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Pratibha hosts return banquet for Bachelet

SANTIAGO: As a special gesture to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, President Pratibha Patil, a vegetarian, laid out a non-vegetarian-cum-vegetarian return banquet here on Wednesday.

At the end of the five-course typically Indian dinner, Dr. Bachelet said she enjoyed both the non-vegetarian and the vegetarian dishes.

Four cooks, who were specially flown in from India, worked for three days to turn out a sumptuous banquet for the cream of the Chilean society.

To give a return banquet in the honour of the host country is a tradition in Chile. The Indian cooks took the support of their Chilean counterparts. However, as phytosanitary conditions do not allow cut-fruits and open spices etc, the Indian team brought the spices in vacuum packed jars.

The invitees to the banquet included Chilean legislators, diplomats, intelligentsia, academicians, footballers and artistes. Representatives of the Indian Association,

Union Minister Vilas Muttemvar, accompanying Indian MPs Mabel Rebello, Kanimozhi, N.K.S. Chauhan, Indian Ambassador Sushmita G. Thomas and prominent citizens were present. Guests were seated at tables named after Indian rivers.

The dinner started with Kesaria Subz Shorba, a saffron-flavoured almond and vegetable soup. Unlike most banquets, this one was a buffet. At the VVIP table, Jhinga Gulbadan (prawns stuffed fish fillets) and Moong Dal Kabab were followed by Murgh Peshawari (chicken cooked in Mughlai gravy), Pathari Ghost (lamb picatta cooked in tomato and onion gravy), Subz Dilkhush (assorted vegetable and dry fruits), Palak Mattar, Dal Darbari, Zafrani Pulao with a choice of roomali roti, poori or chapati rounded off with typical Indian deserts of Shrikhand and rasmalai. Vegetarian Subz Shami Kabab, Paneer Peshawari and Khumb Milgiri Korma were served.

Pre-partition India-born Daswani, who migrated from Pakistan to Chile, said President Patil’s visit had given a big boost and recognition to all that was Indian, including the “mind-blowing” return banquet. “This will be talked about for long and be remembered for even longer,” he said.

With this, the President concludes her 12-day state visit to Brazil, Mexico and Chile. She will return to India on Friday.

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Pratibha hosts return banquet for Bachelet

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