Ooti tops in Bamboo shoot cuisine competition at Panjab University
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Bamboo shoot cuisine competition at Panjab University in Chandigarh :: September 18-19, 2014.
The simple looking traditional cuisine of Manipur "OOTI", was awarded the first prize in a bamboo shoot food competition as a part of the National seminar cum Workshop in bamboo titled "Bamboo as Wood and Food for 21st Century" on the occasion of World Bamboo Day from September 18-19, 2014.
The event was sponsored by NABARD and Punjab forest department. Prof. Nirmala Chongtham, Department of Botany, was the Convenor and Prof. M.S. Bisht from NEHU, Shillong was the Co-convenor of the seminar. The main aim of the seminar was to highlight the utility of bamboo with special emphasis on using the young shoots as food which is almost unknown in this part of the country but abundantly available and consumed in the North East region.
The nutritive value and health benefits of the bamboo shoots were highlighted by Prof. Nirmala. She also gave an overview of the World Bamboo Congress to be held in Damyang, Korea in 2015 in the capacity of Chair, Technical Committee, WBC 2015. Prof. Bisht, highlighted the contemporary uses of bamboo shoots and also how new items can be prepared according to the taste bud of the present generation.
Bamboo shoot cuisine competition at Panjab University in Chandigarh :: September 18-19, 2014.
The first day of the seminar was started by lectures followed by hands on training in processing of bamboo shoots to remove the bitterness of shoots which is widely prevalent in freshly harvested shoots. The bitterness of the shoots is the main hindrance why people are apprehensive about using it as a vegetable food item.
A competition for making food items using bamboo shoot as one of the ingredients was held on the second day which generated a lot of enthusiasm among the participants, particularly among the young students. The innovative recipes included Begg wrap, bannoodle, bans biscuit, Manipuri achar, ooti, bans kupla achar, bans chilly comb.
In Ooti, the mix of crunchy texture attributed to the young bamboo shoots, the melting softness of the boiled peas and the slightly sweet alkali taste of cooking soda perhaps contributed to the overall umami taste. The judges were bowled over by the unique flavor and aroma and nonspicy taste of ooti and expressed that this could be a good breakfast. This competition has shown that we should encourage our traditional cuisine instead of having apprehension whether they could be palatable to the consumers.
The modern day consumer has become very much health conscious and ooti, is one such simple dish which is nutritious and healthy due to the addition of bamboo shoots. Let's eat and promote our authentic dishes for good health and prosperity.
See a full Photo gallery on this event here
* This info was sent to e-pao.net by Ajit Naosekpam who can be contacted at ajsin18mar(at)rediffmail(dot)com
This Post is uploaded on September 25, 2014
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