Hyderabadi Marag

Hyderabadi Marag is a popular soup made in traditional Hyderbadi families, commonly during wedding festivities. It is made with goat or lamb meat, bone - in, and is also considered a healthy meal for ailing people. Personally, I love sipping the meaty, spicy flavors on cold winter nights. It is an indulgence in terms of calories but it is definitely the ultimate winter food.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients

• Lamb or goat meat, bone in, cut into medium size pieces - 2 pounds
• White onions - 2 medium
• Ginger (chopped fine) - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cilantro (chopped) - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 2 tsp
• Cardamom pods - 5 or 6
• Green chilies - 2
• Almonds - 11 or 12
• Cashews - 11 or 12
• Water - 10 cups
• Desi ghee - 3 Tbsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Method 

• Dice the onion finely and slit the green chilies length-wise
• Blend the almonds and cashews to a powder. Add a little water to give it paste like texture. There is no need to soak the cashew and almonds before grinding.

• Heat ghee. Add cardamom pods and let them sputter.

• Add onion and cook till pink
• Add ginger pieces and peppercorns

• Add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilies and stir.

• Add a little salt and mix well.
• Add meat and cook till water from the meat evaporates
• Add salt, turmeric and some chopped cilantro

• Add 10 cups of water and let it cook for on a low flame for an hour. Do not cover as this darkens the meat. 

• Add cardamom powder powder, some more salt to taste, almond paste, cashew paste and more cilantro. 
• Keep stirring continuously till the soup thickens.

Suggestion - Add the juice of 1 lemon or a few more green chilies per personal taste. Traditionally, Marag is not a very spicy soup.