Meals · Hyderabad

Hyderabadi Murgh Masala

A Deccani chicken curry thickened with a roasted paste of dry coconut, poppy seeds and sesame, finished with fried onions, mint and a squeeze of lime.

Hyderabadi Murgh Masala

Prep 25 min · Cook 45 min · Total 70 min + 30 min marinade · Serves 4

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 750 g Chicken on the bone, curry cut
  • ½ cup Thick curd
  • 1 ½ tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 ½ tsp Red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Salt

Roasted masala paste

  • 3 tbsp Desiccated coconut
  • 1 tbsp White poppy seeds (khus khus)
  • 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
  • 4 Cloves
  • 4 Green cardamom pods
  • 1 Star anise

Curry

  • 4 tbsp Oil
  • 3 Onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 3 Green chillies, slit
  • 2 Tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ cup Mint leaves
  • ½ cup Coriander leaves, chopped
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 Lime, juiced

Method

  1. Marinate. Mix the chicken with the curd, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Leave for 30 minutes.
  2. Roast and grind the masala. Dry-roast the coconut, poppy seeds, sesame and all the whole spices in a dry pan over low heat, stirring, until the coconut is golden and everything smells toasty. Cool, then grind with 1/3 cup water to a smooth paste.
  3. Fry the onions. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the sliced onions until deep golden. Lift out a third of them to drain for the garnish.
  4. Cook the chicken. Add the bay leaf, green chillies and tomatoes to the remaining onions and cook until soft. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook on high for 5 minutes, stirring, then cover and cook on low for 15 minutes.
  5. Add the paste. Stir in the roasted masala paste, half the mint and coriander, the salt and 1/2 cup water. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until the gravy is thick and the oil rises to the top.
  6. Finish and serve. Stir in the lime juice, then scatter the fried onions and the rest of the mint and coriander. Serve with bagara rice, plain rice or rumali roti.

Tips

Roast the coconut and poppy seeds slowly. They burn quickly, and a scorched paste turns the whole curry bitter. Pull the pan off the moment the coconut turns light gold.