A date with Hyderabad

Dear Diary,

#HyderabadDaze

Hyderabad greeted me with clear blue skies tall, really, like really; unlike, Delhi-tall, Metro pillars and yes, chaotic roads upon my arrival from Delhi, for what was to be a 9-month affair with the city of the Nizams.

As the cab rolled on towards the new home looking out of the window, I saw the roads dotted with old monuments, places of worship as a reminder to the past in the present.

As a heritage enthusiast, culture vulture and a foodie I knew this was a place right after my heart. If you want to know about a city, get to know its people, is my mantra. That's what I set out to do in subsequent cab ride encounters, meeting locals on heritage walks and friends that I made for life. This came in handy in negotiating the cultural by lanes of the new city.

Blame it on the faulty aural conditioning by the Bollywood that I thought Hyderabadi lingo would be a toughie to fathom.

But lo and behold, here I was in the cacophonous roads of these burgeoning twin cities being addressed as Swati ji by the driver and being spoken in the language that had the characteristic 'aa' sound added to most nouns, and me understanding it all! Where was the problem, sure, the ear needs to be attuned a trifle, and then you are good to go! The over speeding buses had another language of their own, with stopping in the middle of the road, driving rashly and yes the traffic light's long journey from red to green!

Like any other travel portal browsing savvy visitor, I came armed with a host of 'to do' eat and visit listicles, yeah, you get the drift – the must dos and the '10 Things you Gotta do When in Hyderabad' kinds. Lesson number one learnt here is applicable to everywhere. Trust the locals and talk to them; don't go by the book always; no information is too trifle; take the road less travelled; listen first, don't judge, and keep an open mind.

With these thoughts in tow, I found that there's much more to the cuisine here than just the Biryani and Mandi food. There's also the innate respect towards nature and sourcing wholly organic and seasonal ingredients to produce a truly balanced diet, all this in the Rayalseema cuisine I got to taste.

Rayalseema is a region situated in the south-western side of the state of Andhra Pradesh and includes the southern district of Anantapur, Kurnool, Kadapa. Sure, I found myself drinking a whole lot of water; of course, a hot isn't this hot - not spicy, there's a difference! Yumza! My picks were Chittoor Natu Kodi (country chicken curry) and Gongura Veta Mamsam (spicy lamb curry) with Ragi Sankati!

One of the ways I find myself getting to know local cultural aspects is by talking to my domestic help and getting to know her local traditions and rituals. Being from here she has been quick enough to ably replicate some of the not so signature dishes also, but am not complaining! I am talking about paneeyarm, Tomato Pappu, different podhis (dry spice mixes) that I am lugging back with me and yes the Dum Biryani too, but more about that later, right now, diary, I am ready to take on the next set of adventures that awaits me atop a hill here in Hyderabad! The romance will continue…

Me