After social media buzz, khichdi takes centre stage at food event
THREEDAY FESTIVAL 800kg khichdi being cooked in a 1,000 litre wok; event displays cuisine from 20 Indian states
NEWDELHI: Looking to set a world record, chef Sanjeev Kapoor supervised a team of two dozen people to prepare 800 kg khichdi, a traditional Indian rice and dal dish, at the World India Food fair that began at the India Gate lawns on Friday.
The humble dish ‘khichdi’ took the centre stage even before it was cooked at the food fair. The buzz started when it was announced that the dish would be showcased as Brand India food at the event. The food was selected because it symbolised India’s unity in diversity and was eaten by both the rich and poor.
Khichdi started trending on social media right after the announcement, with people whipping up a debate. On Thursday, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Union minister of food processing, put an end to the rumours of khichdi being pitched to be a national dish and tweeted, “Enough Khichdi cooked up on a fictitious ‘National Dish’. It has only been put for a record entry in #Worldfoodindia.”
A especially-made stainless steel wok (kadhai) of the capacity of 1,000 litres and seven feet in diameter is being used for slow steam-cooking of the dish till 12.30pm on Saturday. The wok, put up on a concrete stand, remained the centre of attraction among those who visited the ‘Great Indian Food Street’. The three-day event is being organised by the Union ministry of food processing industries.
“I came to know about khichdi event through social media. I made it a point to visit and see it. I didn’t know that the cooking event is on Saturday,” said Rajeev Kumar, a private company employee from Noida.
After a series of trials spanning over a month, chef Kapoor will attempt for the world record on Saturday. “The world should know whatever we have been processing. The intent is to promote Indian culinary art in front of a global audience and in a way benefit farmers at the grass root level,” he said.
The dish is being prepared with highly nutritious Indian ingredients from diverse parts of the country. Rice, moong dal, bajra, jowar and Indian spices will be steam-cooked for the preparation before it is to be served to the audience which will include ambassadors, dignitaries and ministers at 12.30pm on Saturday. Delegates from over 40 countries are visiting the fair.
“A portion of the khichdi will also be packed and sent to all the heads of foreign missions in India, along with the recipe,” said a person involved in the cooking.
Apart from the khichdi event, the food street also promotes traditional products like ‘daap chingri’ — a traditional Bengali recipe of prawns cooked in mustard and filled inside a coconut to get a combined flavour of mustard and coconut cream. Besides, it has a stall displaying ITC products, another demonstrating Ayurvedic foods, a south Indian stall of fish cuisines, among others. “The underlying message is food processing with a dash of culture, taste and mystery to gen- erate excitement among people who want to invest in India,” he said. Organisers said the event focuses on the globalisation of Indian and heritage foods.
The street displays culinary techniques and traditions from the 20 states of the country. The event also comprises of cookery demos by chefs such as Ranveer Brar, Saransh Goila, Imtiaz Qureshi, Kavneet Sahni, to name a few . “The food street celebrates food traditions of India which are more than capable of imbibing beautifully with any world cuisines,” said Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, minister of state for food processing.