This is in continuum with my previous post about a certain coffee shop in Araku Valley . As I wrote there, we were very very hungry and on the lookout for some breakfast. Our driver, on the other hand decided to dump us all to the tribal museum there as a customary visit. Now, the night before, I had seen a sign in our 'resort' proclaiming that they make bamboo chicken. It seemed intriguing, but I never really got around to have it then. So imagine my delight when I got to know that they were making bamboo chicken right in the museum premises. It was marketed as some sort of a tribal delicacy.
Gauging by the crowd there, it seemed a huge hit with the tourists. Now, what they do is that, they marinate the chicken and then put them into hollow bamboo stems and cook it over an open fire. They DO NOT cook the chicken with bamboo shoots (something I was scared of due to my disastrous experiment with bamboo shoot soup at Peiping previously, well that's another story). The bamboo is almost completely charred at the end of it, when they just take it out and tap the contents over little paper plates. The chicken is then served with wedges of lemon and slices of onion, on a bamboo tray and it is supposed to be eaten with a toothpick :).
Owing to the awesome marinade they had used, it was pleasantly spicy. And the lemon with it added just the right tang. We also had bought some local bread from a small shop nearby, and coupled with the chicken it was a heavenly breakfast. The chicken made the bread taste almost sweet. It was so spicy that it made your lazy tastebuds almost jump to life, but it wasn't so spicy that it made your eyes water or your mouth burn. I really don't get it with people who enjoy eyes watering spices, like some of my north Indian friends who love mirchi ka achaar and all..doesn't it kill the taste and spoil the fun? Anyway, each of us finished our plate in less than 5 minutes. Oh yes, and one more thing, if you expect any specific modification in taste due to the bamboo factor, you will be disappointed. I could not discern any different flavour. I presume the bamboo just adds to the novelty factor and nothing else.
After the satisfying meal, some of us also did try out some archery, but I soon discovered that the high tension bow strings were not my cup of tea and I went back for some more chicken. :)
Gauging by the crowd there, it seemed a huge hit with the tourists. Now, what they do is that, they marinate the chicken and then put them into hollow bamboo stems and cook it over an open fire. They DO NOT cook the chicken with bamboo shoots (something I was scared of due to my disastrous experiment with bamboo shoot soup at Peiping previously, well that's another story). The bamboo is almost completely charred at the end of it, when they just take it out and tap the contents over little paper plates. The chicken is then served with wedges of lemon and slices of onion, on a bamboo tray and it is supposed to be eaten with a toothpick :).
Owing to the awesome marinade they had used, it was pleasantly spicy. And the lemon with it added just the right tang. We also had bought some local bread from a small shop nearby, and coupled with the chicken it was a heavenly breakfast. The chicken made the bread taste almost sweet. It was so spicy that it made your lazy tastebuds almost jump to life, but it wasn't so spicy that it made your eyes water or your mouth burn. I really don't get it with people who enjoy eyes watering spices, like some of my north Indian friends who love mirchi ka achaar and all..doesn't it kill the taste and spoil the fun? Anyway, each of us finished our plate in less than 5 minutes. Oh yes, and one more thing, if you expect any specific modification in taste due to the bamboo factor, you will be disappointed. I could not discern any different flavour. I presume the bamboo just adds to the novelty factor and nothing else.
After the satisfying meal, some of us also did try out some archery, but I soon discovered that the high tension bow strings were not my cup of tea and I went back for some more chicken. :)
