Here’s a special North East dish for you to try out at home

Chef Prescilla Z Chopra who specialises in Naga and North Eastern cuisine was in Kolkata with her week-long North Eastern Spice Trail pop-up at Kava, Fairfield by Marriott. She shares the recipe for a specialty dish -Chicken with black sesame cooked in Bamboo hollow, which can be made at home.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

·        Chicken : 500gms ( boneless)

·        Onions: 120 gms ( thinly sliced)

·        Green chillies: 100gms( finely chopped)

·        Black pepper powder: 2tbspn

·        Turmeric: 1 tblspn

·        Garlic n ginger paste: 2tblspn

·        Black sesame: 80gms ( toasted and grind coarsely)

·        Tomato: 40 gms (finely chopped)

·        Salt: to taste

·        Mustard oil: 4 tblspn

·        Green Bamboo hollow: 1 no. ( of a good length 14" to 16" and 4" in diameter)

Method:

·        Marinate the Chicken with all the ingredients above and give it a good massage to each of the pieces so that the flavours and juices will seep inside the Chicken better. Keep it aside for 30 mins.

·        Before filling the Chicken inside the Bamboo hollow, wash the bamboo thoroughly and soak the Bamboo for 30 mins. Take the Bamboo out and let it dry.

·        Fill the Chicken inside the Bamboo hollow once ready. Leave a gap of about 4" on top after filling the marinated chicken. Cover the hole with dough and stuff it so no air can come out. Next wrap with silver foil to cover the dough as a lid. Place the stuffed Bamboo inclined on a burning wood or if you don't have firewood to burn, you can place the stuffed bamboo inclined inside the tandoor.

·        Leave it for cooking till the green bamboo turns dark brownish and you can smell the lovely aroma of the chicken being cooked. That means it's ready.

·        Take out the hot Stuffed Bamboo and let it cool down for 5-10mins. Remove the cover, tilt it downwards and shake to pour down the cooked chicken. The chicken will ooze out easily,  Serve hot.