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What happens when two foodies not only with very different culinary heritages but also political parties meet up for a feast? Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav gave us a glimpse of the delicious possibilities when the duo recently met up and cooked Champaran Mutton! While in Mumbai for the opposition alliance meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met up with Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and ex-chief minister of Bihar and his family. To celebrate the occasion, the Champaran Mutton dish from Lalu Prasad Yadav’s home state of Bihar was cooked up.
In a video released by Rahul Gandhi’s team on YouTube, the leaders can be seen cooking Champaran Mutton from scratch. Champaran Mutton happens to be one of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s favourite dishes to both cook and eat, and he shared his culinary secrets and tricks with Rahul Gandhi. In fact, the video shows that while Lalu Prasad Yadav gave directions, Rahul Gandhi and Misa Bharti, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s eldest daughter, cooked up the entire dish.
Video Credit: YouTube/Rahul Gandhi
Right at the beginning of the video, Rahul Gandhi can be seen telling Kunal Vijayakar in an older footage that among Indian politicians, Lalu Prasad Yadav is known for cooking up great food. The video then shows the trio standing over an iron matka. The mutton for the Champaran Mutton was sourced from Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav explains. Rahul Gandhi then goes on to add onions, ginger-garlic paste, whole black peppercorns, coriander paste (which had been ground on a traditional sil-batta), turmeric powder and mustard oil.
Rahul Gandhi then mixes this incredible marinate for the mutton with his hands and adds it to the sizzling hot matka along with bay leaves. Lalu Prasad Yadav then adds dry red chillies, cinnamon stick, more black peppercorns, and Rahul Gandhi adds the signature whole garlics to the Champaran Mutton. After giving the mutton a good mix, Misa Bharti covers it and lets it cook until done. Meanwhile, the two political leaders engage in a conversation about food and more.
During this chat, Lalu Prasad Yadav reveals that he learnt how to cook when he was quite young, while still in 6th-7th standard. He reveals that his brothers came to Patna around that time and he would cook for the family while also doing other chores like grinding spices, washing utensils, etc. He also shares that he loves to eat and cook based on spontaneity and taste buds rather than a fixed routine. Misa Bharti interjects that her father decides what he wants to eat and it’s rarely ever food that’s already been cooked at home. The conversation also revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav loves Thai food, especially Raw Papaya Salad.
Meanwhile, once the Champaran Mutton was ready, Rahul Gandhi said he would love to take some back for his sister, Priyanka Gandhi. He also revealed that he learned to cook while he was studying and working abroad. Once home, Rahul Gandhi can be seen in the video serving the Champaran Mutton to Priyanka Gandhi, who asks who exactly made the dish. “So you did group cooking? This is very nice,” Priyanka Gandhi said after taking a few bites.
