Food festival offers authentic Arunachali cuisine

Be it the exotic 'Tumpuluk Chok' or lip-smacking 'Chura Pa', everything is "organic and healthy" at the ongoing Arunachal Food Festival serving the rich and famous delicacies of the North East.

The three-day festival, organised by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) in collaboration with the government of Arunachal Pradesh, is taking place at The Oudh in The Ashok Hotel.

The culinary sojourn kicks off with an array of appetizers -- 'Tumpuluk Chok' (salad of cherry tomato with herbs), 'Puta' (buckwheat noodles with fermented soya beans and chives), 'Papuk' (Chicken with banana flower) and 'Lutker' (dry meat with chilli flakes), among others.

"Arunachal Pradesh is very rich and vast in its cuisine. There are 25 tribes and close to 100 sub-tribes, and all of them have a different style of cooking, which is also showcased in the festival's menu," chef Arvind Rai, executive chef, The Ashok Hotel said.

According to the chef, only organic and natural ingredients -- like "turmeric, bamboo shoots and banana flower" -- have been used for preparation of the dishes.

The elaborate menu also boasts of other authentic Arunachali delicacies like 'Khazi' (cheesy rice recipe that uses red rice and fermented soya bean and chives), 'Bresi' is (sweetened rice made with dry fruits and saffron) and 'Chura Pa' (cheese based curry).

"This will be a first such event where specialized chefs from Arunachal Pradesh will be helping the chefs of ITDC to cook delicacies for the event. Also, most of the dishes at the event will be made with locally sourced ingredients from Arunachal Pradesh," Jitendra Narain, IAS, Principal Resident Commissioner, government of Arunachal Pradesh, said.

Beside the special cuisine, the festival also showcases dance troupes, handicrafts and organic spices from Lohit district of the state.

The feast goes off the table on Sunday. PTI MG

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