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Hyderabadi dum ka murg is a very popular nawabi dish in Hyderabad, both in homes and restaurants. Hyderabadi dum ka murg is known by many names like dum ka red chicken and hyderabadi wedding red chicken curry. For me, dum ka murg means chicken cooked in low flame. Hyderabadi dum ka murg is prepared with various spices, nuts, sauces and mint leaves, which gives this dish a unique sweet taste with creamy texture. This dish is quite different from my other curries as I have used Chinese sauces. Dum ka murg is creamy, rich, medium hot, sour and tangy. The combination of all the elements of taste make this dish different and delectable.
Most of my cousins and aunts are in Hyderabad and everyone has their own Hyderabadi Dum ka Murg style of cooking. I have also tasted in restaurants. I borrowed this recipe, which I liked the most, from my aunt but did a few alterations. Whenever I order any dish in restaurants, I just see what has gone into it and also try to find out by the taste. I saw whole spices and chilli seeds - it can be dry chilli or green chilli. I try different combinations with 2 to 3 trials to get the taste I want. So, this is the combination of my aunt and restaurant dish I will say.
This hyderabadi dum ka murg is very easy to prepare. Though there are a lot of ingredients, once the preparation is done, the cooking is easy. Most of the ingredients I used are store bought, which made my work easier except for the paste. Hyderabadi dum ka murg goes well with roomali roti, naan or pulao rice.
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Preparation time: 20 mins (excluding time to soak the nuts and marination)
Cooking time: 40 mins
Cuisine: Hyderabadi
Spiciness: Medium
Serves: 3
Ingredients
- Chicken – 500 gms
Paste
- Poppy seeds (khus khus) – 2 tsp
- Almond flakes (badam) – 1 tbsp
- Cashews – 7
- Water – 4 tbsp
Marinade
- Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Ginger (chopped) – 1 tsp
- Onion (fried) – 1/2 cup
- Curd – 1/2 cup
- Mint (chopped) – 1/2 cup
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
- Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
- Chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Green chillies (chopped) – 2
- Green chilli sauce – 1 tbsp
- Soya sauce – 1 1/2 tsp
- Vinegar – 3 tsp
- Tomato ketchup – 4 tbsp
- Tomato puree (thick, double concentrated) – 3 tbsp
- Kasoori methi – 2 tsp
- Oil/ghee/butter – 1/3 cup
Whole spices
- Star anise – 2
- Cloves – 5
- Green cardamom – 4
Method
- Chop mint leaves finely along with it stalks.
- I have used store bought fried onions and tomato puree, which is very thick and double concentrated.
Paste
- Soak cashews, almonds, poppy seeds (khus-khus) in 4 tbsp of hot water for 30 minutes.
- Grind it to a smooth paste along with the soaked water. Transfer it to a bowl and add 1/3 cup water to the mixer or grinder to remove the left over paste and use this liquid while marinating the chicken.
- Take a non-stick cooking vessel and add all the ingredients listed above in the ingredients section. Add salt as per your taste. Also add the left over liquid of the ground paste. Mix well.
- Close the lid and refrigerate for about 6 hours to overnight.
Cooking
- Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
- Put the same vessel used for marination with the marinated chicken directly on a medium flame. Let it get warm. When you see little bubbles and smoke near the corners, lower the flame immediately. Close the lid and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
- Stir the curry in between so that it does not stick to the bottom of the vessel.
- Dum ka murg should be like semi-gravy. When it is cooked, it has a creamy, velvety texture and the chicken is well coated with the curry/sauce.
- When chicken is well-cooked and oil has separated to the top, switch off. Let it rest for a few minutes.
- Serve with naan, roomali roti or pulao rice.
Notes
- Instead of almond flakes, you can use whole almonds (badam). Soak in water and grind to a paste.
- I have not used any red colour for this curry.
- Instead of green chilli sauce, you can use red chilli sauce.
- Taste the curry while you are still cooking, so that you know if anything is required. Add the sauces as per your taste.
- If you want, you can optionally add coriander leaves.
- If dum murg is having more liquid, keep the lid open and cook on medium flame until you get the consistency.
- The tomato puree I used is thick and double concentrated. You can use any shop bought tomato puree/paste, which gives good colour and taste to the curry.
