Striking a conversation with Kurra Bujji can be a spicy experience. Even while talking, her hands move swiftly, marinating a bowl-full of cubed chicken with ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, salt, lime juice and a few other local spices.
A native of Chaprai near Araku, Bujji, along with a couple of more people from her village, is part of the ongoing Saras-2017, a craft bazaar organised by the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), a wing of the Department of Rural Development at PWD Ground.
The sight of a group of youngsters heading to her stall spurs her into action. She begins to stuff the marinated chicken in a freshly-cut bamboo shoot, seals the tube end with leaves and places it over a wood-fired stove. “As it cooks, the chicken is infused with juices from the bamboo stem; no oil or water is used,” she informs, happily welcoming yet another batch of customers.
After a few sparks, crackles and an enticing aroma, she retrieves the cooked chicken from the charred bamboo shoot and serves it hot in a steel plate and garnishes it with round slices of onion. Looking at the waiting customers, she pleads with them for patience and quickly gets back to repeat the exercise, this time using a bigger size bamboo shoot.
Bujji’s stall selling bamboo chicken at the bazaar has become a rage with throngs of people, especially foodies, crowding around the place to dig into steaming hot chicken cooked without oil or water.
Adjacent to her stall is a Rajasthani fare offering authentic delicacies of the lands such as dal bhaati churma, dil khushal, boondi raitha, badam halwa, Jaipuri dahi vada and mawa kachouri.
A part of the exhibition ground has turned into a foodie’s paradise with stalls offering lip smacking flavours to people coming in droves and going around the sprawling space to shop and eat.
There are around 355 stalls put up by artisans coming from all parts of the country, to find direct customers for their original products that range from agarbathis to leather bags, bedsheets to footwear, copper items, home furnishing material, saris and dress material, herbal products, khadi garments, kitchen equipment, toys and food items.
“The response is good and we expect more footfalls this weekend,” says N.S.R. Murthy, Junior Project Executive-Livelihoods, SERP.
The exhibition is on from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. till Sunday (October 8) .