From Andhra chicken fry to butter chicken: South and North Indian on one menu at Aara

Looking for an Indian restaurant in Birmingham where the butter chicken fan and the Andhra chilli lover can order from the same menu? Aara, in the Jewellery Quarter, is a South Indian restaurant at heart that cooks across India's states, from Andhra chicken fry, Telangana mutton curry and Hyderabadi-style dum biryanis to the tandoor, chicken tikka masala and paneer.

A family from Punjab, a group of friends from Hyderabad and colleagues who just want a good curry after work should all find their dish here, then something new to try. This guide maps the menu by region.

Coming from the North? Start here

If you grew up with tandoori chicken on the table and naan straight from the oven, the tandoor section will feel like home. Our tikkas, in the menu's words, are "marinated overnight in a specially curated blend of aromatic spices, then chargrilled in the traditional tandoor to create tender, succulent pieces with a delicious smoky flavour."

From the tandoor:

• Chicken tikka and malai chicken tikka
• Chicken tandoori, half or full
• Lamb sheek kebab and lamb chops
• Tandoori prawns
• Paneer tikka, soya chaap tikka and soya chaap malai tikka for vegetarians
• The Tikka platter, with two paneer tikka, a soya malai tikka, a quarter chicken tandoori, a chicken tikka, a sheek kebab and tandoori prawns

Then the North Indian classics:

• Butter chicken: "tender pieces of chargrilled chicken simmered in a creamy tomato and butter gravy, delicately spiced for a rich and indulgent flavour."
• Chicken tikka masala and paneer tikka masala, both grilled first and "simmered in a rich, creamy tomato-based masala."
• Bhuna masala, chicken or lamb, cooked down into a rich, reduced sauce.
• Kheema masala, minced lamb with or without green peas.
• Dal tadka, chana masala, saag aloo and vegetable kadai masala.

Mop it all up with tandoori naan (butter or garlic) or a tandoori butter roti.

Andhra and Telangana: the dishes we are proudest of

This is where the kitchen's roots show, and where we would point a curious North Indian guest. Several of these dishes carry the chef's speciality mark.

Andhra chicken fry is "fiery Andhra-style chicken with bone, roasted with a house blend of spices, curry leaves and fresh coriander for a bold and aromatic finish." It is one of the hotter dishes on the menu, so pair it with something gentler.

Telangana mutton curry is "slow-cooked mutton with onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic, enriched with roasted poppy seeds and dry coconut for a rich, aromatic and deeply flavoured curry." If you usually order a lamb bhuna, this is the dish to try next.

Eat either with bagara rice, a chef's speciality, or with poori, also marked as a chef's speciality. For a starter in the same spirit, the cracked pepper fry, mutton or prawn, is "slow-cooked and tossed with freshly cracked black pepper, onions, curry leaves and aromatic South Indian spices."

Hyderabadi-style dum biryani

The flavours behind Aara are the ones our team grew up with in Hyderabad, and the biryanis are where that shows most. They are sealed and slow-cooked in the dum style, "using fragrant basmati rice, fresh ingredients, spices, ginger, garlic, herbs and saffron", and served with traditional salan and refreshing raita.

• Chicken dum biryani
• Lamb dum biryani, a chef's speciality
• Chicken tikka biryani, where the tandoor meets the biryani pot
• King prawn biryani
• Vegetable dum biryani

Each comes in a regular or large size. All biryanis are marinated in yoghurt, so they contain dairy, and the salan contains peanuts and sesame; ask for it to be left off if you need to.

Until 22 November, our dine-in Diwali menu adds Chicken Lollipop Biryani, Lamb Kheema Biryani and Bagara Rice with Andhra Chicken Ghee Roast. See the Diwali page for both set menus.

Malabar chicken, Chicken 65 and more from the South

Beyond Andhra and Telangana, the South Indian side of the menu keeps going:

• Malabar chicken, "cooked in a fragrant coconut-based sauce with spices and curry leaves."
• Chicken 65, "bite-sized pieces of chicken tempered in spices, ginger, garlic and curry leaves."
• Coriander chicken, a "South Indian-style dry-fried chicken tempered with curry leaves, mustard seeds, garlic and fresh coriander."
• Apollo fish, crispy fish tossed with chillies, curry leaves and a tangy dressing.
• Madras chicken, in a rich, spiced tomato and onion gravy.
• South Indian fish masala, with onions, tamarind, curry leaves, ginger and garlic.

The Indo-Chinese starters

The street-style chilli sauté, with paneer or chicken, is tossed "in a bold, spicy Indo-Chinese dressing". Chicken lollipops are fried until golden. Our fried rice comes as veg, egg or chicken, and you can add schezwan sauce to any of them.

How to order a table that suits everyone

You do not have to choose a side. A simple way to order for two to four people:

1. Start in the middle with something from the tandoor, or the tikka platter.
2. Pick one curry from each side: butter chicken or chicken tikka masala from the North, Andhra chicken fry or Telangana mutton curry from the South.
3. Add a biryani to share, or bagara rice.
4. Bread for the table: garlic naan, butter roti or poori.
5. Something cooling: a mango lassi or sweet lassi, then kulfi or Apricot delight to finish. A Masala chai works at the end, too.

Vegetarians can do the same with paneer tikka, paneer tikka masala, dal tadka and vegetable dum biryani. Vegetarian dishes are marked V on the menu.

Halal, allergens and spice

We use halal meat in our meat dishes. If you have an allergy or intolerance, please speak to a member of staff before ordering. We cannot guarantee any dish is completely free of allergen traces. If you are unsure how hot a dish is, ask the team and we will steer you.

Book, call or order

Aara is at 108-109 Icknield Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham B18 6RZ. We are open from 12:00 every day, until 22:00 Sunday to Thursday and 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, with the all-day menu served throughout. There are free parking spaces in front of the restaurant and on nearby Pope Street.

• Book a table
• Call 0121 389 9882
• Order for collection

Browse every dish, North and South, on the full menu.