 Persian Shiraz-style curry with onions | |
| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, India and Pakistan |
| Main ingredients | Meat, onions |
Dopiaza (Persian: دوپیازه, Hindi: दो प्याज़ा, meaning "two onions") is the name of a curry that contains onions as a major ingredient. It is recorded in Mughlai cuisine in the 16th century, and occurs in both Iranian and South Asian cuisine. It has become widespread in South Asia and in British Indian cuisine.
History
[edit]Dopiaza (Persian: دوپیازه, Hindi: दो प्याज़ा) was named for "two onions", since onions are used in two ways in the dish: boiled in the gravy, and raw or fried as a garnish.[1][2] The English word is borrowed partly from Urdu dopiyāza and partly from Persian dupiyāza, where du means "two" and piyāz means "onion".[1]
A legend tells that the fictional Mulla Do-Piyaza in the Mughal emperor Akbar's court in Delhi created the dish by accident by adding the onions to the dish twice.[3][4]
An actual recipe for dopiaza was however given by one of Akbar's real courtiers, Abul Fazl in a 16th century text, the Ain-i-Akbari. It uses a ratio of two parts onions to ten of meat. The historian of food Lizzie Collingham comments that the recipe uses substantial quantities of spices (pepper, cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin), implying Hindustani influence on the Mughlai dish.[5] The dish was taken up in Anglo-Indian cuisine during the British Raj, and then brought back to Britain, appearing on the menu of Veeraswamy restaurant (founded in 1926),[5] and later as a standard dish in British Indian restaurants.[6]
Dish
[edit]In Iran, dopiazeh is a traditional dish from Shiraz, and it can be made with cubed or ground lamb or chicken, potatoes, and plenty of sliced onions.[2] A vegetarian version, Dopiazeh aloo is a potato and onion curry; it can be served with a salad, or used as a side dish.[7]
In India, dopiaza is associated with the city of Hyderabad.[8][6] The Indian cook Madhur Jaffrey's do piaza flavours a shoulder of lamb with boiled onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander, and cumin, and some yoghurt. It is made spicy hot with cayenne pepper; some garam masala and fried onions are added at the end, cooked for a few minutes.[9] Kairi ka do pyaza is a lamb curry with onions and unripe green mangoes. It is further flavoured with ginger, garlic, chili, turmeric, garam masala, and coriander.[10]
In Britain, dopiaza can be made with any meat. For example, the BBC gives a recipe for a prawn dopiaza, using onions and spices much as Jaffrey does, but with the addition of honey and peas to the sauce. Butter is used for frying the onions and prawns.[11]
- Dopiaza around the world
-
Chicken dopiaza, Netherlands, 2011 -
-
Bhindi do pyaza, Awadh, India, 2014 -
Mutton dopiaza, Japan, 2024
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "dopiaza noun: Etymology". Oxford English Dictionary. 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ a b Basu, Mallika (16 December 2015). "Lamb Dopiaza: an alternative recipe for Christmas Day". Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ Bora, Anirban (12 October 2019). "In times of skyrocketing onion prices, what would Birbal's rival Mulla Do-Piyaza do?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ Someshwar, Manreet Sodhi (19 January 2011). "My empire for an Onion". The New York Times.
In 16th century India a cook in the kitchen of the Mughal emperor Akbar accidentally added two portions of onion to a dish which went on to become a great hit. Thus was born dopiaza, literally onion twice over, a dish cooked in onion sauce that remains immensely popular to this day and has been successfully transplanted to Britain as well.
- ^ a b Collingham, Lizzie (2006). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. London: Vintage Books. pp. 29–30, 224. ISBN 978-0-099-43786-4.
- ^ a b Dillon, Sheila. "From balti to bhuna: the ultimate guide to curry". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ "Kayhan International: Persian Potato Curry of Dopiazeh Aloo". Islamic Republic News Agency. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ Afreen, Saima (19 May 2018). "Relish and celebrate this Ramzan with Hyderabadi dishes". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ Jaffrey, Madhur (1982). "Lamb with onions: Do piaza". Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery. London: BBC. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0-563-16491-3.
- ^ Veluri, Anu. "How to make Kairi (raw mango) ka Do Pyaza". Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ Rimmer, Simon. "Prawn dopiaza". BBC Food. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
External links
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