Guntur Sannam Chilli గుంటూరు మిర్చి
Not a dish but the reason for all of them: the GI-tagged Guntur Sannam chilli, traded at the Guntur Mirchi Yard, one of the largest chilli markets in Asia. It appears as mirapakaya bajji at every beach and bus stand, and as the red heat in every curry.
Where to try it
Mirchi bajji at RK Beach in Vizag or the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada; the Mirchi Yard in Guntur to see the trade.
What's in it
Restaurants in Guntur's HQ
Related dishes
Gongura Pachadi
The sour red sorrel leaf — Andhra's signature green — pounded with red chillies, garlic and tempered spices into a chutney that defines the state's palate. Gongura mutton and gongura chicken are the same leaf's non-vegetarian afterlife.
Ulavacharu
Horse-gram soup slow-cooked for hours until it is dark, thick and tangy, served with rice and a spoon of fresh cream. A Krishna-district speciality that has gone from village kitchens to bottled brands.
Gutti Vankaya Kura
Small brinjals slit and stuffed with a paste of roasted peanuts, sesame, coconut and spices, then simmered in a tamarind gravy — the pride of the Andhra vegetarian table and a wedding-feast staple.
Bamboo Chicken
Marinated chicken packed into a fresh bamboo tube, sealed with leaves and roasted over a wood fire until the bamboo's sap steams the meat — a tribal cooking method from the Eastern Ghats that became the star of every Araku and Maredumilli trip.