The Incredibly "Hyderabadi" Chicken 65

Before I begin, this is not a recipe post but just another post on my food indulgences.I have been bumping into a lot of food  stuff to talk about.I love what I eat.I observe what I eat (that does not mean nutrition value) & yeah I savor,relish, devour my dish.

Lets go back to 2006, when I had very bravely & adventurously taken the decision to move to Hyderabad.A city never visited before,a city never known before. I was alone,independent & totally on my own. The company which I was working for, had put me up at a lavish hotel, where I did nothing but order some soup for myself. Being an Ahmedabadi, I wanted to look for laari food (food hawker) before I could explore any restaurant. I somehow believe that the city's essence can be well recognized by the food served on laaris. I remember it was my 1st day in the city, and post work, I thought of checking out on the only laari I could spot near office gate.

They did not have a menu card unlike back home, so I asked him on what all was available. And then I heard those 2 unknown,never heard of  magic words. Chicken 65. He did mention a couple of other dishes but all I heard was chicken 65 and veg 65. This was something I never heard of & never had although it's a very famous dish in South India. It was my 1st day in the city and I already had something exciting. I gladly ordered veg 65 because I was not sure about how the meat would be cooked. It was later that this myth of mine came to an end. 

Chicken 65 - it as incredibly south Indian-Chinese dish. Chicken 65 is alleged to be a dish introduced in 1965 at the famous Buhari Hotel restaurant in Chennai by its founder A.M.Buhari, a pioneer in the South Indian food industry.Chinese food in India, as such is cooked to pamper our taste buds. Its not the authentic china flavor food. When it comes to food, we are okay with modifications, provided we like to eat the post modification dish. So this incredible orange color bursting out of the dish made me even more curious. It was a spicy mix of yogurt,mustard seeds,curry leaves (100% South India) mixed with garlic,ginger,chilies,onions & capsicum - all dipped in orange food color. Some mother of a dish that was, have been going on for years down south,yet people are hooked to it.Count me in too because when I was back home for good, I made it. It was an instant hit with all those who had it. There was something nasty about the yogurt mixed up with all those spices.

Sadly,it is not that popular in Gujarat. Yes,there are a lot of vegetarians here. There are days,when I cannot make it home or I do not want to. Post marriage, me & Mr.S have shifted to an area where there are a lot of non-vegetarian restaurants,much to our joy.Our favorite call-in restaurant, My Tandoor,recently added Chicken 65 on their menu and boy,wasn't it my day!I had the time of my life nibbling on that gorgeous looking dish.With every bite I had,it was nothing but Hyderabad -the dish discovery city,on my mind.