Ratna G. Chotrani

Anjum Pasha wears many hats; she is a lawyer and an educationist by profession and a home chef specializing in the Hyderabadi cuisine by passion. She borrows as much from tradition as she does from good old-fashioned ingenuity.

Her food is much sought after by famous restaurants of the city during Ramzan as it’s the choice of guests for their post-Iftar meal. Her food is so famous that she enjoys the status of a legend in Hyderabad

Anjum Pasha is perhaps the last of the master chefs who learned through experience and translated life’s lessons seamlessly into the ultimate expression of food. Her fine dining kitchen draws inspiration from the rich heritage of the famed royal kitchens of Hyderabad.

Even her home is a reflection of the grandeur of the Nawabs, with its colour schemes, textures, and artwork, as luxurious interiors inspired by traditional royal architecture. Yet a simpleton at heart who opened her Kitchen doors to people during Covid and since then there has been no looking back.

Anjum Pasha

Today she is invited by well-known restaurants to serve Hyderabadi food for dinner taken after Muslims break their day-long at Iftar during Ramzan.

Anjum Pasha's life is about her journey from her connoisseur mother introducing her to the world of food, to becoming a well-recognized chef whose home kitchen is booked for the season of Ramzan.

Anyone looking for a gastronomical delight in the city can call her place to place the order. Her kitchen offers the best, making every meal an unforgettable experience

Her menu consists of some of the finest dishes in Hyderabad that are steeped in tradition or rivayat. Every aspect of the menu is designed to perfection from the unique Hyderabad flavours to the traditional cooking styles that lend the dishes a unique aroma

She says “Hyderabadi khatti Dal, Tala Hua Ghost and simple rice are a classic but how much the dal should be khatti to get just the right taste has been lost. Either there are too many spices in the Biryani or filled with dry fruits yet people claim that, as real Hyderabadi cuisine which is not true, it is,  but a fusion of all kinds of cooking.

Her Sofiyaani Biryani (white aromatic rice and succulent mutton pieces cooked in subtle flavours using elaich, lavang (Clove), dalchini (cinammon) shah jeera (black cumin), and green chili paste) with the richness of the dish coming from the use of khoya and malai.

Hyderabadi Biryani by Anjum Pasha

The Hyderabadi Shammi Kebabs is a flavorsome patty made of pure meat and shallow fried or the nuanced dishes like Shadiyoonwala Red chicken, Dum ka keema served with the Trikoni naan or even her Mutton murag –tender mutton pieces cooked in a cashew-based thin gravy and served with naan or roti, zaffrani biryani, haleem – made from wheat germ, mutton dunked in pure ghee and spices and smashed to a golden paste, and many more add to her feast.

These authentic dishes and preparations are not available anywhere else and are starkly different and evolved in their preparation and taste -nazakat (Finesse) and nafasat (elegance). Indeed her cuisine represents Hyderabad’s hidden culinary treasures.

During Ramzan the menu at “Cuisine by Anjum Pasha” offers some of the finest dishes in town that are a culinary delight. Every aspect of the menu is designed to perfection from the unique Deccani flavours to the traditional cooking styles that lend the dishes a unique aroma.

Apricot and almond dessert

To end the meal on a sweet note, go for Khubbani cooked in a delicious natural syrup of apricots and almonds and served with Malai or the double ka meetha and sheer khurma.

She curates each order separately. Over the years Ramzan has been about Iftar with Anjum Pasha’s food and her customers have gone up in numbers and ordering food from her kitchen has become a matter of honour. The food meanwhile is so popular that people time their travel to Hyderabad to coincide with it. Her legendary Nawabi chicken or dum ka mutton or the dalcha  -channa dal cooked with mutton are all inspired from the royal kitchens they will all leave you going back for more. 

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So, if you’re planning a big family dinner or an Iftar with your friends order food from “Cuisine by Anjum Pasha”, the place that uniquely celebrates the fine flavours of Hyderabad