HYDERABAD: Are they giving us pani puri?’ we thought, exchanging perplexed yet excited glances over our little plates. After all, we were surrounded by rustic, mud-coloured walls adorned with ikkat designs, dokra art, and aesthetic photographs of rural Telangana. But Terrai, a new restaurant nestled in Sattva Knowledge Park, Hitec City, gave us a tangy surprise — as we crushed the puri in our mouths, the burst of flavours made us shriek with joy: ‘It’s not pani, but Pachi Pulusu!’
After this refreshing start, we were served some soups, perfect for Hyderabad’s chilly winter days. The Horse gram Rasam with Puffed Rice Cookie on the side was intriguing; the rasam was uluvacharu, a horse gram gravy that pairs excellently even with biryani and roti. We could not resist dunking the cookie, topped with some horse gram paste, in the uluvacharu — delicious indeed! The non-vegetarian equivalent was Mutton Bone Marg with Mutton Toast. The mutton was perfectly cooked and surprisingly not very spicy, falling right off the bone, and the creamy green stew poured over it was just perfection. The keema on the toast was soft and tender, with a refreshing touch thanks to the pickled onion rings and microgreens on top.
And almost like Terrai’s kitchen had received a telepathic message from our growling tummies, we were served starters like Amaranth-coated Multigrain Cutlet with Pineapple Pachadi and the Terrai Yam Kebab with Beetroot Pachadi. Even those who despise veggies will swoon as they devour the cutlet, filled with grated and blanched beetroot. The amaranth added a satisfyingly grainy texture and the mildly sweet Pineapple Pachadi paired well with the cutlet.
The yam kebab was boiled and marinated in surajmukhi chilli paste. We could not stop smacking our lips before eagerly reaching out to the refreshing Beetroot Pachadi. For non-veg starters, we had the Podi Nalla Karam Kodi with Palak Crisp. We crushed the crisp over the chicken, which was marinated in Terrai’s in-house Nalla Karam powder of garlic, chilli, and an array of nuts — this was aromatic, flavourful, and meaty perfection. We also devoured the Raw Mango Fish Tikka; every bite was pleasantly soft and light, with a refreshing touch coming from the julienned raw mango on top.
For the main course, all eyes were drawn to the Lauki ka Kofta as it got drenched by a piping-hot gravy made with cashew nuts and melon seeds. While the potatoes in the kofta gave it a delicious cheesy taste, the Khamiri Roti soaked the nutty flavours from the gravy perfectly, making for an absolutely delightful meal. For loyal non-vegetarians, the Terrai Naatu Kodi Curry with Neer Dosa was akin to food heaven. Terrai follows a strict process, selecting only the finest chickens; no wonder that the kodi, cooked in its stock and other spices, was simply delicious. The Neer Dosa was paper thin and paired excellently well with the chicken.
For dessert, we had the Caramel Coconut Payasam and the Kunafa-e-Nuts. While the bits of coconut flesh elevated the perfectly sweet payasam, it was the Kunafa-e-Nuts that stole our stomachs. Traditionally an arabic dessert — where a spun pastry called kataifi is soaked in sweet syrup called attar and layered with cheese — Terrai gave it a Hyderabadi twist by pouring some decadent gile-e-firdaus over it. Garnished with cashews, pistas, and rose petals, this dessert made us feel like we were dining with the nawabs.
Terrai is a venture by Karimnagar-born Rohit Kasuganti and his wife, Anisha Deevakonda. Rohit said, “The name Terrai is derived from the terrains of Telangana, hence the mud-coloured walls. I would spend summer vacations with my grandmother in the village, so I’ve always been interested in agrarian life and cuisine. There has always been so much focus on Andhra cuisine but we wanted to bring progressive Telangana food to the fore — keeping it rustic yet palatable to all.”