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Indian cuisine is one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. And our rulers are often credited for introducing some of the most unique delicacies that we know today! Be it the kebabs, the gosht, or any of the royal aromatic curries, we cannot resist any of it. Murgh Mussalam, for instance, is one chicken delicacy that is quite a staple at restaurants and dinner parties today. ‘Murgh’ is chicken and ‘Mussalam’ is an Urdu word which translates to whole or complete. And so, the delicacy is just whole chicken marinated in a ginger-garlic paste, stuffed with boiled eggs, and seasoned with spices. Sounds delicious, right? But the history around this dish is much more interesting than the dish itself!
The early traces of Murgh Mussalam goes back to a 16th century document ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ by Abul Fazl, which describes the dish as a descendant of ‘Musamman’. It is described as one of the dishes that feature meats cooked with exotic spices and dry fruits. Translation of Ain-i-Akbari also has a recipe of it.
Besides this, Ibn Battuta in the book ‘Tracing the Boundaries between Hindi and Urdu’ called Murgh Mussalam as one of the dishes at the court of Muhammad Ibn Tughlaq. As per legend, it was one of the beloved dishes served at a grand dinner hosted by Sultan Muhammad Ibn Tughlaq for a Qazi. A dish featuring a roasted fowl served on a bed of ghee-cooked rice was served at the dinner. As per many food historians, references to roasted fowl can be found in ancient Indian literature- in Tamil literature of the 3rd century BC as well. If you are someone who loves Murgh Mussalam over anything else, guess which emperor was also very fond of the same? King Muhammad bin Tughlaq!
While the traditional recipe had the marinated whole chicken stuffed with boiled eggs and cooked with rich spices and herbs such as saffron, cinnamon, cloves, poppy seeds, cardamom and chillis, the recipe has taken various changes. It used to be cooked dry or in sauce, and garnished with almonds and silver leaves. If you too wish to cook it at home, we’ve got a perfect recipe for you.
This recipe uses kewra water and sesame seeds too, which lends a distinct flavour to the chicken delight.
Find the full recipe of Murgh Mussalam here. Try it at home and share your experience with us!
