Dopiaza facts for kids
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| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  Iran |
| Region or state | Iran, India and Pakistan |
| Main ingredients | Meat, onions, curry |
Dopiaza is a tasty dish that means "two onions." It's popular in places like Iran, India, and Pakistan. This dish is usually made with meat and has lots of onions in it.
There are two main ideas about how Dopiaza got its name:
- Some say onions are added at two different times while cooking. First, they are mixed into the meat or sauce. Then, more onions are added as a topping, either pickled or fried until crispy.
- Others believe the name comes from using twice as many onions as meat in the recipe.
Dopiaza often includes beef, chicken, mutton, or shrimp. You can also find vegetarian versions, like one made with okra.
History of Dopiaza
This dish first came from a region called Greater Khorasan, which is now parts of Iran and Afghanistan. The Mughals, who ruled a large empire from 1526 to 1857, brought Dopiaza to South Asia. From there, it spread to other countries where people from South Asia live. Different versions of the dish have grown popular in places like Hyderabad, India and various parts of Pakistan.
There's a fun story about how Dopiaza was created. It says that a courtier named Mullah Do-Piyaza, who worked for the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, accidentally added a huge amount of onions to a dish. However, this story is likely just a legend. There are no old records from the Mughal Empire that mention a courtier with this name. The funny stories about him only started appearing much later, in the late 1800s.
Iranian Dopiaza Dishes
Dopiazeh is a traditional meal from Shiraz, a city in Iran. This version can be made with small pieces of lamb, beef, chicken, or shrimp. It also often includes potatoes and a generous amount of sliced onions. In Shiraz, the word aloo can mean potatoes, even though in standard Persian it means plum.
Key Ingredients for Dopiaza
Like many dishes from Hyderabad, India, adding something sour is very important for Dopiaza. Often, raw mangoes are used to give it a tangy flavor. Sometimes, lemon juice or cranberries are used instead.
The main ingredients for Dopiaza usually include chicken or other meats, onions, and a paste made from ginger and garlic. It also uses whole hot spices like black cardamoms, cloves, and peppercorns, along with salt and chili powder.
Iranian Dopiaza might be made with potatoes, onions, turmeric powder, tomato paste, dried fenugreek leaves, and other spices.
See also
In Spanish: Dopiaza para niños
