Bongu chicken (bamboo chicken)
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Spiced chicken packed into a green bamboo tube, sealed with leaves and roasted over an open fire, a dish of the Araku hills.
Region: Andhra Pradesh (Araku Valley and the Eastern Ghats)Occasion: Outdoor cooking, festivals and visits to ArakuTime: 1½ hoursServes: 4Non-vegetarian
Ingredients
- 750 g chicken, cut into small pieces
- 1 green bamboo tube, about 45 cm long with one closed end
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 4 green chillies, crushed
- 1½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
- Coriander leaves
- Sal or banana leaves to seal the tube
Method
- Mix the chicken with all the other ingredients except the leaves. Marinate for 1 hour.
- Pack the chicken tightly into the bamboo tube without adding water.
- Seal the open end firmly with folded leaves.
- Place the tube at an angle over glowing charcoal or a wood fire and roast for 45–60 minutes, turning it so it chars evenly.
- When the outside is blackened, cut or split the bamboo carefully and tip out the chicken. Serve hot.
History
Cooking in green bamboo is a long-standing practice among the hill communities of the Eastern Ghats, where bamboo is plentiful.
Significance
The bamboo's moisture steams the chicken in its own juices with no added water. Bongu chicken is now a well-known dish for visitors to Araku.