Eluru and Ongole get ready for an exciting cookery contest. The Hindu , in association with the Tourism Department, has taken up the mission to identify and promote the ‘Signature dish’ of Andhra Pradesh.
To identify the signature dish, cookery contests on the theme “Our State Our Taste” are being organised in the 13 districts across the State. The winners will go home with fabulous prizes to be doled out by the organisers. Preliminary rounds of the contests which began on January 21 will continue till March 4. The contest in Eluru will be held at VTR Grand on February 10 (Saturday) while in Ongole, the event will be held at SKBS Sai A1 Convention Centre on February 11 (Sunday). The contest will start at 10 am. at both the places.
Andhra Pradesh is endowed with a rich culinary tradition. Be it the famous Bandar laddu, the red hot aavakaya , the unique combination of gongura-mutton , the tangy chepa pulusu or traditional desserts like bobbattu, kaza and arisa , kitchens here are a smorgasbord of lip-smacking vegetarian and non-vegetarian flavours. We also have some unique heritage recipes such as pulasa chepa koora, putharekulu and ulava charu . The food and culture here varies from region to region, and it will be an exciting thing to decide on the signature dish that reflects the culture, tradition and identity of the State.
‘Heritage dishes’
The participants will have to cook any one of the 50 dishes earmarked as ‘heritage dishes’ based on public voting. A jury consisting of eminent chefs will select three winners from each district who will qualify for the grand finale proposed at ‘A’ Convention Hall in Vijayawada on March 9 where the winner will get the title of ‘Master Chef of AP.’
For participation, SMS/WhatsApp (district name space dish name +91 9100020391/92), or call +91 9100020391/92) or log on to www.ourstateourtaste.com. Telugu people outside the State can participate by uploading videos of their recipes.
Fifty contestants (39 from the districts and 11 online contestants) will vie for the title in the final round. Andhra Pradesh Tourism is the title sponsor while Premier Cookware and Appliances and Gopu-ram Food Products are other sponsors of the event. TV5 is TV partner, Red FM is radio partner and HDFC Bank is official banking partner. White Thoughts and Branding is the creative and digital partner of the contest.
Spot registrations
Participants can also register for the contest at their respective venues between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
