Chicken cooked in bamboo (Tripura style)
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Chicken with ginger, chilli and onion packed into a green bamboo tube and cooked over a fire in its own juices.
Region: TripuraOccasion: Outdoor cooking, picnics and gatheringsTime: 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
- 2-inch piece ginger, crushed
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5–6 green chillies, crushed
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Salt to taste
- Leaves to seal the tube
Method
- Mix the chicken with onion, ginger, garlic, chillies, turmeric and salt. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Pack the chicken into the bamboo tube without adding water. Seal the open end with leaves.
- Lay the tube over a wood fire or glowing charcoal and cook for 45–60 minutes, turning it often.
- When the outer skin is charred, split the bamboo carefully and tip out the chicken.
- Serve hot with rice.
History
Bamboo grows widely in Tripura, and its green stems have long served as cooking pots for the State's hill communities.
Significance
Cooking in bamboo needs no oil and adds a gentle, fresh flavour. It is now often prepared for visitors and at food festivals.