can be enjoyed with chapatis, dosa, and rice.
Pachi Pulusu, also known as Raw Tamarind Rasam, is a dish that can be made in an instant, unlike other varieties of rasam. It is predominantly cooked with rice and raw tamarind extract that only needs to be soaked in lukewarm water. The recipe is not very spicy and is best enjoyed during breakfast or lunch.
Coming from the city of Nizams, Hyderabadi Biryani has become widely popular across the globe. It is a divine dish, involving slow-cooked rice with pieces of meat and spices. As compared to other biryanis, the Hyderabadi version is a lot spicier. Also, raw rice and meat are cooked together in the Hyderabadi style, while in all other biryanis they are cooked separately.
