Chicken Dopiaza

 

By

 

VIKRAM KARVE

 

 

 

If you want a first impression of a “Mughlai” Restaurant order and savor a “Do Piaza” dish and it will give you an idea of the standard of Mughlai Cuisine you can expect there. Indeed “Do Piaza” may be considered the culinary benchmark to judge and evaluate a Mughlai Restaurant. And if Chicken or Mutton Do Piaza doesn’t figure on the menu, better order Chinese or Continental, or stick to the Butter Chicken-Naan routine!

 

“Do Piaza” means “two onions” or rather “double onions”. Now how did this dish get its name? Maybe it’s apocryphal, but legend has it that this delicious dish was invented by Mullah Do-Piaza, a renowned and celebrated cook at the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court. One of the Navaratnas (nine jewels), it is said he could conjure up culinary delights using only two onions, and a Mughlai dish cooked in that particular style is called a “Do Piaza”.

 

Water is not used at all when cooking a Do Piaza. Onions (Piaz or Pyaaz) are used twice – hence the name “Do” [“Two”] Piaza, or Pyaaza, spell it which way you like.

 

 

 

 

First cut a generous number of onions (the more the onions the sweeter the gravy) into rings, yes separate rings. Now, in a large cooking vessel, put in the chicken pieces, add a liberal amount of curds and mix well. Copiously layer the chicken-curd mixture with the onion rings, cover with a tight lid and set aside to marinate for at least an hour. [Remember, do not vigorously mix in the onion rings; just liberally layer the chicken-curd mélange with the onion rings]. After an hour or more, place the vessel on a slow fire with the lid on, and let the chicken cook slowly in its own juices and those released by the onion rings, till the onion rings are reduced to a pulp and, finally, the liquid almost dries up. This is the first “Piaza”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIKRAM KARVE

 

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com