Once a Naxal hotspot now a food lovers paradise

Rampachodavaram (East Godavari Dist): The Agency in Rampachodavaram of East Godavari district which once shot into the limelight with the abduction of a group of IAS officers by the outlawed Naxalites in the mid-1980s, has become popular now for what is known as “bongulo chicken” in the local parlance.

The dressed chicken pieces are stuffed in a bamboo stem and the stuff in the stem is placed on coal fire for 45 minutes, closing the open end with palm or banana leaves. Hence the recipe is called the ‘bongulo chicken’.

As it tickles the taste buds of visitors, the dish became a popular brand of food stuff in the Agency. The mouth-watering item tempts the visitors so much so that the visit for food lovers is not complete without devouring it to their contentment.

The ingredients include skinless chicken, chopped onions and green chillies, ginger paste, garlic paste, dry spices, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and chicken masala powder. A well-grown wide bamboo stem is used for stuffing 500gm of marinated chicken. The cost of ‘bonguloo chicken’ per one kg is Rs 400.

The recipe draws a large number of students and youth to Maredumilli and Rampachodavaram on a picnic during Sundays. Therefore, Maredumilli, a mandal headquarters area in the Agency, is associated with the very name of bamboo chicken. On Sundays, all roads lead to Maredumilli as it became a preferred destination for food connoisseurs.

The increasing customers for ‘bongulo chicken’ or bamboo chicken have become a game-changer in the families of tribals making a fortune out of the recipe.

Jartha Lakshmi said she could transform her family from abject poverty ever since she began trying her hand at cooking the bamboo chicken for sale.

Come Sunday, her income ranges between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,500 and in normal days it will be Rs 500-700.