Chingri Awandru

Prawns cooked in bamboo tube — fresh medium prawns cleaned and mixed with shallots, green chilli, ginger, turmeric, salt, and fresh coriander or wild herbs, packed tightly into a green bamboo tube (awandru), sealed with a banana leaf plug, and roasted slowly over a wood fire for twenty-five to thirty minutes. The bamboo's moisture keeps the prawns from drying out while the heat inside the tube cooks them gently in their own juices; the smoke and the green bamboo wall impart a clean, forest-fresh flavour note. The result is prawns that are moist, lightly smoky, and perfumed with bamboo. The awandru technique preserves the prawn's natural sweetness better than any open-pan method. Made during forest outings and river fishing expeditions when bamboo is cut fresh; also prepared for Tripuri festivals when open-fire cooking is traditional.