Parinde Mein Parinda: A Lost Dish From Mughlai Cuisine 

Due to its diverse flavour, taste and variety Indian cuisines have marked their presence to rest of the world. Several Indian restaurants are running abroad serving the traditional meals of Indian cuisine. Even though our food is popular all over the world, still we are losing several traditional dishes like Phulkari Pulao of Punjab, Zameen Doz of Awadh and Atkori of Himachal Pradesh. Our lifestyle has changed so much that we have completely shifted to easy to make recipes. In the middle of ready-to-make food and instant noodles we are forgetting traditional cuisine.

The original dish was made by stuffing a camel with other smaller animals. They dum-cooked the dish and were mostly prepared for feasts to cater for a large number of people. Later, the animals were replaced with birds, mainly ducks, chicken, quail and the remaining spaces are filled with eggs. This unique dish requires a lot of skills as each bird is cooked differently and then stuffed together. 

Though Parinde Mein Parinda is a complex dish it can sway you away with its heavenly taste. And in case you want try it at home here is a simpler recipe to try: 

Ingredients: 

• 2 whole chicks  
• 1 whole chicken  
• 2 hard boiled eggs 
• 2 lemon   
• 4 tsp salt 
• 4 tsp red chilli powder 
• 2 tsp ginger paste 
• 2 tsp garlic Paste  
• 1 cup yogurt 
• 2 tsp garam masala powder  
• 1 tsp mint Leaves  
• ¼ cups chopped coriander leaves  
• 3 onions (grated)   
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder  
• 2 tsp coriander powder   
• 2 tsp cumin powder   
• ¼ tsp black pepper powder   
• 1 tsp green chilli paste   
• 3 cups mustard oil  
• 20 soaked almonds  
• 2 tsp poppy seeds  
• ¼ cups fried onions 
• 1 tsp shahi jeera  
• ½ tsp turmeric powder 
• 3 grated tomatoes  
• 1/3 cups milk  

Method: 

• Wash and clean the chicks and chicken properly. 
•  In a large bowl soak the chicken in ice cold water overnight in the refrigerator. 
• Marinate them with lemon juice, red chilli powder and salt and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 
• In a large bowl mix together yogurt, red chilli powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste and salt. 
•  Make slits in the chicken and marinate with the mixture then refrigerate for 3 hours. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and sauté. 
•  Add garam masala powder, cumin powder and salt.  
• Place the chicks in the pan and cook till the color changes then add a little water and cook them again till they become tender. 
• Then add mint and coriander leaves 
• Place the two the eggs inside the two chicks. 
• And then take the marinated chicken and stuff with chicks and one egg. Don’t forget tie the legs of the chicks properly. 
• Roast the soaked almonds along with poppy seeds and make a smooth paste using milk. And also make paste of fried onions. 
• Heat 2 cups of oil in a big pan and fry the chicken on medium on all sides till it turns golden. 
• Take the chicken out and reduce the oil in pan to 4 tsp. 
• Add jeera, grated onion and cook till onion turns golden brown.  
• Then add all the remaining ginger garlic paste, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric Powder, kashmiri chilli powder, red chilli powder and salt along with grated tomatoes and cook well. 
• Add almond and poppy seeds paste and cook again till the oil separates  
• Then add yoghurt and stir. 
• Add half cup water and mix and place the chicken (keeping the breast part down and cover it with lid). 
• Cook it in medium flame, rotating the chicken every 5 minutes and after 15 minutes turn the chicken and again cover the pan with lid. 
• Repeat the process till the chicken becomes tender, then remove it from the pan and let the gravy cook till it gets thick. And your home-cooked Parinde Mein Parinda is ready to serve. 

The prepared dish is for six servings and you can pair it with pulao and enjoy the meal of Mughal with your family.