The third leg of ‘Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil’s The Hindu Metro Plus Cookery Contest-2013’ saw participants dish out delicacies even while keeping health and fitness in mind.
Large footfall
If numbers were anything to go by, the third leg of the cookery contest organised at Naineni Ramaiah's Metro Marvel Gardens in Kukatpally was a grand success. Women gathered at the venue to present their dishes to win the grand prizes in three categories - sweets and desserts, vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
Fare across the table
While some women stuck to traditional South Indian delicacies such as the ‘gongura chicken’ or the ‘dahi vadai’, some other chose to go continental with honey-glazed grilled chicken or vegetarian casseroles. Some of the more innovative participants gave traditional dishes an interesting twist, like Tanuja, who had made soya biryani or Shreya Sarraf who chose to prepare ‘Sarvapindi’ with corn, accompanied by mango chutney.
Keeping children in mind
Ask Tanuja, a homemaker why she chose soya as her main ingredient and she reels of the innumerable health benefits and nutritional value of the products. Most participants chose to make dishes substituting healthy ingredients like soya, ragi, brown rice, raw jackfruit and jowar for other less nutritional alternatives.
“Most participants have made dishes keeping in mind their children,” observes Chef Vivekananda from the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, one of the two judges.
“They think about how to make a highly nutritious dish tastier and presenting it differently so children and the rest of the family will eat it readily. Nutrition and taste are their two primary goals.”
Samta Singhee bagged the first place in the vegetarian category. Hers was a layered and baked of dish made of whole wheat bread, oatmeal, chickpeas, spinach and mashed potato. The second prize was won by Usha Singh for her ‘Vegetarian chicken’, where she substituted tender jackfruit for chicken.
The third was Shalini Agarwal, whose dish ‘Gift house’ was a preparation using paneer and spinach presented in the shape of a house.
In the non-vegetarian category, it was R.Kavitha’s ‘Desi sandwich’ treat that walked away with the first prize. In second place was Shifa Shoaib who prepared ‘Chicken Nanavati’, presented as a sizzler. Sowmya. R traditional Gujarati preparation of ‘Mandakini chicken’, won her third place.
Now for dessert
The winner of the sweets and desserts category - one that saw the most innovation - was Sangeetha Kente whose Chocolate delight was made primarily with mashed brown rice as the base. In second place we had K. Shoba who prepared ‘Fruity Jamoon’ and S.Lata came in third for her ‘Drumstick Halwa’.
The first prize winners walked away with a 20-gm silver coin sponsored by MAA Jewellery while other winners won special gift packs, and scores of other contestants won gift hampers from various sponsors.
Next week, The MetroPlus Cookery Contest-2013 will move to Mehdipatnam.
