Awandru Chicken
Chicken cooked inside bamboo tube — chicken pieces marinated in shallots, green chilli, ginger, turmeric, salt, and wild Tripuri herbs, packed into a section of freshly cut green bamboo tube, sealed, and roasted over a wood fire for forty to fifty minutes, turning regularly. The bamboo's sap and moisture create steam inside the sealed tube; the chicken cooks in this steam environment infused with green bamboo flavour and the rendered fat from the skin. The resulting chicken is extraordinarily moist — the sealed tube prevents any moisture loss — and carries a subtly smoky, green, woodsy quality from the bamboo wall. The awandru technique produces fundamentally different textures than any pan-cooking method; the chicken essentially poaches in its own juices inside the bamboo. A preparation made for outdoor festival celebrations and forest gatherings.
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 500 grams | chicken, cut into pieces |
| 1 cup | fermented bamboo shoot |
| 2 tablespoons | mustard oil |
| 1 teaspoon | turmeric powder |
| 1 teaspoon | red chili powder |
| 1 teaspoon | ginger paste |
| 1 teaspoon | garlic paste |
| 2 cups | water |
| 2 | green chilies, slit |
| 1 teaspoon | salt to taste |
| 1 handful | fresh coriander leaves, chopped |
Instructions
- 1 Heat mustard oil in a pan until it starts to smoke slightly.
- 2 Add ginger paste and garlic paste, sauté until the raw smell disappears.
- 3 Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until they are lightly browned.
- 4 Mix in the turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt.
- 5 Add the fermented bamboo shoot and stir well to combine.
- 6 Pour in water and bring the mixture to a boil.
- 7 Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- 8 Add the slit green chilies and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- 9 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.
Tips
For an authentic taste, use fresh bamboo shoot if available, and adjust the amount of chili to your heat preference.