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Pramila Jayapal’s paneer tikka power play for Kamala Harris gets scorched on Twitter
- Congresswoman’s culinary push for Democratic vice-presidential candidate ends as overbaked endorsement
- Twitter users assail Jayapal’s knowledge of Indian cuisine, suggesting she search Google for tips on spotting the real deal
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US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s last-minute push to garner support for Democratic US vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris by deploying culinary soft power has sparked a social-media storm among Indians.
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On the night before the election, Jayapal, the first South Asian-American woman elected to the US House of Representatives, tweeted about making “paneer tikka” in honour of the California senator, saying the latter mentioned on Instagram that her favourite north Indian food was any kind of tikka.
While fellow Congresswoman Grace Meng and stand-up comedian Francesca Fiorentini described the photo accompanying the tweet as “yummy”, Indian netizens pointed out that the delicacy was nowhere close to being a traditional paneer tikka – a gravyless dish – and it resembled more like “malai paneer” or “paneer tikka masala”. Paneer tikka generally refers to Indian cottage cheese grilled in a tandoor (clay oven).
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Kamala Harris’ ancestral village in India prays for her victory in US presidential election
Kamala Harris’ ancestral village in India prays for her victory in US presidential election
Jayapal, a Democrat who represents the seventh congressional district in Washington state, also shared the recipe in a follow-up tweet, describing the dish as paneer tikka masala and saying it could be eaten on its own or with a spice-rich gravy. However, her response failed to cut the mustard with Twitter users and was in some instances met with mockery.
“Guys, I figured out what happened. Pramila ordered malai paneer from a restaurant and called it paneer tikka. She didn’t cook this. That is why she doesn’t know what the dish is,” one user tweeted.
Guys, I figured out what happened.Pramila ordered malai paneer from a restaurant and called it paneer tikka. She didn't cook this. That is why she doesn't know what the dish is.
Another wrote: “If that is tikka then I’m the US president.”
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