Most of us harbour a deep-seated love of sweets. Many of us may restrict their intake for health reasons but seldom you see a person who does not enjoy sweets.
In Andhra Pradesh, sweets hold a traditional charm that reflects in the recipes handed down through generations. The delicious Bandar halwa is one such delicacy.
V. Malika relied on this dish and won the first prize at The Hindu’s cookery contest ‘Our State Our Taste’ organised in association with the Tourism Department, at Piduguralla of Guntur district on Sunday.
The Bhavanasi Kalyana Mandapam, the venue for the last episode of the preliminary round of the cookery competition, saw participation of 210 women.
Diverse dishes
Sora puttu, a light and flavourful fish dish, fetched the second prize to Y. Swarupa Rani and a nethi beerakaya-gummadi vadiyala kura by Ch. Kalyani elevated her to the third position.
In their quest to bring in innovation into their kitchen, the participants walked that extra mile and presented dishes that were as diverse as unusual.
They ranged from patchi pasupu kommalu kura (turmeric stem curry), chenchala aaku kura, sorakaya garelu, kanda pachchadi, arikela cut pongal, saamula pulihora, yendu chikkudu ginjalu garelu, vegetable idly and jamakaya pachchadi.
Piduguralla Municipal Chairperson Bhavanasi Hymavathi Ellarao, the chief guest on the occasion, said it was heart-warming to see women coming out of their kitchens to be part of an event like this in such large numbers in a small town like Piduguralla.
She said regardless of winning or losing, it was important for people to participate in such events.
The show was powered by the Butterfly Group, in association with RKG Ghee and Oil and rice partner Fortune. The gifts were sponsored by the CMR group and Kanchi Kamakshi.
