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Though the state of Telangana was born as recently as 2014, the region has always had its distinct culinary traditions.
Even when it was a part of Andhra Pradesh, the cuisine of Telangana was a unique confluence of rich Nizami and rustic Telugu flavors that the world is yet to fully discover.
Having lived in Hyderabad all my life, I have seen how Hyderabadi Biryani has been stealing all the limelight for years. But in this article, let’s talk about Telangana’s delectable vegetarian dishes, including many lesser known rural delicacies and Hyderabadi specialties.
Contents
Brief History Of Telangana Cuisine
Telangana region’s eating habits were majorly influenced by two aspects — the residing Tribal communities and the Nizams’ royal kitchen.
Owing to the majorly dry lands in this region, it was a challenge for farmers to cultivate vegetables and rice here. Hence, tribes such as Koya, Banjara and Gond mainly depended on millets (jowar, bajra, ragi), pulses and spices, besides meat dishes.
However, some tribes like the Yerukala managed to grow and consume rice as their staple food. Hence, both millet rotis and rice formed a significant part of the Telangana cuisine. The food was generally cooked in mud pots and was majorly inclined towards the drier texture with minimal spice, unlike the Andhra region.
On the other hand, Hyderabad region’s food culture was heavy on non-vegetarian dishes, with a few vegetarian delicacies such as Qubani Ka Meetha, and Chaar Koni Naan. Plus, geographical proximity and heavy migration also brought a lot of spicy Andhra curries here, made with Guntur red chillies.
16 Main Course Vegetarian Dishes Of Telangana Cuisine
1. Pachi Pulusu – One of my personal favorite Telangana dishes, Pachi Pulusu is a tangy raw soup made with onions, tamarind, herbs and spices. It pairs beautifully with rice as well as Ragi Sankati (balls made of finger millet). The dish is popular especially during summers, as it is believed to cool the body.
2. Jonna Rotte – A rustic flat bread made of jowar (sorghum) flour, Jonna Rotte is usually paired with dry chutneys or spicy curries. It is regularly consumed in Telangana for both lunch and dinner.
3. Gongura Chutney – Tangy and spicy with an almost acquired taste, this chutney made with sorrel leaves is consumed in most Telangana households as a side dish with rice. Some people pair it with Jonna Rotte as well. It is usually stored for several days when made with an optimum amount of oil.
4. Pulihora – The tangy rice is a favorite prasad (offerings made to god) in the temples of Telangana. Usually made by mixing rice with tamarind paste, Pulihora is a regular specialty in Telangana households, especially during festivals and also when rice gets leftover. Some versions use lemon juice instead of tamarind.
5. Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi – Our ancestors knew how to lead a sustainable life and Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi is a testament to that. A chutney made with the leftover skin of ridge gourd, lentils and various spices, it tastes absolutely delectable when paired with steaming hot rice.
6. Ulavacharu – A Rasam made with horsegram, Ulavacharu is popular in the rural belts of both Telangana and Andhra. The tangy tamarind-based soup is usually paired with rice.
7. Rumali Roti – Though its origins have been traced back to the mughals, Rumali Roti (roasted on an inverted pot) made its way into the Nizam’s kitchens and eventually became one of the traditional breads of Hyderabad. So, you will find one of the best versions of this fine, handkerchief-like rotis in the city. Usually paired with meat-based curries, it goes beautifully with vegetarian delicacies as well.
8. Khatti Dal – Khatti Dal or sour lentil curry is a part of everyday meals in Telangana households, including Hyderabad. Usually made with toor dal, tamarind, and mild spices, this tangy side dish is mixed with steamed rice or paired with jonna rotte. Some people also add green leafy vegetables or mango in it.
9. Badeela Koora – This dry protein-rich Telangana dish is usually paired with rice. Balls of gram flour mixed with spices are pulled out from a dough. Then they are cooked with methi (fenugreek) leaves.
10. Gutti Vankaya – A regular main course dish of Telangana and Andhra meals, including weddings and special occasions, Gutti Vankaya is usually made by stuffing brinjals with a flavorful masala made by grinding ingredients like peanuts, chillies and coriander seeds. It is then cooked in a rich tomato-based gravy. Though prepared across India with different spices, Telangana’s Gutti Vankaya is usually tangy and slightly spicy.
11. Dosakaya Pachadi – Another one of my personal favorite Telangana recipes, Dosakaya Pachadi is a tangy chutney made with raw yellow cucumber and spices. Paired with rice as well as jowar rotis, it tastes superlative when small pieces of the vegetable are left without grinding the entire chutney, adding an interesting texture.
12. Alugadda/Bendakaya/Dondakaya Vepudu – Vepudu is basically a Telangana-style side dish that is either stir-fried or deep-fried with native garam masalas. The local households make Vepudu out of a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, ladies finger, bittergourd and more.
13. Bachali Kura Pappu – Telangana households have been cooking their Dal with Bachali Kura (malabar spinach) for ages. Besides its high nutritional value (protein and iron), it tastes incredible with steamed rice and a ladies finger fry on the side.
14. Mirch Ka Salan – A famous Hyderabadi dish, Mirch Ka Salan is a rich peanut and chilli-based gravy that is traditionally paired with Biryani. However, it goes well with Rumali Roti too.
15. Kobbari Saddi – This spiced coconut rice is regularly cooked in Telangana households, and is also a must-have prasadam during the Bathukamma festival. It is offered to Goddess Durga along with other rice preparations, including Pullihora and a sesame rice.
16. Attu Tunakala Koora – This could be called a close cousin of the Maharashtrian dish Patodi Rassa, but with a difference in the recipe. Savory cakes are made by steaming spiced chickpea flour batter, which is later stir-fried into a dry curry. It is eaten with rice along with a liquid curry like Pulusu or Rasam.
12 Veg Snacks, Sweets & Street Foods Of Telangana Cuisine
1. Sarva Pindi – Slightly similar to the Maharashtrian Thalipeeth, Sarva Pindi is a staple breakfast dish of the interiors of Telangana. Made with rice flour, bengal gram, peanuts, sesame seeds, spices and herbs, the flat dough is punched with small holes and then slow-roasted on a rounded pan, resulting in a crisp, bowl-like shape.
2. Sakinalu – The recipe of Sakinalu is similar to Sarva Pindi. However, the Sakinalu dough is rolled into hollow circles and then deep fried. The crispy snack is a must-have item on most Telangana households’ festival menus, especially Sankranthi.
3. Ariselu – This disc-shaped dessert is made across India with different names and slight variations in the recipe. The version made in Telangana, called Ariselu, uses rice flour, jaggery and is usually coated with toasted sesame seeds. During festivals such as Sankranti, almost every kitchen gets filled with its sweet aroma. Most sweet shops stock Ariselu throughout the year these days.
4. Qubani ka meetha – Straight from the kitchens of the Nizams, this traditional Hyderabadi dessert is put together with soaked apricots, sugar syrup and nuts. With a refreshing fruity taste, it can be found in several restaurants that serve Hyderabadi cuisine.
5. Jauzi Halwa – Another Hyderabadi dessert that became popular because then Nizam loved it immensely after tasting it at Hameedi Confectioners. Jauzi Halwa is a rich and smoky flavored dessert cooked for over 16 hours with various nuts, sugar syrup, and spices such as saffron and nutmeg. Traditionally, ghee is added to it.
6. Punugulu – One of my all-time favorite snacks, Punugulu are tiny fried savory balls that you’ll find across the streets of Hyderabad as well as smaller towns of Telangana. Made with fermented rice flour batter, these are crisp on the outside and spongy inside. It is usually served with peanut chutney.
7. Mirchi Bajji – Another popular streetside snack, Mirchi Bajji is made with a special type of large green chillies. Coated in gram flour batter and deep fried, they can be partly crunchy and partly soft. Plus, these chillies are not as fiery as the regular green chillies.
8. Badam Ki Jali – A rare, lesser-known dessert of Hyderabad, Badam Ki Jali can’t be found in every other sweet shop. Because only a few old Hyderabadi families have safeguarded the recipe. These baked almond flour sweet meats are fudgy and soft inside, but slightly crusty on the outside. Traditionally, they were baked in tandoor, but today the sweet makers use modern ovens to bake them.
9. Ashrafi – Imagine a sweet that looks like an old Nizami gold coin! Well, this heritage dessert of Hyderabad is literally made by using those coins (present in a select few families) as stencils. In terms of the ingredients, almonds, saffron and sugar are used to make the soft sweet meats.
TWT Tip: If you wish to taste Badam Ki Jali and Ashrafi, the best place to try them is Imperial Sweet House, a heritage shop that’s been making these sweets since 1964. They also put up stalls at the Nampally Numaish Exhibition every year.
10. Bakshalu – Bakshalu in Telangana, Bobbattu in Andhra Pradesh, Holige in Karnataka and Puran Poli in Maharashtra, these are sweet flatbreads stuffed with a mixture of jaggery and chana dal. It’s especially prepared during special occasions in Telangana homes. But you can find it in several sweet shops in Hyderabad.
11. Malida – Another zero-waste dish from Telangana, Malida are laddoos prepared by grinding leftover rotis into powder and then mixing it with jaggery and dry fruits for a richer flavor and sweet taste.
12. Rail Palaram – The origin story of this Telangana snack is quite interesting. As per folklore, Rail Palaram came into existence as travelers needed to carry something dry, filling and healthy for their train journeys. So they whipped up this recipe by making small balls of rice flour mixed with salt, lentils, curry leaves, grated coconut and spices.
The balls were then steamed in a steamer or idli cooker. These firm steamed balls are called Kudumulu and are often offered to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chathurthi. For making the Rail Palaram with a longer shelf life, the steamed rice balls were later pan-fried with oil and tadka (tempering), which included ingredients such as chillies, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and lentil paste.
TWT Summary
Telangana cuisine is a beautiful amalgamation of rustic rural delicacies and rich Hyderabadi preparations. And although the non-vegetarian dishes are more famous, the cuisine has a plethora of hidden vegetarian treasures that not many people know about.
And one thing is quite clear — Telangana cuisine is packed with nutritional benefits and is simpler on the palate, compared to the spicy cuisine from its sibling state, Andhra Pradesh.
Be it the earthy millet rotis made with jowar and bajra, high-protein recipes like Attu Tunakala Koora and Sarva Pindi, or sustainable dishes such as Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi. Coming to the vegetarian dishes of capital city Hyderabad, you will find more dessert options such as Qubani Ka Meetha, Badam Ki Jali and Jauzi Halwa.
Frequently Asked Questions About Telangana Cuisine
- What are the common ingredients and spices of Telangana cuisine?
Some of Telangana cuisine’s most commonly used ingredients are millets such as jowar, ragi and bajra. Telangana’s curries are usually flavored with mild spices, tamarind, sesame, peanut powder, and chillies. Rice is also a staple food in some parts of Telangana.
- Is there any difference between Telangana and Andhra cuisine?
Andhra cuisine, as most people know, is fiery and spicy with a lot of liquidy curries, masala-laden fries and rice-based dishes. On the other hand, Telangana cuisine comprises rustic, drier dishes that are less spicy and more millet-based. A part of Telangana cuisine also includes rich Hyderabadi delicacies with Nizami influence, which uses a lot of nuts and whole garam masalas.
- Which are the most popular dishes of Telangana cuisine?
Some of the most popular vegetarian foods of Telangana cuisine are Sarva Pindi, Pachi Pulusu, Jonna Rotte, Mirch Ka Salan, Rumali Roti, Punugulu and Qubani Ka Meetha.
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