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Family recipeNon-VegMainHyderabadi

Chironji Dalcha

Amma's notebook · Main course, page 4

Mutton in a rich, nutty gravy of ground chironji, best with butter naan.

Chironji Dalcha, in Amma's handwriting (part 1 of 2)Chironji Dalcha, in Amma's handwriting (part 2 of 2)
Amma's original (the recipe continues onto the next page). Tap to open full size.

Method

  1. Boil the chironji in hot water for 2 minutes, then dry and rub thoroughly until the skins come off and it looks like white dal. Grind ¾ coarsely; keep ¼ whole.
  2. In a cooker heat oil or ghee, add the garam masala, then onions. When done, add ginger-garlic, haldi, namak, mirchi and the gosht. Bhuno and cook until tender.
  3. When the cooker has cooled, add the chironji paste and bhuno, then the whole chironji. Mix and bhuno.
  4. Add the curds, then water for the consistency you want, and the hara masala. It should be gada: not very thick, not very runny.

Serve with

Butter naan.

Amma's notes

  • If chironji is too costly, make the paste with chana dal and keep the whole ¼ as chironji for flavour.

Typed up from Amma's handwritten notebook. Her Hindi and Urdu words are kept as she wrote them.