Telangana Thali

With eighteen Indian state thalis cooked up and devoured as part of our Weekend Thali Project, this week we completed the last of our South Indian states - Telangana. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, I must say that I was especially inquisitive to learn about the differences between Telangana and Andhra cuisine. Discovering dishes like Salla Saaru, Pacchi Pulusu and Sarva Pindi was eye-opening. Special mention to the website mycurryveda.com hosted by a fellow Seattle-based blogger - that dives in-depth into a plethora of vegetarian Telangana cuisine dishes. On his end, Vikram was extremely excited to prepare the famous fiery Ankapur Chicken as part of this thali.

Sarva Pindi (Link to recipe)

This is a rice based Roti that has peanuts, sesame and Chana dal added to it. It is cooked in a heavy cast iron pan till it gets crisp. I remember eating it a number of times while growing up. However I don’t think our first attempt at making this dish did true justice to it. There definitely is a learning curve to making the dish crisp without burning it and we are going to have to make it a few more times to perfect it. But the taste was still great.

Mudda Kakarakaya (Link to recipe)

Growing up I always stayed away from Bitter Gourd but I distinctly remember eating it and loving it for the very first time in my Pedamma’s (maternal aunt’s) home in Hyderabad. This bitter gourd dish stuffed with a nutty and spicy mix took me back to that experience!! The recipe recommends roasting the bitter gourd over hot coal embers for a smokier taste. We made it on the stovetop but for the final flourish placed a large pan cover over all of the cooked bitter gourds along with a hot coal ember that we smoked by adding a few drops of ghee on it. Doing this for 5 minutes ended up infusing the smoky flavor into the bitter gourds thereby levitating the taste of the dish!

Jonne Rotte (Link to recipe)

This is Roti made out of ‘Jowar’ or Sorghum flour. We learnt that the trick to making this right is to add boiling hot water when making the dough. It’s a healthier gluten-free alternative to the more common wheat flour Roti.

Dondakaya Barada (Link to recipe)

Now this is the dish that impressed me and has been included into my recipe repertoire. It involves cooking the ivy gourd (a.k.a Dondakaya) with gram flour/powdered chana dal and a few simple spices. While the preparation is simple and quick, the dish is extremely tasty and wholesome.

Potlakaya Perugu Pachadi (Link to recipe)

Cooked Snake gourd (a.k.a Potlakaya) is mixed in with yogurt and a freshly ground paste of mustard, coconut and green chillies. I was pleasantly surprised to see this method of preparation called out in the Telangana cuisine based blog mycurryveda.com due to it’s heavy overlap with the Andhra dishes I grew up with. Just another testament I guess to how good food can blur lines and create bridges!!

Telangana style spinach dal (Link to recipe)

Spinach and lentils!! What more can you add to it to make it Telangana style? Answer: A coursely ground mix of garlic and cumin with a final dash of peanuts at the end. A simple, earthy, healthy and tasteful dish.

Salla Charu (Link to recipe)

‘Salla’ means cold. This dish is never heated on a stove and is eaten cold especially during the hot Indian summer months. Since I love sour and tangy dishes, I fell in love with this Salla Charu recipe!! Sour buttermilk is tempered with minced cumin and garlic and finally a few green chillies that have been burnt over an open flame are crushed and added to the dish.

Pacchi Pulusu (Link to recipe)

Pacchi means ‘raw’. This tamarind based stew is not boiled or cooked but simply flavored with a simple tempering of cumin, sesame and mustard. Roasted and crushed green chilli imparts a subtle kick to the taste as well. Ending the thali with hot rice mixed in with this dish is like the perfect ending to a symphony!!

Ankapur Chicken (Link to recipe)

As Vikram would put it - saving the best for the last!! Ankapur chicken is famous for its earthy and fiery taste all over the world and is named after a small town in Telangana from where it has originated. In this unique preparation, the chicken is first burnt directly over a low flame and then cooked with an amalgamation of spices to create a mind-blowing dish. Vikram researched and toiled for hours to get this dish just right and I have been told that it was a grand success!!

Have you ever had the experience where you meet someone new and the first impression is that you will not have a lot in common but as you get to know them you are amazed at how similar you both actually are and eventually feel right at home with them? Well this Thali was exactly the same experience for the Andhra girl in me!! There was an authenticity to the Telangana thali and yet a familiarity that brought back memories. We will definitely be making some of the dishes again in our kitchen!! Hope you try cooking some of them too.