The state of Andhra Pradesh boasts many regional culinary offerings. The tribal belts of the region are especially known for their technique of cooking meat inside bamboo for a richer and nuanced flavour. To help you recreate this experience in your own kitchen, chef Krishna Kishore from Novotel, Andhra Pradesh, has curated four tribal Andhra recipes.
Bamboo or Bongulo chicken hails from the tribal cuisine of Araku, a small place near Vizag. This is a classic appetiser prepared by stuffing the chicken in the bamboo shoot and then cooking it on charcoal. Kodi Seekhulu from the Araku Valley essentially consists of chicken skewers that taste best with a side of mint chutney. With its roots in the Madugula tribe, the Madugula Halwa is a ghee-laden dessert ideal for all your celebrations. And if you are looking for something light and bite-sized, opt for the Ragi Pottikkallu from the Narsipatnam tribal area.
Recipe: Bamboo (bongulo) chicken
Ingredients
- 350gm boneless chicken
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1 lemon
- 5gm ginger-garlic paste
- 5ml oil
- 5gm coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 green bamboo stem, freshly cut
Method
1
Rinse chicken thoroughly and put it into a mixing bowl.
2
Add the turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, oil and mix well.
3
Leave the marinade for 30 minutes to an hour.
4
Place firewood on the ground. Pour some petrol or kerosene oil on the wood.
5
Take a few papers, dry leaves or coconut fibres and put them on the wood for kindling. Start a fire.
6
Take the freshly-cut green bamboo stems with one end closed with the node. Rinse the inner part of the bamboo thoroughly before use.
7
Fill 3/4th of the bamboo with the marinaded chicken and seal the top with balled up banana leaves.
8
Place it on the fire and leave for 45 minutes to an hour.
9
Once done, hold the bamboo with a pincer, and remove the leafy plug from the bamboo cylinder.
10
Take a plate and turn the bamboo upside down over it. Serve the chicken hot.
Recipe: Kodi sheekulu
Ingredients
- 250gm chicken
- 200gm ginger garlic paste
- 5gm salt
- 5gm jeera
- 2 green chillis
- 5gm coriander, chopped
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 5 bamboo sticks
- 20gm chilli powder
- 5gm dhaniya powder
- 5gm garam masala powder
- 5gm turmeric powder
- 30ml oil
Method
1
Wash and drain the chicken completely and cut them into cubes.
2
Marinate with all the above ingredients.
3
Place the skewers on the barbeque grill.
4
Grill for 15-20 minutes and flip them.
5
Re-flip them after 10 minutes and serve with green chutney.
Recipe: Madugula Halwa
Ingredients
- 100gm maida/white flour
- 200gm sugar
- Almonds, cashews, and raisins as needed
- 2gm cardamom powder
- 2gm saffron
- 100ml ghee
Method
1
Pour a cup of ghee into the pan and fry the flour in it.
2
Separately, add sugar to a bowl and add enough water to make the sugar syrup.
3
Add almonds, cashews, raisins, and caramel in the boiling flour and stir till stiff.
4
Reduce the flame and add the cardamom powder and saffron before serving.
Recipe: Ragi pottikkallu
Ingredients
- 150gm urad dal (whole)
- 50gm ragi seeds
- Salt to taste
- 100gm idli rava
- 5gm fenugreek seeds
- 12 jack fruit leaves
Method
1
Wash and leave the urad dal and fenugreek seeds to soak for at least four hours.
2
Soak ragi seeds separately for four hours, and rinse in water twice or thrice before grinding.
3
Soak idli rava for two hours and squeeze it before adding to the batter.
4
Grind both urad dal and ragi separately for 20 minutes.
5
Now mix both batters with the idli rava.
6
Before preparing pottikkalu, make small cones with jack fruit leaves and pour the batter into this. Cook in a steamer for 12 minutes and serve hot with chutney.
Also read:
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