Rediscovering Telangana: A culinary journey with Terrāi

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Some of Rohit Kasuganti’s fondest memories of food are associated with his ancestral village in Yellapur situated in the Warangal district of Telangana. Surrounded by bountiful farms, he remembers his grandmother preparing hearty meals of pulusu, a tangy rasam-like stew often packed with farm fresh vegetables or moong fritters, soft steamed rice dumplings called kudumulu, and smoky roasted corn harvested from the fields.

Earlier this month, the 34-year-old restaurateur along with his wife Anisha Deevakonda launched Terrāi, a dining concept that champions the culinary heritage of Telangana in the state capital of Hyderabad. The ethos of the brand carefully borrows from Kasuganti’s childhood spent in the countryside, with a menu that spotlights the diverse produce and cooking techniques of the region. Ask anyone about their favourite thing to eat in Hyderabad, and the response is most likely to be biryani.

While the local cuisine is heavily influenced by the culinary culture of the Nizams, eating out in the city rarely offers a perspective to the distinct cooking styles of Telangana. Considering it was granted statehood in 2014, for a relatively new state, the food culture of the region was primarily overshadowed by Andhra cuisine. “People somehow felt lost because although the dishes looked similar, the ingredients were quite different," explains Kasuganti.