Monthly Archives: December 2015
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A.P. foodies find substitute for ‘pulasa’ in salmon
‘Pulasa’ is very special for connoisseurs of food in the Godavari region. This fish variety is available only when the Godavari is in spate but food lovers wait for the monsoon season and don’t mind spending a huge amount on the fish variety.Pulasa Chepa Pulusu is the most sought after delicacy for those who relish seafood; the dish is sent as a gift to many places by the natives of this region.
In taste and texture, there can be no substitute to ‘pulasa’ but a city hotel is making an attempt to win hearts by serving something that tastes close to the rare fish variety. It is serving ‘salmon,’ a Norwegian version of this anadromous fish imported from Norwegian countries in frozen condition. The exotic fish variety has foodies compare its flavour with that of ‘pulasa.’ Weighing about 2.5 kg to 3 kg each, salmon is chopped into slices and grilled in Italian style before it is served to the guests.
“We use citrus risotto, unsalted butter, virgin olive oil and Italian rice to make ‘grilled salmon.’ Since it is an exotic dish, we retain the flavour and serve it to the guests with wine,” says Ch. Laxman, executive chef at the GRT Grand.
Both salmon and ‘pulasa’ are anadromous fish that are born in the sea and swim against the current to reach the freshwater source for breeding. While salmon lost its life in the process of breeding, pulasa can swim back to the sea, provided it is not caught in the fishing net.
“The lifecycle remains more or less the same for pulasa and salmon, but ‘pulasa’ has a unique taste when compared to salmon. We also find similarities between salmon and our Himalayan Trout, a fish variety available only in the Himalayan region,” says T. Rajyalakshmi, senior scientist and former director of the Central Institute for Brackish Water Aquaculture.
“Some of our guests recalled the taste of ‘pulasa’, while tasting the salmon. In fact, salmon is not suitable for gravy, whereas we cannot imagine ‘pulasa’ without gravy,” observes Mr. Laxman. Not just the foreigners who often check into the hotel, the local foodies also taste the salmon served in grilled and sauté form. “Response to the exotic fish variety salmon is quite good here and we are serving 12-15 orders a week,” says M. Uma Maheswari, general manger of the hotel.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by K.N. Murali Sankar / Kakinada – December 16th, 2015
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Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram sitting on 14m ton of manganese!
Visakhapatnam :
The stretch of Eastern Ghats in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh has nearly 14 million tons of manganese, according to research scholars from the department of Geology , Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.
One can find the ore in 22 metres depth from earth level in the district. As per industry sources, low quality manganese is priced around Rs 3,500 per ton whereas high quality is valued at Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 per ton.
Though the quantity is very large, but the available mineral is low grade when compared with the mineral sources in other parts of the country, particularly Madhya Pradesh, said Gollamudi Veeraswamy , a research scholar.
He said that the mandals like Garividi, Garb ham, Kondakinguva in Ramabhadrapuram in the district are full of manganese ore mines.
“When the phosphorous content is high, then it can be considered as low grade. High grade manganese contains very less volume of the phosphorous, against its average value,” Veeraswamy said.
Speaking to TOI, Veeraswamy’s guide Prof Nageswara Rao said though it is a low grade ore, it can be developed into a high grade one by removing the phosphorous. While Madhya Pradesh’s manganese ore contains nearly 0.1% of phosphorous per 100 grams, the Vizianagaram district’s manganese ore contains nearly 0.4%. “We can use this manganese also as per our needs. The manganese is particularly useful for iron and steel production industries.
Vizianagaram is the only district in Andhra Pradesh that has manganese ores. Roughly there is a deposit of nearly 14 million tons of manganese in the district, and it was formed 40,000 years ago” Nageswara Rao said.
Nearly 10 kg of manganese is required for manufacturing one ton of steel.The mineral is also used for making bleaching powder, insecticides, paints, batteries and china-clay . India has the second-largest manganese ore reserve in the world, after Zimbambwe.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / V. Kamalakara Rao, TNN / December 14th, 2015