Telangana cuisine

Staple food

Rotis made from millet, such as jonna rotte (sorghum) and sajja rotte (penisetum), hold a special place in Telangana cuisine. Other preparations include Sarva Pindi and Uppudi Pindi (broken rice). A gravy or curry is called Koora, while a tamarind-based stew is Pulusu; a deep-fry reduction of the same is Vepudu. Kodi pulusu and vepudu are popular meat dishes.

Vegetable dishes include Vankaya (brinjal) and Alugadda (potato) koora and fry. Telangana palakoora is a spinach dish cooked with lentils, eaten with steamed rice and roti, with peanuts added as a special attraction; in Karimnagar District, peanuts and soya nuts are added. Popular curry dishes include Boti (from mutton) and Punti Koora made from red sorrel leaves. Potlakaya pulusu, or snake gourd stew, is a daily staple.

Sakinalu, a snack made of rice flour, is popular during festivals like Dusshera and Sankranthi. Recent years have seen a resurgence of Telangana cuisines in restaurants around Hyderabad with the availability of Telangana thali for lunch.

Vegetarian food

Telangana cooking relies heavily on tamarind, red and green chilies, and asafoetida. Roselle is a key ingredient, often used in curries and pickles.

A common breakfast is sarva pindi, a spicy bread made from rice flour, chana dal, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, curry leaves, and green chilies. Another dish is pachi pulusu, a raw, spicy rasam featuring tamarind, chili, and onions, sometimes sweetened with jaggery and typically eaten in summer. There is also kodi gudla pulusu, which is boiled eggs cooked in a tangy, spiced tamarind sauce.