Prepared Foods

Prepared foods I've been instructed to try in Hyderabad:

• Dum biryani – Hyderabad is famous for Dum biryani, sometimes called Hyderabadi Biryani. This is typically made with lamb / mutton, although there are chicken variations. When plated, this dish resembles Americani Chicken Fried Rice, without the stirring or the frying. Review of recipes shows ingredients being precooked, then layered in a dish and baked in the oven. Watch Padma whipping up some biryani. AR says “It may be spicy for you.” Maybe they have a children’s version. 
• Mirchi Bajji –There is also a Hyderabadi style of deep fried stuffed jalapenos. The difference is in Hybad they are stuffed with a paste of sesame seeds, coconut, and coriander, unliked the potato based stuffing of other regions. I somehow doubt my description will match this gourmet’s declaration of “surprisingly mild”, yet, I’ve been wrong before. I’ll keep you posted. (She does say that sometimes she dredges and fries a second time – which is a chicken trick that is very close to my Southern heart.) 
• Pani poori – Like Mirchi Bajji above, this seems to be a ‘street food’, with the stuffings being dictated by region. In reviewing the photos and recipes, I think Ashwini makes these for holiday parties at the office. It is a hollow, globe-like pastry, the size of an egg, deep-fried to crispy perfection, cooled and stored airtight. When ready for serving, you poke a hole through the top of the globe and drop in the stuffings – things like onions, potatoes, chutneys, vinegars. Eat quickly in one bite! Yum! 
• Pav Bajji– I’m thinking this is the Americano option that AR slipped in to this list, just pour moi! This looks like sloppy joe, avec hamburger buns, sans hamburger meat. It does look and sound yummy, however I’m not sure how one eats this on the street. Are there disposable dishes? Will I scoop with the bun (using my right hand only!)? Stay tuned for the answers! 
• Samosa ragada – This seems to be a chickpea stew, served with samosas (the ultimate White People Food) on the side. It almost looks like a Mexican dish. 
• Fresh jalebi – This is one of my favorite Indian sweets, tastes kinda like baklava, but apparently it doesn’t travel well. So the Jalebi I’ve gotten in Charlotte have been substandard at best. Getting it freshly made is supposed to be wonderful! 
• Paper Dosa – This was not on ARs list, I added this myself. A paper dosa is a thin, crispy pastry that is often spread out and served huge. It can be served stuffed or not. Lax and her kids, Mellissa and Rose, have a tradition they use to help them get over jet lag. From the airport they head to Lax’s mom’s apartment in the city. Typically they reach there in the early morning hours, and they stroll over to a restaurant that serves paper dosas to have breakfast. They unwind from the long flight, and then they begin the day, using the dosa to jumpstart them on Hybad-time.