Qamar Sultana crowned ‘Master Chef of Andhra Pradesh’ at The Hindu’s ‘Our State, Our Taste’ culinary contest
Finalists drawn from different regions of Andhra Pradesh given 90 minutes to rustle up a starter, a main course dish and a dessert; Ms. Sultana impresses judges with her butter garlic fish, Kabuli mutton biryani and nutty almond delight
Qamar Sultana, the winner of The Hindu’s ‘Our State, Our Taste’ contest, flanked by first runner-up Vidya Dharani (left) and second runner-up Lakshmi Prasanna.
| Photo Credit: G.N. Rao
The six finalists competing in a live cooking contest at The Hindu’s ‘Our State, Our Taste’ competition, in Vijayawada on Saturday
| Photo Credit:
G.N. Rao
Qamar Sultana from Vijayawada was crowned ‘The Master Chef of Andhra Pradesh’ at the grand finale of The Hindu’s ‘Our State, Our Taste’ culinery contect, held at Manor Plaza on July 27 (Saturday).
The winner bagged a cash prize of ₹75,000 along with plaudits for her cooking expertise from the two judges, chefs ETV Raju and chef Chinnam Raju. The aroma and taste of the butter garlic fish she dished out was tantalising while her Kabuli mutton biryani was packed with strong aromas of whole spices and dollops of ghee to tie the dish together.
“Regardless of the time limit, I made sure that the ginger-garlic paste I used in my recipes was freshly ground and also the masalas (spices) were prepared instantly using ingredients provided to us at the venue,” she said, flashing a victorious smile after receiving the prize. In the dessert section, she impressed the judges with a nutty almond delight.
Vidya Dharani from Nellore was the first runner-up who took home a cash prize of ₹50,000 while Lakshmi Prasanna from Tirupati was the second runner-up and won a cash prize of ₹25,000.
The six finalists drawn from different regions across Andhra Pradesh were given 90 minutes to rustle up a starter, a main course dish and a dessert. The ingredients were provided by the organisers. On the word go, the contestants started off with beating, blending and boiling stuff. They drained, diced, grated and grilled, kneaded and marinated, and boiled and parboiled ingredients to put together recipes that could win the hearts of the judges.
The outcome was a perfect blend of flavours, textures and richness of the dishes they roasted, sauteed and seasoned and the aroma of the food wafted through the air.
The first runner-up Vidya Dharani prepared mushroom-chicken curry using coconut milk, fish porutu in banana leaf and pumpkin-coconut halwa. Lakshmi Prasanna’s stuffed bitter gourd, spicy brinjal gravy (vankaya-karam pulusu) and Potlakaya payasam (sweet dish with snake gourd) got her third prize.
The objective of the event was to propagate the significance and cultural roots of Andhra Pradesh through its multi-flavoured cuisine by creating a platform for the younger generation to know all about its rich culinary heritage and understand its importance in terms of taste, health, traditional knowledge, ingredients and recipes.
The prizes were given by Appaji Reddem, Resident Editor of The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh, Srinivasa Rao, General Manager, The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh and knowledge partners chef ETV Raju and chef Chinnam Raju. Gift hampers were given to the participants by the event sponsors.
The event was presented by Aashirvaad Masala Karam, powered by Parry’s Dal/Pulses and organised in association with RKG Ghee and Bambino. The textile partner was CMR Shopping Mall, the jewellery partner was GRT Jewellers, energy partner was IOCL and knowledge partner was Raju’s Food Art.
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