Essential North-East Cookbook - Hoihnu Hauzel

Hoihnu
Hauzel

THE ESSENTIAL NORTH-EAST COOKBOOK
Contents
About the Author
Dedication
Introduction
Culture and Food Habits
Speciality Ingredients
Table of Measures
Arunachal Pradesh
Feasts from the Tribal Kitchen
Assam
Meals from the Banks of the Brahmaputra
Manipur
Titbits from Loktak Valley
Meghalaya
Delectable Treats from the Khasi Hills
Mizoram
Delicacies from the Mizo Hills
Nagaland
Recipes from Jhapfu Mountain
Tripura
Dishes from the Tripuri Kitchen
Sikkim
The Secret of the Sikkimese Kitchen
Glossary
Acknowledgements
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Copyright
PENGUIN BOOKS
THE ESSENTIAL NORTH-EAST COOKBOOK
Hoihnu Hauzel is a native of Manipur. She completed her schooling in Shillong and Delhi,
and has a masters degree in political science from Delhi University. She has been a
journalist for the last fifteen years and has worked with the Asian Age, Indian Express,
Hindustan Times, the Times of India, and the Telegraph in Delhi. She is currently pursuing
an independent writing career and continues to promote the North-East through her
writings and entrepreneurial ventures like her travel portal, Northeast Odyssey
(www.northeastodyssey.com) and a digital North-East lifestyle magazine, NE Travel and
Life (www.netravelandlife.com).
She has also to her credit a book of poems, Moments of Time. Hoihnu is committed to the
development of the North-East. This book is, for her, a step towards the promotion of the
region. Her coffee-table book on Manipur is set to be released next year.
I dedicate this book to my late paternal grandfather, Taivel Hauzel, who first introduced
me to the aroma of roasted meat, and to my late maternal grandfather, T. Twalchin, who
will always remind me that having a good appetite to enjoy food is a blessing from God
Introduction
Culture and Food Habits
Catch a dog, kill it, roast it and eat it, and what you have is a North-East delicacy, a
North Indian friend once remarked jovially. Of course, food from the North-East is much
more than just the imagined dogs meatit boasts exotic delicacies that are not a part of
mainstream Indian fare.
The rest of India knows very little about the people and cuisine of North-East India:
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and
Sikkim. Just like their topographical beauty, the gastronomic fare of the eight states
remains by and large hidden from the rest of the country. This segregation has more to do
with a lack of marketing than inadequacies in the cuisine itself, and so these delicacies
continue to be prepared and appreciated within the confines of their areas.
A lot has changed since the first edition of this book came out in 2004. There was no
way for the rest of India to have a glimpse of what food from that mystic part of India
was. Momosthe true offshoots of the Tibetan influence in Sikkim were all that people
thought food from the North-East was all about. Interestingly, things have changed in the
last few years. The evolution of food in India has also brought many regional cuisines of
the country to the fore. More importantly, the growing attempt to create a continuous
dialogue and build bridges between the North-East and the rest of India has ensured that
the food from this region must now travel naturally and inevitably out of its boundaries.
This enabled many enterprising food entrepreneurs from the region to gather the courage
to open restaurants serving North-Eastern food. Most of them began with the predictable
and palatable dishes and slowly graduated to more authentic North-Eastern fare. These
offerings are not lapped up only by homesick North-Easterners. Rather, a growing tribe of
converts who are willing to experiment with different flavours have kept businesses
thriving till date. So, it is no longer just the food pavilions at New Delhis Dilli Haat that
serve food from the North-East.
There is something about the flavour from this region that is slowly gaining ground and
acceptance from people outside the region. Its not quite Thai, but close enough to be
compared because of the many shared and common ingredients like khang khuwhich
the Paite tribes in Manipur love and the Thais call cha-oma leafy green of a tree with a
strong peculiar aroma. The flavour of North-Eastern food is somewhat reminiscent of
Vietnamese food because it is bland. It can also be compared to Malaysian food because
of some of the common ingredients. But the main difference is that Malays use coconut,
which people in the North-East have traditionally not had access to, except in Assam
where coconut is found in abundance. Considered exotic anyway by gourmet gurus, this
simple and healthy but flavourful food that uses natural spices and little oil is finding
takers slowly but surely. Food connoisseurs are waking up to the new flavours from the
North-East. In their quest for exotic food from different corners of India, many
enterprising chefs are more open and willing to experiment with food from this part of the
country. We may still conclude that while food from the corner of India has huge potential,
what it needs is to be served in the right place with the right selection of dishes.
Food from the North-East is garnering attention which is international as well. Gordon
Ramsay came to India to film an episode of Gordons Great Escape and, in a book by the
same name, featured two recipes, fish tenga, an Assamese sour fish curry, and Majuli
fishcakes with tomato, another local dish of the island, both of which made it to his 100
favourite recipes from India. The celebrated chef, who boasts twelve Michelin stars,
headed all the way from London to Nagaland and Assam to find out why Nagas use
bamboo shoots in every form: fresh, smoked and dried. He also noticed that people from
that region use more natural and fresh spices like chillies, ginger and garlicnot dry
spices like the rest of India. And when Italian slow food icon Carlos Petrini came to India,
it was in Meghalaya that he bonded with the locals over sumptuous pork curry and the
many interesting herbs and spices that he was surprised to see. I have never had such
delicious food. It is interesting, Petrini had told the author of this book.
So what is food from North-East all about? The dishes of the North-East are not laced
with oil and spices, yet they are delicious, and the locally grown aromatic herbs make
them exotic. They are light, healthy and easy to prepare. Simplicity, in fact, is the hallmark
of North-Eastern cuisine. The basic components of a meal are steamed or boiled rice,
accompanied by a gravy-based meat or fish dish, and a chutney, washed down with a soup
of boiled vegetables. The best way to relish a North-Eastern meal is to eat it with your
hands. The younger generation may now use spoons and forks, but they return to their
roots when they really want to enjoy their meals.
Unlike the oily, rich food prepared in some other parts of India, which is heavy and
cannot be eaten all the time, you keep coming back to the bland and barely spiced fare of
the North-East. However, it is still an acquired taste, partly because of the lack of spices
but also because of the overpowering flavours of some of the ingredients, like the
fermented bamboo shoots.
There are differences in the items consumed and the preparation of food among the
people of the North-East, based on religion and culture. The tribes not influenced by
Hinduism relish meat, while Hindu communities like the Asomiyas of Assam eat fish and
mutton, and the Meiteis of Manipur eat fish at the very most. The people of the
predominantly Christian states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and about 40 per cent
of the Manipuris, do not have any religious restrictions in their diet. Tribes like the Bodos
of Assam consider a meal incomplete without pork, and the tribes of Tripura must have
fermented fish to complete their meal.
What further differentiates the people of the North-East from one another is their style
of cooking. The food varies from region to region and tribe to tribe. Each of the sixteen
Naga tribes, for instance, boasts a distinct delicacy, which is different in flavour and style
from that of the other tribes. The Angamis cook a chunky meat dish with raja chillies
(jungle chillies) and a paste of ginger and garlic. In Manipur, the over twenty-nine tribes
have their own distinct styles of cooking, each marked by slight variations.
Some tribes like the Hmars of Manipur and the Garos of Meghalaya are known for their
love of chillies, and tangal or indigenous soda, an alkaline liquid. Tangal meh (a dish of
green leafy vegetables, sometimes seasoned with fermented fish or sun-dried meat for
flavour), is one of their favourite dishes.
The Tangkhul Nagas of Manipur are so fond of pork that they have a special earthen pot
called hampai to cook it in. It imparts a unique flavour unlike an ordinary earthen pot.
They are made out of rocks mixed with clay and stone, found about ten kilometres away
from the village of Longpi Kajui in Ukhrul, in the Tanghul district of Manipur. They are
not made on the wheel, but are moulded by hand. It takes about two hours to complete a
piece, and about three days to dry. (One can buy a hampai in Dilli Haat, New Delhi,
during the annual North-Eastern craft festival.)
Potato is used as a thickening ingredient in most dishes. In Assam, unripe papaya is
used to enhance the flavour of most non-vegetarian dishes. Basic herbs like ginger and
garlic are crushed and added at the end of the cooking process. Even when turmeric is
used, fresh turmeric is dug out from kitchen gardens, ground and then used. Except for the
Meiteis, who rustle up a delicious fish curry using oil and spices, and the Asomiyas who
relish a peppery flavour in their favourite fish curry, even non-vegetarian dishes are rarely
cooked with oil or spices.
Most of the hill tribes are great meat eaters. Pigs and cows are reared at home for
consumption, so pork and beef are popular, unlike mutton (as goats are not reared).
However, among Muslims, mutton is much sought after and most restaurants in towns
serve it.
Sometimes fat is extracted from pork (by cooking it over low heat till the fat oozes out)
and used for cooking. Pork or chicken cooked with tender bamboo shoot is very popular
amongst the hill tribes. Chilli powder, ginger and garlic are added for colour and flavour.
This is relished with rice. The importance of bamboo shoot can hardly be exaggerated in
the North-Eastern diet. It is a widely used ingredient even by the Mizos, Arunachalis and
the people of Tripura.
To make sure they never run out of meat, almost every kitchen in the North-East stocks
dry meat. The meat is cut into chunks, salted, threaded on to skewers and smoked over
kitchen fires or placed in the sun to dry out. In a modern kitchen, the meat can be placed
on a low grill till it is dry.
Just as South Indians use coconut for flavouring, the North-East has its own
indigenously developed ingredients. Fermented fish and soya bean, known in different
regions by different names, are popular flavouring agents. For instance, when the
Manipuris prepare ironba, a popular vegetable chutney, a pinch of fermented fish is added
for that special flavour. In the same way, when the Nagas prepare akhuni chutney made
with chillies, they add fermented soya beans to it.
Green leafy vegetables are never cut with a knife. They are toned or shredded by hand
as it is believed that a knife spoils the taste of the food. Also, while boiling vegetables, the
pan is not covered; this is done in order to retain the natural colours of the food.
Sometimes, vegetables are cooked al dente (cooked so as to be still firm when bitten),
which adds to the flavour and nutrient value.
A typical kitchen of the hill tribes in the North-East is spacious. In olden days, people
entertained their guests in the kitchen. Everyone sat round the fire, sipping a drink, while
the hosts were engaged in their household work. The kitchen was an important place, for it
was here that suitors were entertained by young women while they busied themselves with
cooking.
Unlike the hill tribes, the Meiteis guard their kitchen like a temple. In the olden days, no
guests were entertained in the kitchen as it was believed that that would pollute the
atmosphere. The Meiteis did not even allow a family member to enter the kitchen unless
he or she had taken a bath.
Above the fireplace of the hill tribes kitchens are rows of skewers of grilled meat kept
for drying. If meat is left over after a feast, they continue the feasting on the next morning
till the last piece disappears.
The kitchen is undoubtedly the domain of every North-Eastern woman, but its not
uncommon to see men in the kitchen. In fact, during Christmas and other social festivals,
when there are community feasts, it is the men who take over from the women, as their
physical strength comes in handy while lifting heavy pots and firewood.
Ideally, every woman is expected to know how to cook. It enhances her qualifications
and marriage prospects. Though there are no hard and fast rules about a womans skill in
the kitchen, certain tribes, like the Bodos of Assam, used to attach such importance to this
that a woman who did not know how to cook would be unable to find a life partner and
considered a social embarrassment. Of course, things are slowly changing and it is not
such a hard and fast rule anymore.
Among the Hindus of the Meitei community, the Brahmins or Bamons, as they are
locally called, are culinary experts who are traditionally ordained to cook and are hired
during special religious or social occasions to prepare the feasts.
In the twelfth century, the Ahoms or Thais of the Shan tribes entered Assam from upper
Burma and crossed the Irrawady river to conquer the territory. At the same time, the
Mughals conquered India from the west. After reaching the Brahmaputra, the Ahoms
started occupying the areas inhabited by the indigenous Bodo tribes and conquered a
major part of Assam, which they ruled for 600 years, during which time they also
influenced the cuisine of the area in terms of flavour and style of cooking.
The underplay of spices, the use of fermented products, the liberal use of aromatic and
fresh herbs and the drying and smoking of meat to preserve it are some examples of this
influence. Dishes are seasoned with ingredients belonging to the onion family (such as
shallots and green onion), garlic, and the ginger family, including turmeric. The
techniques of steaming food and Chinese wok-cooking, in which chopped food is fried,
braised, or stewed are also used here.
The use of fermented fish and soya bean among the hill tribes like the Nagas, Mizos,
and Khasis resembles the use of fermented seafood that is prepared by the action of
microorganisms which chemically change its flavour and appearance in Korean cuisine,
and the different varieties of fish and pungent shrimp sauces used in Thai cuisine.
A North-Eastern meal is quick to cook and does not involve elaborate preparations. It is
served with all dishes placed on the table at the time, rather than in courses. The dessert,
of course, comes at the end of the meal, but this is not served daily, it is mainly served
during special feasts.
Wedding ceremonies and religious functions are the best occasions to sample traditional
dishes. Most weddings, regardless of tribe or religion, are times for feasting. At Christian
weddings among the tribes, it is almost customary to serve as many non-vegetarian dishes
as possible.
When it comes to sweets, the people of the North-East cannot match their counterparts
from the rest of India. They do not necessarily round off their meals with dessert. While
they may enjoy sweets, they prefer the natural flavour of fruits. Almost every home owns
a guava or a mango tree, so fruits are seldom purchased at the market. Seasonal fruits such
as papayas, pineapples, guavas, mangos, peaches, jackfruits and pomegranates usually
complete their meals. In many states, seasonal fruits are made into syrups and reserves,
and many bottles have found their way to the local shops. Often, the locally manufactured
squashes are preferred to the well-known branded ones, purely due to the natural flavour
they contain.
With rice taking the centre stage in the meal, and the abundant fresh vegetables and
fruit, supplemented by meat or fish, North-East cooking is high on nutritional value, less
on calories, and is actually a high-fibre diet. Experts correlate this diet with the low rate of
colon cancer in the people of this region. The freshness of the ingredients and daily
cooking results in more nutrients being retained in the food, compared to processed or
preheated food.
A North-Eastern meal is always balanced, and for every spicy dish there is a bland one.
Among the hill tribes, no meal is complete without plain boiled vegetables known by
different names (antui, champhut, etc.) to go with the more spicy dishes. It is the soup of
these boiled vegetables that gives the tribesmen the strength to climb the lofty mountains
and walk the miles to their fields.
Every tribe in the North-East has its own distinct characteristics with regard to
language, dress, festival and culture, and all this is in turn reflected in their cuisine.
On the whole, North-Eastern delicacies are simple to the point of being bland and are
cooked without oil or too many spices. Chillies are used in abundance in most dishes, and
ginger and garlic are the favourite spices.
In this age of health freaks and diet watchers, the answer to most problems is a lowcalorie diet, which is what North-Eastern cuisine is all about.
Steaming plays an important role in North-Eastern cuisine. If you dont have a steamer,
place the food to be steamed in a greased pan and place it on a stand in a larger pan with
boiling water standing halfway up the sides of the small pan. Cover the large pan with a
tight-fitting lid and steam over high heat, replenishing the water with boiling water as
needed.
Often, Tibetan or Chinese momos have been associated with North-Eastern food, even
though they were never a part of the mainstream menu, except for the Sherdukpen
Buddhist sects of Arunachal Pradesh, due to their proximity with China or in Sikkim,
where momos and thukpas are part of the rich repertoire, but definitely do not represent
the cuisine of the people.
With time, I believe that North-Eastern flavours will only get more popular. More than a
decade ago, when the North-East pavilions first experimented with their traditional recipes
at Dilli Haat, there were hardly any takers, with the exception of the momos. Today, the
mushrooming of speciality North-Eastern restaurants in metros and food festivals
featuring North-Eastern cuisine is testimony to the evolution of the Indian palette,
indicating that food from the eight states will have a bigger share in the market.
North-Eastern cuisine is just waiting to be discovered and this book is a step in that
direction. It is an attempt to introduce the flavours of the region to the rest of the country
and add to the culinary richness of Indian cuisine.
Speciality Ingredients
The North-East states use a number of ingredients that are unique to their cuisine. These
are mainly herbs and vegetables that grow in the jungles of the area and due to the
isolation of these states from the rest of India, many of them are not readily available
outside the states. Some items are available in the larger markets of the metropolitan cities.
Akhuni (Fermented Soya Beans)
There are two types of fermented soya beans. One is made with fresh beans which is more
pungent and has a sharp smell and the other is made from dried beans, which is milder.
Until you have acquired a taste for the pungent one, use dry beans to prepare it.
To make akhuni:
Wash 1 kg soya beans and cook under pressure with 1 litre of water for about 2 hours.
It should be very, very soft. Strain and discard liquid.
Wash strained beans in cold water and drain well.
Wrap 2 tbsp of beans in banana leaves to make small parcels. Place parcels in an
airtight container for 34 days in summer and about 5 days in winter.
Angoithi Seeds
These are jungle chillies; use black pepper as a substitute.
Bamboo Mushrooms
They grow on the barks of trees in the jungles of the North-East. They are black in colour,
but unlike other black mushrooms, bamboo mushrooms have a velvety texture. However,
black mushrooms can be used in their place.
Bamboo Shoot
Bamboo shoot is an essential ingredient of North-Eastern cuisine and is now available in
the markets of many large cities across the country.
In case fresh bamboo shoot is not available you can use the canned ones.
Bamboo ShootFermented
To prepare fermented bamboo shoot, wash bamboo shoot and cut into 1 pieces. Place in a
large airtight container for 2 weeks without touching them.
Wash well in lukewarm water, drain and use.
Fermented Fish
Fermented fish is prepared locally by many tribes of the North-East. The Tripuris and
Meiteis are particularly fond of adding this to their preparations to add zing to the dish.
Fish, preferably river fish is washed and packed into an airtight containeras much as
can be pressed in. It is then left untouched in a corner of the house for a week. By then it
develops a certain stage of pungency and the process of fermentation is complete.
Indigenous Soda
Many tribes of the North-East, like the Hmars of Manipur, Garos of Meghalaya and Bodos
of Assam use an indigenously prepared alkaline liquid which they call soda.
It is made by burning the dried trunk of a banana tree and mixing the ashes with water
in a container. A hole is made in the container and the alkaline liquid that percolates
through is called soda.
Sodium bicarbonate can be used as a substitute, but the taste is not the same.
Lengmaser
This herb is found in the jungles of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. The flower of the
plant is used, and it can give the blandest dish a fresh flavour and aroma. It belongs to the
tulsi family. It grows as a shrub and many people of the North-East cultivate it in their
kitchen gardens. It is a seasonal plant, and during the season the fresh flowers are used.
They are also dried and stored for future use when the plant is not flowering.
Mizo Anthur
This is a herb found only in Mizoram and Manipur; use mustard leaves as a substitute.
Parkia
The fruit of the parkia tree, which is found almost all over the North-East is used as a
herb. It is long, light green in colour and has a strong smell. It is called by different names
by the different tribes. In Manipur the Paites call it zongtah, Meiteis call it youngchak
while the Mizos call it zongtrah. It is called satau in Thai.
Since it is a huge tree, not many people can pluck the fruit. There are legends that
maintain that if anyone attempting to pluck the fruit falls off the tree he gets possessed by
an evil spirit. In fact in the olden days, there were special experts whose skill was reserved
only for plucking parkia fruit.
There is no real substitute for this.
Raja Chillies
Fiery hot, round, red chillies, the size of gooseberries, they are found only in the jungles of
Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. You can use any hot chillies in their place.
Repchi
These are small, green, round chillies, smaller than a green pea. They are found in the
jungles of Nagaland and called repchi by the Ao tribe. They are often dried and preserved
like any other chilli. When the Ao make their chutneys, a little repchi is always added, and
this ensures that the meal will be good.
Sticky Rice
Sticky rice is a special variety of fat-grained rice used by the people of the North-East. It
is called bera saul in Assamese. The grains stick together when the rice is cooked and it is
relished by the people there.
Sun-dried Fish
Sun-dried fish from the North-East is available in unbranded packets, at INA market in
Delhi, but any sun-dried river fish can be used in its place.
Tangmo
A sour powder made from the bark of a tree whose botanical name is Rhuft semieliata, it is
not available outside the North-East. Use lime juice in its place.
Tangmo is also used by the Ao tribe while dying cloth with indigo, as it helps to make
the colour fast.
Table of Measures
The cup measure used in this book is a 200 ml cup
1 tsp = 5 ml
1 tbsp = 3 tsp
A pinch = 1/8 tsp (literally a pinch)
All spoon measures are level
Arunachal Pradesh
Feasts from the Tribal Kitchen

The simplicity of the Arunachalis is reflected in their food, which is easy and quick to
prepare. All you need is a vegetable of your choice and some home-grown ginger for
flavouring; no spices for colouring, and no oil to camouflage the look. With little or no
embellishments, the food preserves its natural freshness. Arunachalis appreciate good food
and often make an occasion out of their meal. They love to sip their opo (rice beer), no
matter what hour of the day, and they must never run short of it. They begin their day
early and start it with opo. The main ingredient is rice which is parboiled, mixed with
yeast and dried in the sun for six hours. It is then mixed with water and kept undisturbed
for two to three days to ferment, after which it is distilled.
After they have had their share of the heady liquid, they are ready to face the day. The
men take some opo in a bottle to the fields where they sip it occasionally whenever they
are tired. It serves as a stimulant and an energizer that keeps them alert through the day.
Opo can be preserved for days and sometimes for weeks. There is no household that
lacks opo. It is the first thing served to visitors and it is impolite to refuse. Whether it is a
marriage ceremony or religious one, no social function is complete without opo.
Rice is the staple diet for the twenty-six tribes and approximately two hundred subtribes of Arunachal Pradesh. They are non-vegetarians who rear domestic animals like
pigs, mithun (a type of buffalo) and chicken for their consumption. They fatten these
animals through the year and slaughter them on special occasions. They do not rear goats
but most restaurants in towns serve goats meat.
The Buddhist Monpa and Sherdukpa tribes are more inclined towards Chinese food,
rather than the typical Arunachali food. While rice also forms a part of their staple diet,
they favour momos, chowmein and thukpa. Momos are usually stuffed with minced pork,
and sometimes mustard greens and an assortment of other green vegetables.
Chillies and ginger are the most useful flavourings. In order to make the aroma of
ginger linger on, it is added after the dish is removed from heat; the pot is covered
immediately and left for a few minutes for the aroma to develop. Sometimes some of the
herbs found in the jungles are also added. In the villages, due to non-availability of spices,
the food is on the bland side. The Idumishmi tribe, inhabitants of Roing, for example, have
mainly boiled food. However, in towns like Itanagar, spices are increasingly getting
popular. Even here, they are sparingly used. Bamboo shoot remains an important
flavouring and enhancing ingredient. The Adi tribe, for example, prepares ekung, a simple
dish of bamboo shoot and chillies.
At marriages, most tribes serve chicken and pork. Even on special occasions, they do
not use oil. Amin oying, a chicken stew, for example, is made by boiling chicken in a
minimum of water with ingredients like ginger and chillies while arek is made with fresh
pork and bamboo shoot. Sometimes broken rice is added to a dish to thicken the gravy.
Just as each tribe differs in terms of dress, so too their style of cooking. Today in
Itanagar, fried items are becoming increasingly popular. Deep-fried pork or chicken has
become a part of the daily menu. Fish is not part of the regular diet due to its scarcity, but
they can walk miles into the jungle for fishing. They explode bombs in the river, and when
the dead fish float on the surface, they collect them.

The Adi tribe is fond of smoked meat. In most Adi kitchens, there are rows of skewers
with meat kept over the fireplace for smoking and drying. Among the Idumishmi tribe,
when an animal is killed it is divided equally between all the village households, so there
is usually not enough meat left to dry and preserve. This does not happen with the Adi
tribe, so each family has enough meat stored for days when fresh meat is not available.
Since the agricultural produce of Arunachal Pradesh consist of rice, maize, millet and
potatoes, their diet revolves around these items. Even the preparation of dishes during
festivals is not really different from their daily cooking. The only difference, perhaps, is in
the quantity.
Some Buddhist tribes like the Sherdukpas, Khamptis and Khamiyangs do not eat beef
which is considered a delicacy among other tribes. Their faith plays an important role in
dictating what they eat. Mutton is taboo for the Buddhists, who are settled in West
Kameng, Tawang, and the plains of Lohit and Tirap districts. Most of them are followers
of Donyi-Polo. Lamaistic Buddhists such as the Monpas, Sherdukpas, Membas and
Khambas celebrate the Losar festivala festival of joy and rejoicing, which marks the
Tibetan New Year. It is their most important festival and lasts for fifteen days around
January/February.
Sangken is the most important festival of the Khamptis, Khamiyangs and Singphos. It
lasts for three days in the middle of April as a spring festival. During this festival, the
monks and villagers pour water on the image of Lord Buddha and sprinkle water on each
other with great fun and merriment.
Among the Adis, Solung is one of the most popular and colourful festivals celebrated
during July/August. The festival lasts for seven days. It is connected with agricultural
activities and has a socio-economic significance.
The major festival of the Nishis is Nyokum which is observed to propitiate the gods for
a rich harvest. It falls in the month of August. This festival is marked with song and dance,
and people offer prayers to the deities for a good harvest, good health and for the vitality
of domesticated animals. The Nishis also celebrate the Longteyalu festival.
The most important festival of the Mijis is Khan which is held in February/March. It is
a great occasion for merriment, with song and dance.
The Apatanis of Subansiri district observe the Dree festival to propitiate deities for a
bumper crop and prosperity. Song and dance is a major part of the festival. It is held in
July and lasts for three days.
To the people of Arunachal Pradesh, festivals are a time to eat and make merry. Its a
time to sit back and share a meal with loved ones.
Oying
Vegetable Stew
Serves: 3
1 kg mixture of mustard leaves, cabbage, French beans and potatoes
23 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger paste

Wash vegetables. Tear mustard and cabbage leaves in half by hand.
Trim beans and break in half.
Peel and cut potatoes into cubes.
Place 2 cups water in a pan and bring to boil over high heat.
Add vegetables and cook till tender.
Stir in green chillies and salt.
Heat through if necessary before serving, mix in ginger, cover pan and leave for 5
minutes.
Serve with steamed rice.
Thukpa
Vegetable Stew with Noodles

Serves: 2
500 gms noodles
5 cups stock (vegetable, chicken or pork)
2 cups prepared and chopped mixed vegetables (beans, cabbage, carrots, etc.)
2 tsp salt
Garnish:
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

Cook noodles in a large pan, with plenty of boiling salted water to which a few drops
of oil are added, till just tender (al dentewith a bite).
Drain and run cold water over noodles for 5 minutes.
Drain again.
Heat stock in a pan and add vegetables.
Stir well and add noodles.
Simmer over moderate heat till vegetables are tender.
Mix in salt, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
VARIATION:
2 cups shredded chicken can be added with the vegetables.
Ekung
Tender Bamboo Shoot with Chillies

Serves: 5
500 gms bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
4 green chillies, ground to a paste
1 tsp salt

Wash bamboo shoot and drain thoroughly. Cut into thin, 1 long slices.
Combine green chillies with salt and mix with bamboo shoot.
Place mixture in a pan over moderate heat and stir and cook for about 10 minutes.
The mixture should be a little moist.
Serve as a side dish.
Asin Puinam
Fish in Bamboo Hollow

Serves: 5
This is a popular item prepared during picnics or in the jungles while hunting.
500 gms small fresh river fish
2 cups rice
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt
2 bamboo hollows, 3 in diameter and 5 long

Clean fish and cut into suitable sized pieces if large.
Wash fish and drain thoroughly.
Wash rice and drain well.
Combine all ingredients and place in bamboo hollows.
Seal mouth of bamboos with foil to make them airtight.
Place bamboos over a charcoal fire and cook for about 30 minutes. Rotate bamboos
from time to time to cook evenly.
Serve in the bamboos.
NOTE:
The mixture can be wrapped in thick layers of foil and baked in an oven preheated to
105C/225F for 15 minutes.
Ili
Pork Stew with Ginger

Serves: 5
1 kg pork
1 cup broken rice
3 piece ginger, chopped 1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt

Wash pork, drain and cut into 2 pieces.
Wash rice, drain and mix with pork.
Place 1 litre water in a pan and bring to boil over high heat.
Add pork and rice, and bring to boil again, stirring constantly.
Lower heat, simmer for 2 minutes and add remaining ingredients.
Cover pan and cook for 30 minutes, till pork is tender and gravy thickens.
Arek
Pork Stew with Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 4
1 kg pork
3 tsp chopped bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 medium-sized tomato, quartered
1 tsp salt

Place pork in a pan over high heat with enough water to cover. Just before it starts to
boil, drain water.
Return pork to pan, add fresh water to cover and bring to boil.
Mix in remaining ingredients, cover pan, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, till
pork is tender.
Luktar
Dried Pork and Bamboo Shoot Pickle

Makes: 750 gms
500 gms dried pork
1 cup dried
bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli) Bamboo or metal skewers
3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt

Cut pork into 1 pieces and bamboo shoot into pieces.
Thread pork onto skewers and roast over a charcoal fire for 1520 minutes till it turns
reddish and tender.
Keep rotating skewers to ensure even cooking.
Allow to cool and shred.
Combine all ingredients, mix well and store in an airtight jar.
It can be stored for months.
Goru Adin
Stir-Fried Beef
Serves: 6
1 kg beef
3 tbsp oil
1 heaped tsp ginger paste
3 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp salt

Wash beef, drain thoroughly and cut into 2 pieces.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add green chillies and stir-fry for a few moments.
Add beef and stir-fry till brown.
Cover kadhai or wok and cook over low heat for 1 hour till tender.
Keep checking and stirring occasionally to ensure that it does not stick to base of
kadhai. If it gets too dry sprinkle in some water.
Stir in remaining ingredients and continue stirring over low heat for another 510
minutes.
NOTE:
This is served in small portions as a side dish.
Aso Adin
Mutton Stew with Ginger

Serves: 5
This dish has a delicious ginger tang.
1 kg mutton
1 heaped tsp ginger paste
2 tsp salt

Wash mutton, drain and cut into 2 pieces.
Add mutton and continue boiling for 5 minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients, cover pan and simmer till mutton is tender and gravy
thickens.
Chow-Chow
Noodles with Meat and Vegetables

Serves: 3
300 gms cooked boneless beef, pork, chicken or mutton tbsp oil
2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
medium-sized cabbage, chopped
500 gms noodles
2 tsp salt
Garnish:

Shred meat and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok. Add vegetables and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Add meat and continue to stir-fry for a further 10 minutes.
Cook noodles in a large pan, with plenty of boiling salted water to which a few drops
of oil are added, till just tender (al dentewith a bite).
Drain and run cold water over noodles for 5 minutes.
Drain again.
Add noodles and salt to kadhai, heat through, garnish with coriander leaves and serve
with any sauce of your choice.
Amin Oying
Chicken Stew
Serves: 5
1 kg chicken
1 tsp salt
cup broken rice

Cut chicken into 2 pieces and wash.
Place chicken in a pan with 1 litre water and bring to boil over high heat. Continue
boiling for 5 minutes.
Mix in ginger, green chillies and salt.
Wash rice and stir it in.
Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, till
chicken and rice are cooked and gravy thickens.
NOTE:
Amin oying is usually served in small bowls made of banana leaves before an opo
(rice beer) is served.
Etoh
Chicken Stew with Ginger

Serves: 4
2 kg chicken
3 piece ginger, chopped
1 tsp salt

Clean chicken, cut into medium-sized pieces and wash.
Place 1 litre water in a pan and bring to boil over high heat.
Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
Mix in remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally till chicken is tender.
Ensure that there is enough water to cover the chicken at all times. There should be
enough gravy for each serving.
Rongpu Takeng
Egg Chutney
Serves: 3
5 eggs, hard-boiled
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt

Peel and mash eggs to a smooth paste.
Mix in ginger and salt.
NOTE:
It is usually served with opo (rice beer).
Momos
Makes: about 15 momos

4 cups plain flour (maida)
500 gms mince (beef, pork or chicken)
1 cup onion paste
1 tsp salt

Sift flour into a bowl and knead to a soft, fine dough with 23 cups of water.
Combine mince, onions and salt, and mix well.
Pinch off egg-sized balls of dough and roll into balls.
Flatten a ball in your palm and place 1 tbsp filling in the centre. Fold over sides to
shape into a triangle or round, and press edges firmly to seal.
Make remaining momos in the same way.
Grease the upper container of a steamer, place momos in it and steam for 10 minutes.
Serve with a chutney.
Ething
Rice Cake Steamed in Banana Leaves

Makes: about 10 cakes
500 gms rice
2 banana leaves

Grind rice to a fine powder.
Clean banana leaves with a damp cloth on both sides.
Dry and pass over a live flame to make them pliable, taking care not to burn the
leaves. Cut banana leaves into 8 squares.
Sift rice powder into a bowl, gradually add 2 cups water and knead to a soft dough.
Place about cup dough in the centre of each banana leaf square and fold to make
parcels. Tie with cotton string to secure parcels.
Steam for 20 minutes.
Serve with tea or opo (rice beer).
Ts-Ja
Tea with Yaks Milk

Serves: 2
Like the Bhutanis, the Arunachalis love salted tea.
1 cup yaks milk or 1 tsp salt-free butter tsp salt
1 tsp tea leaves

Place 2 cups water in a pan and bring to boil.
Add yaks milk or butter and salt.
Bring to boil again and add tea leaves.
Cover pan, remove from heat and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.
Strain tea and serve.
Assam
Meals from the Banks of the Brahmaputra

Food habits in Assam are as diverse as the languages spoken there. The Bodos, who are
the indigenous tribe, relish sobai jwng oma vedor, their traditional dish of pork and husked
black beans (urad dal) cooked without oil or spices. They rustle up this dish whenever
they want a special meal. For the majority Asomiya community, there is no substitute to
masor jhol, a fish curry prepared in a minimum of oil and spices. Unlike the Asomiyas
who restrict themselves to fresh fish, the Bodos are dependent on fermented fish called
napham (pronounced napam), the aroma of which whets the appetite. Napham is also an
essential ingredient of napham bathun, a mouth-watering, fiery chutney.
To compliment their meals, the Bodos and other tribes like the Karbi, Mishing and
Rabha drink zou, a kind of rice beer. It keeps their bodies active and warm. It is brewed at
home and every home has a stock of zou which they offer their guests in place of tea.
The Assamese on the whole are rice eaters. The main difference between the majority
Asomiyas and the other tribes, is the latters preference for pork, zou and sun-dried and
fermented fish. Since the Asomiyas had long settled along the banks of the Brahmaputra,
fresh fish was always available, so there was no need to dry it and their preference for
fresh fish is more due to habit than any religious or cultural belief. However, pork is
considered impure and they abstain from it due to social reservations.
The use of lemon grass, coconut milk, chilli paste and bamboo shoot in the preparation
of some of the Assamese dishes are a part of the Thai influence.
Every region boasts its own food speciality, but on the whole, Assamese food is known
for its simplicity. Unlike most of the hill tribes of the North-East, they may use oil but this
is kept to the minimum. They are health-conscious and use spices only when they prepare
non-vegetarian dishes. For instance, they prepare mansha jhol, a mutton curry, with
pepper. Sometimes unripe papaya is added for thickening the gravy and mellowing the
flavour. The generous use of mustard seeds in their fish curries is an influence of the
Bengalis who have settled in large numbers in Assam, but they do not use as much as the
Bengalis and they prefer green chillies to the red ones. Other than their use of mustard
seeds, they do not share a common culinary identity, as is often mistakenly thought.
The Assamese also use souring agents in some of their dishes, but unlike the South
Indians, they use lime and tomato and not tamarind.
While mutton is a popular non-vegetarian item, chicken, fish, duck and pigeon are
equally popular. In some parts of Assam like Lakhimpur district, the villagers rear ducks
and serve it at special occasions.
Residents of Dibrugarh in upper Assam eat steamed rice with dal and khar (lightly
boiled vegetables). The dal is usually fried in a little oil after lightly browning some
onions. Here, the food is less spicy compared to other parts of Assam. The use of
fenugreek seeds for flavour is quite common, but in the absence of fenugreek they use
mustard seeds. They relish duck with the same weakness as the residents of other parts of
Assam. Unlike the enterprising villagers of Lakhimpur district, residents of Dibrugarh do
not rear ducks at home but prefer to buy them from the market. Chicken and mutton too
are purchased from local butcher shops.
As you move down to lower AssamKamrup, Nalbari, Barbeta, Bongaigaon,

Kukhreja, Golpara and Dhuburithe taste gets spicier and when they prepare khar, they
often add fish to it. There is less emphasis on tenga (sourness) and a generous use of
coconut in the dishes. Since there are abundant coconut trees in lower Assam, it is used in
many dishes, including nariyal ka ladoo (coconut sweet made with grated fresh coconut
and hot ghee). Nearly every household makes its own typical nariyal ka ladoo.
In Majuli Island, the worlds largest river island, the indigenous Mishing and Deori
tribes who are the main residents of the island also drink zou. There is hardly any oil or
basic spices like turmeric in their cooking. Vegetables and meat boiled in water and
seasoned with herbs found on the island constitute their simple diet. Only when they
prepare pork do they use a hint of spices with rice powder added to thicken the gravy.
Central Assam has more variety in its food as it has accommodated different faiths that
have coexisted there for years. Guwahati, for example, reflects a more cosmopolitan spirit
that is prominent even in their food, and it would be a hard task to find a restaurant here
that serves a typical Asomiya dish. Instead, what you see are restaurants catering to food
from the different communities of neighbouring states. The only constant trend is the
absence of too many spices, with ginger and garlic being the predominant ones. Often,
they prefer deep-fried items, which are not popular in most parts of Assam and they like
their mutton well-spiced and finger-licking. This is the influence of the younger
generations of Assamese who now intermingle with different communities and act as
agents in promoting cultural exchanges, so that slowly the cuisine too is undergoing
changes. While a South Indian may not prepare zou, an Asomiya housewife can spend the
afternoon perfecting her dosa or idli. Despite all these new influences, their staple food
still consists of dal, which is prepared only with salt, and fish and chicken.
Coconut ladoo is also still popular. At marriages, they serve chera patha doia sweet
made from curd, jaggery and instant rice called komal saul. They also eat poori-subji and
sweets like petha.
Bodos serve non-vegetarian food on all occasions and from ancient times have
preserved meat to last them a year. Large quantities of meatmainly porkis skewered,
salted and smoked over a fire or dried in the sun. One or two pieces of this meat is eaten
during a meal, or mixed into a dish to enhance its flavour.
The kitchen has always been the domain of the women in Bodo society. Knowing how
to cook is considered a necessity and a woman who cant cook finds it difficult to find a
husband, no matter how rich she may be.
The Bodos, being the indigenous people of the land, are quite different, even in the food
they eat, from the rest of the Indo-Aryans of Assam. They also use the indigenous soda.
One of the most important Bodo dishes is sobai wangkhrai, a chicken and black bean
(urad dal) preparation. This is a symbolic dish served during special occasions like
Rongali which falls in April. It is a seven-day festival like the Rongali Bihu of the
Assamese and is linked to the start of the new agricultural season. It is marked by feasting
and dance. They drink zou or rice beer with well-prepared meat. Then, they march in
groups to the fields to get the blessings of the almighty. They worship sijou bijang, a
cactus plant, which is the symbol of their god. Every Bodo home has a sijou bijang
planted in the courtyard facing the east, as they believe the god they worship dwells in the
east.
During Bodo weddings, the surrounding villagers are invited to bless the newly married
couple. The bride-to-be, with the help of another lady of the village, prepares sobai
wangkhrai which is served to the guests, after which the marriage rituals are performed.
This is meant to be a test of the new brides culinary skills. If the dish is tasty, she will
have impressed the villagers, otherwise the household will be criticized and even mocked.
When sobai wangkhrai is prepared for a wedding, no turmeric or colouring essence is
added.
Alu Pitika
Spicy Mashed Potatoes

Serves: 4
2 medium-sized potatoes
1 tsp mustard oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
tsp salt
Garnish:

Boil potatoes, peel and mash.
Combine all ingredients except garnish and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side dish at lunch or dinner.
Kosu Hajor
Sour Colocasia Leaf Curry

Serves: 4
This is one of the favourite dishes of the Assamese.
500 gms colocasia leaves with tender stems (arvi patta)
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
tbsp coriander powder
tbsp black pepper powder
tbsp cumin powder
tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp lime juice

Wash colocasia leaves and tear by hand.
Place leaves in a pan with water to cover and cook for 1520 minutes, till tender.
Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add onion and fry till golden brown.
Mix in ginger, garlic and spice powders, and fry for a few minutes.
Stir in colocasia leaves and salt, and continue frying for a few minutes, stirring
constantly.
Add 2 cups water and boil for 10 minutes.
Mix in lime juice and continue boiling till gravy thickens.
Mati Dal
Black Beans with Pumpkin

Serves: 45
250 gms whole black beans (sabut urad)
250 gms white pumpkin (doodhiya)
tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp mustard oil
2 large onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger paste

Wash beans and soak in water for 2 hours.
Wash, peel and clean pumpkin, and cut into large pieces.
Place beans, pumpkin, turmeric and 1 litre water in a pressure cooker and cook under
pressure for 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add onions and garlic, and fry till onions turn golden
brown.
Pour contents of pressure cooker into kadhai and mix well.
Heat through if necessary before serving, mix in ginger, cover pan and simmer for 5
minutes.
NOTE:
This dish is normally served at lunch as it is very heavy.
KharI
Black Beans with Unripe Papaya

Serves: 5
200 gms whole black beans (sabut urad)
1 tsp + 1 tsp mustard oil
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
2 cups peeled, grated unripe papaya
1 tsp salt
tsp sugar
2 drops indigenous soda or tsp sodium bicarbonate
1 tsp ginger paste

Wash beans and place in a pan with 2 cups water.
Bring to boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadhai or wok and add fenugreek seeds. When they start
sputtering, add beans and papaya, and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in salt, sugar, soda or sodium bicarbonate and 2 cups water, and cook stirring
occasionally till papaya and beans are tender and gravy thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in ginger and 1 tsp oil.
KharII
Bottlegourd with Fish

Serves: 5
This dish is popular in the lower Assam region.
500 gms bottlegourd (lauki)
4 tsp oil
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
4 green chillies, slit
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 drops indigenous soda or 1 tsp sodium bicarbonate
250 gms small fish, cleaned, washed and fried till golden brown
2 tsp salt
Garnish:

Peel bottlegourd, clean, wash and chop fine.
Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaves, green chillies and garlic, and fry, stirring constantly,
for 2 minutes.
Add bottlegourd and soda or sodium bicarbonate, and continue cooking for a few
minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Pour in 2 cups water, cover pan, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
Stir in fish and salt, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.
Napham
Fish with Colocasia Leaves

Serves: 5
1 kg small fresh river fish
500 gms colocasia leaves (arvi patta)
2 tsp salt
1 bamboo hollow, 3 in diameter and 5 long

Wash fish, drain and spread out in the sun, covered with a thin muslin cloth for a day
to dry completely.
Wash and clean colocasia leaves and grind coarsely.
Mix in fish and salt.
Place mixture into bamboo hollow and press tightly.
Seal carefully with foil to ensure it is airtight, and set aside for a month, after which it
is ready to eat.
Empty contents into a bowl and serve as a side dish with rice and any other dishes.
NOTE:
This process of keeping a mixture in a bamboo hollow to mature is called owa
hasung. Make sure the bamboo hollow is completely dry
Napham Bathun
Fermented Fish Chutney

Serves: 5
7 dried red or fresh green chillies
3 small fermented fish
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt

Heat a tawa or griddle and roast chillies till dark and fragrant. Remove from tawa and
set aside.
Add fish to tawa and roast for 23 minutes, till soft.
Sprinkle over a little water to prevent fish from sticking to tawa.
Combine all ingredients, mash to a paste and serve.
Maas Patotia
Fish Roasted in Banana Leaves

Serves: 5
1 kg fish, kept whole (use any fish with a single central bone)
1 tsp mustard oil
3 banana leaves
Marinade:
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds, ground
1 tsp salt

Clean fish, wash and drain thoroughly.
Combine ingredients for marinade, rub into fish, sprinkle over oil and marinate for 15
minutes.
leaves. Cut banana leaves into suitable sizes.
Wrap each fish in banana leaf to form a parcel and tie with string to secure it.
Place a tawa or griddle over moderate heat and place a fish parcel on it. Roast on
both sides till the leaf is burnt and you get the aroma of burnt leaf and cooked fish.
Cook remaining fish parcels in the same way.
Undo parcels, place fish in a serving platter and serve with steamed rice.
Maas-Patot-Dia
Fish Baked in Banana Leaves

Serves: 5
500 gms fish fillet
cup oil
cup grated fresh coconut
8 dry red chillies, broken into
2 pieces each
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp chopped cashewnuts or almonds
cup thick coconut milk
2 tsp salt
tsp black pepper powder
3 banana leaves

Wash fish, drain thoroughly and mince.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add coconut and fry for 23 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Pour remaining oil into pan and heat through.
Add red chillies, onions, garlic and lemon grass, and fry till onions turn pale gold.
Stir in fish, eggs, nuts and reserved coconut, and fry till golden brown.
Mix in coconut milk, salt and pepper, and simmer till gravy thickens.
leaves. Cut banana leaves into 8 squares.
Lightly grease banana leaves and place 1 cup of mixture in the centre of each piece.
Wrap to form parcels and secure with toothpicks or string.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 35
40 minutes.
Unwrap parcels and serve with steamed rice.
NOTES:
You can use foil in place of the banana leaves.
This dish is traditionally cooked directly over a charcoal fire.
VARIATION:
Instead of minced fish, you can use very small fish.
Masor JholI
Fish Curry
Serves: 4
1 kg carp (rohu)
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp finely chopped onion
tsp ginger paste
tsp garlic paste
2 medium-sized potatoes, cut into
1 cubes
1 tsp cumin powder
tsp coriander powder
tsp turmeric powder
1 kg cauliflower, cut into florets
Marinade:
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
Garnish:
tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

Clean fish, cut into medium-sized pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Combine ingredients for marinade, rub into fish and marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok and lightly fry fish in batches. Drain and set aside.
Add onion, ginger and garlic to kadhai, and fry, stirring constantly till golden brown.
Mix in potatoes and 2 cups water, and bring to boil.
Sprinkle in spice powders, lower heat and simmer till potatoes are half cooked.
Add cauliflower and continue simmering till vegetables are tender and gravy
thickens.
Gently mix in fish and simmer for a few minutes longer.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
VARIATION:
The fish can also be made with 2 chopped tomatoes, a cup of shelled green peas and
10 finely chopped spinach leaves, instead of potatoes and cauliflower
Masor JholII
Fish Curry
Serves: 6
This dish is popular in the lower Assam areas.
500 gms fish fillet or steaks
Oil for deep frying
4 fresh red chillies, broken into 2 pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2 tsp salt
tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cups thick coconut milk
2 spring onions, chopped
Garnish:
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Wash fish and drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok till almost smoking. Add fish in batches and deep fry till
golden brown. Drain and set aside.
Remove oil from kadhai leaving only 1 tbsp in it.
Return kadhai to heat, stir in red chillies, onion and garlic, and fry, stirring constantly
for 45 minutes.
Mix in curry paste, salt and pepper, and continue frying, stirring frequently, till oil
separates.
Blend in coconut milk and bring to boil.
Lower heat and simmer for a few minutes. (Add some water if you want more gravy.)
Gently mix in spring onions and reserved fish, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer curry to a serving dish.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.
NOTE:
Thai red curry paste is available in stores that stock oriental foodstuff.
Masor Tenga
Sour Fish
Serves: 56
This dish is usually served as the last course of a meal by the Assamese.
500 gms river fish
4 tbsp mustard oil
tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
cup grated bottlegourd (lauki)
cup chopped tomatoes
tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lime juice
Marinade:
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp salt
Garnish:

Clean fish, cut into pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Rinse fish in fresh water and drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok till smoking, add fish, a few pieces at a time and fry till
light brown on both sides. Drain and set aside.
Lower heat, add fenugreek to kadhai and fry till light brown.
Stir in bottlegourd and continue frying over low heat for 5 minutes.
Blend in tomatoes and fry till soft and tender.
Add turmeric, salt and 2 cups water, and bring to boil.
Gently add reserved fish, cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix in lime juice and remove from heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.
Oma Bedor Saonai
Barbecued Pork
Serves: 5
1 kg pork
2 tsp salt Bamboo or metal skewers

Wash pork, drain thoroughly and cut into 1 pieces.
Sprinkle over salt and mix thoroughly.
Thread pork onto skewers and roast over a charcoal fire for 15 30 minutes, turning
frequently till golden brown and tender.
Oma Eonai
Fried Pork
Serves: 5
1 kg pork
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp onion paste
1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add ginger, garlic and onion, and fry stirring constantly,
till golden brown.
Mix in pork and salt, and fry till brown, stirring frequently.
Sprinkle in cup water, cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes till tender.
Oma Vedor Gwran
Sun-Dried Pork
This is the ancient method of preserving pork.
1 kg pork

Wash pork, pat dry and cut into 3 pieces.
Spread out on trays, cover with a thin muslin cloth and leave in the sun for a week.
Another traditional method is to thread pork onto skewers and leave it over the
fireplace for a week to dry out.
The pork will stay for a year. It should be placed in the sun from time to time to keep
it free from fungus, etc.
Before serving, heat it gently.
Mansha Jhol
Mutton Curry
Serves: 4
500 gms mutton
2 tbsp mustard oil
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and halved
500 gms unripe papaya, peeled and sliced (optional)
Marinade:
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp black pepper powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
Spice paste:
3 black cardamoms
3 stick cinnamon

Wash mutton, drain thoroughly and cut into 1 pieces.
Combine ingredients for marinade, rub into mutton and marinate for 30 minutes.
Soak cardamoms and cinnamon in just enough water to cover, for 30 minutes. Drain
and grind to a paste.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add mutton and fry, stirring occasionally till oil
separates.
Mix in spice paste, potatoes, papaya and 2 cups water.
Close cooker and cook under pressure for 20 minutes.
Serve hot with steamed rice.
Onla Wangkhrai
Chicken Stew
Serves: 5
1 kg rice
1 kg chicken
1 tbsp mustard oil
1 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp salt

Wash rice, soak in water for 1015 minutes and drain.
Spread out on a clean cloth to dry completely and grind to a fine powder.
Cut chicken into 2 pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Place 2 cups water in a pan and bring to boil. Add rice powder and stir vigorously
with a wooden spoon to ensure that it forms a smooth paste without lumps.
Cook over moderate heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Sprinkle in soda or sodium bicarbonate, mix well and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add onion, ginger and garlic, and fry till golden brown.
Add chicken and fry for a few minutes.
Sprinkle in salt and cup water, mix well and cook for about 20 minutes till chicken
is tender.
Stir in rice paste and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Kukura Aru Gaj
Chicken and Bamboo Shoot Curry

Serves: 5
250 gms fresh or canned bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
1 kg chicken
cup oil
4 green chillies, slit
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 cup thin coconut milk
1 cup thick coconut milk
2 tsp salt
Garnish:

Wash fresh bamboo shoot and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and cut into
quarters.
Joint chicken, wash and drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a heavy-based pan, add onions and green chillies, and fry till onions turn
golden brown.
Add chicken and curry paste, and fry for 15 minutes.
Mix in bamboo shoot and fry for a few minutes more.
Stir in thin coconut milk, lower heat, cover pan and simmer for 40 minutes, till
chicken is tender and dry.
Stir in thick coconut milk and salt, and simmer uncovered, stirring continuously till
oil separates.
VARIATIONS:
Thai red curry paste is available in stores that stock oritental foodstuff.
Sobai Wangkhrai
Chicken with Black Beans

Serves: 5
This is a Bodo dish and is served during special occasions like weddings or when they
invite special guests to their homes.
1 kg chicken
1 kg whole black beans (sabut urad)
1 tsp + 1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
3 tsp onion paste

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, wash and drain.
Clean dal by rubbing with a cloth but do not wash.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadhai or wok, add dal and fry for a few minutes, stirring
constantly.
Pour in 2 cups water and bring to boil. Cover pan and cook till water has
evaporated and dal is tender.
Sprinkle in turmeric and salt, and remove from heat.
Cool and grind to a paste.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in another kadhai or wok till smoking.
Add chicken and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Mix in ginger, garlic and onion, and continue stir-frying for 15 minutes.
Add ground dal, cook for 5 minutes longer and serve.
VARIATIONS:
Sobai Jwng Oma Vedor (Pork with Black Beans): Use pork instead of chicken.
Bhoja Haah
Stir-Fried Duck
Serves: 6
This dish is cooked with fermented black bean paste known as chiakng-pao-ya-ssu, and is
available in the markets of Meghalaya and Arunchal Pradesh.
In the plains of lower Assam it is cooked with whole black beans (sabut urad) and the
duck is not roasted or smoked.
The dish is also popular in the Lakhimpur area.
1 duck, about 1 kg, pot roasted or smoked
1 tbsp mustard oil
8 dry red chillies, seeded and broken into small pieces
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 green capsicum, seeded and shredded
1 small head celery, shredded
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp whole black beans (sabut urad) soaked for 30 minutes and ground to a paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp vinegar

Debone duck and slice into matchstick-sized strips.
Heat oil in a frying pan, add red chillies and fry for a minute. Drain chillies and
discard.
Add onion, capsicum, celery, garlic and bean paste to pan, and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Mix in sugar, soya sauce and duck, and continue stir-frying for 23 minutes longer.
Blend in vinegar, fry for 10 seconds and serve.
Komal Saul
Soft Rice
Serves: 5
Traditionally paddy is washed and boiled in plenty of water till cooked. It is then drained
and pounded lightly to separate the husk. (This can be done in an electric grinder for about
5 seconds.) It is then dried in the sun and winnowed in a large bamboo tray to separate the
chaff from the grain. If you use regular rice, this procedure is not required.
1 kg rice with husk (paddy)
200 gms jaggery, grated

Wash rice and boil in plenty of water till cooked.
Spread out in the sun to dry.
Give it a whirl in the grinder for about 5 seconds and separate the husk from the grain
to get komal saul.
Soak rice grains in water for about 20 minutes till tender.
Drain rice, mix gently with jaggery and serve as a dessert.
Til Pitha
Sweet Rice Pancakes

Makes: 3040 pancakes
This dish is usually served at lunch during the Bihu festival.
1 kg sticky rice
500 gms sesame seeds (til)
250 gms jaggery
Oil for greasing

Wash rice, soak in water for 1 hour and drain. Spread out to dry for about 20 minutes
and grind to a fine powder.
Combine rice powder with 2 cups water to make a thin batter.
Heat a tawa or griddle and dry roast sesame seeds till golden.
Pound coarsely and mix in jaggery.
Place a kadhai or wok over low heat and grease lightly.
Spread a thin layer of batter along base of kadhai and cook till base is crisp and upper
part cooked through.
Sprinkle sesame and jaggery mixture along one half, fold and remove from kadhai.
Serve hot.
Nariyal Ka Ladoo
Coconut Sweet
500 gms freshly grated coconut
1 cup ghee
cup sugar

Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and add coconut and sugar. Cook,
stirring constantly till sugar melts.
Remove from heat and place in a bowl.
Add ghee and mix well.
Allow to cool and pinch off lime-sized portions of mixture. Shape into rounds and
store in an air-tight container.
Manipur
Titbits from Loktak Valley

The British were the first outsiders to acknowledge the culinary skills of the Manipuris. In
the late 1930s when Surchand Maharaj, the king of Manipur, invited the British to a
banquet at his palace, they were treated to a lavish meal consisting of over a hundred and
fifty dishes. The vegetarian dishes, prepared by the palace cooks (Brahmins, known for
their mastery in cooking), were served on banana leaves in a sumang (a spacious veranda
reserved especially for feasts). As the British helped themselves to the sumptuous pakoda
thongba (a light curry with gram flour dumplings), they were so impressed that one of the
guests wanted to know which tree the pakod grew on.
Manipuri dishes have not only retained their original flavour but have continued to
evolve with time. The people pride themselves on having the largest variety of dishes in
their repertoire as compared to the neighbouring states. Known for their love of good
food, the Manipuris do not make any compromise with flavour. Even a humble man who
can ill afford other material comforts makes sure he gets a good meal. In fact, the
Manipuris are the only people of the North-East who have a particular sect of people, the
Brahmins, who are hired specifically for cooking at feasts.
Fish is the most popular food here, sixty per cent of which is got from the Loktak Lake.
The rest comes from the individual man-made, captive fish ponds (called pukhri in Meitei)
owned by almost every household in the state, fish farms and cooperatives. A part of the
fish is sent to neighbouring Nagaland, and so during state functions and feasts, they have
to get the additional fish from Assam. No feast is complete without fishdried, smoked
or fresh.
Cultural and religious factors are reflected in the gastronomic fare of the people. The
Meiteis are devotees of Vaishnodevi and red meat is shunned in their religious festivals
and feasts, while for the hill tribeswho constitute nearly forty per cent of the population
red meat is essential for a meal to be complete. So much so, that even an old man will
brave the cold to trap a small animal or a bird so that he can at least make a non-vegetarian
chutney.
A Meitei woman rises before sunrise, has a bath, and dressed in clean, starched clothes,
she applies a chandon tikka (sandalwood mark) on her forehead and enters the kitchen.
The day begins with tea without milk and tan (poori) followed by an early meal of
steamed rice with kangsoi (a simple vegetable stew) and ironba (a chutney), complimented
with fried fish.
Meiteis do not serve non-vegetarian food on all occasions. Fish, for instance, is not
served during utsavs (religious feasts) like Mera Mess, etc. During festive occasions like
wedding ceremonies, the number of dishes depends on the income and status of the host
and could stretch from a hundred and fifty dishes to five.
The Manipuris have evolved their own distinctive cuisine, with kangsoi, ooti, ironba,
voksa pok and more. Many of their dishes are flavoured with ngari (fermented fish) and
sun-dried fish. Their pickle hawaichar is prepared from fermented soya beans, cooked
with sodium bicarbonate. The preparation is drained and wrapped tightly in banana leaves
until it matures to a state of pungency.
It is during religious and social functions that the culinary art of the state is showcased.
Earlier, Brahmins were engaged exclusively for cooking Meitei feasts. Today they are in
demand even with the hill tribes and have to be booked well in advance.
Simple-hearted and hospitable, the people of Manipur consider it impolite if a guest
leaves without taking at least a glass of water or a cup of tea. In ancient days, among the
Paite tribe, no visitor would leave the home without sipping rice beer. Now tea has
replaced the beer and the Paites seldom drink beer. The advent of Christianity has also
influenced eating habits. In a dramatic departure from the ancient practice of steaming
tanghous (cakes made with powdered sticky rice), today baking cakes is very popular
among the Tangkhul Nagas of Manipur.
In a Meitei household, guests who come to stay overnight are very rare. The traditional
Meitei houses are large hall-like structures without individual rooms. Family members and
helpers dined together and helpers were treated like members of the family.
With the spread of Vaishnavism, the Meiteis slowly discarded their traditional faith
Sanamahi, and as a new class of Brahmins was born, society became divided between the
Sanamahi and Vaishnavites. The Sanamahi have no idols and they believe that Sanamahi,
the household god resides in the south-west corner of each home. While they eat
everything, the Hindu Meiteis restrict themselves to fish.
Ningol Chakouba (corresponding to Bhayya Dooj of north India, Bhai Bij of western
India and Bhratridwitiya of east India) is a popular festival celebrated on the second day of
the new moon of Hiyanggei (October/November), when married daughters come visiting
their parents. This tradition goes back to the time when one of the Manipuri kings, who
had many sisters was invited for a meal by all of them. He could not attend all their
invitations and so fixed a date on which he invited all his sisters. In case the parents are
dead, the women visit their brothers homes, and bring along fruits and sweets. A lavish
meal comprising of non-vegetarian food, mostly fish, is arranged. The brothers give their
sisters gifts who in turn bless them. Today, some people invite their friends and relatives to
show their love and affection. Each member gets a present like a phanek (sarong) and phi
(a shawl worn over the blouse). The menu too has changed and the modern Meiteis even
serve chicken.
The best occasion to sample the vegetarian dishes of the Meiteis is at their religious
feasts called utsavs. Only Meitei Brahmins are engaged to cook and they guard their
recipes closely. There are strict dress codes for attending the utsav. Men are attired in
white kurta and dhoti and women in a white phi and light pink phanek. The food is served
on banana leaves and the guests are invited to be seated by an announcement made in
Sanskrit by a Brahmin, a spoonful of salt is served at the side of each plate and another
announcement is made. The eldest member, seated at the head of the table or floor takes
the first bite and then the other guests start. The first course consists of ooti (lentils),
ironba (chutney) and singzu (a salad). This is followed by sagolhawai (black beans or urad
in a thick gravy) and then soibum (bamboo shoot), pakod and paneer cooked in milk. The
last course of kheer and seasonal fruits cooked in jaggery is followed by salt. Once again,
the guests have to wait for the eldest person to rise, before they can leave the feast.
In festival-related feasts like Ningol Chakouba, Mapam Chakouba, Ngatangba, etc., fish
forms the main course with rohu and sareng being the favourites. The service is similar to
the utsav feast. Other than rohu and sareng, the Meiteis are especially fond of pengba,
khaba, ngaton, ngakra, hilsa and prawn. All preparations are served with rice and not roti
which means that almost all dishes have gravy.
They love the bitter taste of suktani (leaves of a bush which grows in the jungles of
Manipur), which is served with rice as a starter. The hill tribes round off their meals with
milky tea prepared without sugar.
Chi Al Meh
Vegetable Stew
Serves: 5
3 medium-sized potatoes, finely sliced
1 cup shelled green peas or trimmed and chopped French beans
1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt
Garnish:

Add vegetables and cook till tender.
Mash potatoes with a spoon to thicken gravy and stir in ginger and salt.
Sana Thongba
Cottage Cheese Cooked in Milk

Serves: 4
1 tbsp oil
2 medium-sized potatoes, cut into 2 cubes
3 cups shelled green peas
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 litre milk
1 kg cottage cheese (paneer), cut into 1 cubes

Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaves and fry till golden brown.
Add potatoes, green peas and turmeric, and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Pour in milk and simmer till thick.
Add paneer, mix well and serve with steamed rice.
Pakoda Thongba
Curry with Gram Flour Dumplings

Serves: 4
Curry:
2 cups chickpeas (kabuli chana)
2 tsp ginger paste
A pinch of asafoetida powder (hing)
1 tsp salt
Pakod:
3 cups gram flour (besan)
tsp red chilli powder
tsp turmeric powder
tsp coriander powder
tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt
A pinch of sodium bicarbonate or a drop of indigenous soda 5 flat onion leaves or
chives, chopped
Oil for deep frying
Garnish:
Curry:
Wash chickpeas and soak in water overnight. Drain and rinse well.
Place chickpeas in a pan with 2 cups fresh water over high heat.
Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes till tender.
Drain and reserve water. Use chickpeas for any other purpose.
Pakod:
Sift gram flour into a bowl and mix in spice powders, salt and sodium bicarbonate (if
used).
Stir in indigenous soda (if used) and cup lukewarm water, and mix to a smooth
batter.
Mix in onion leaves or chives.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, drop in walnut-sized balls of batter and fry over low heat
in batches till golden brown and cooked through. Drain and set aside.
To serve:
Combine chickpea water and remaining ingredients for curry in a pan and bring to
boil.
Add pakod, bring to boil again and continue boiling for 5 minutes.
Mangal Kangtak
Green Pea Curry

Serves: 4
3 cups shelled green peas
2 dry red chillies
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
5 flat onion leaves or chives, chopped
2 medium-sized tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
tsp fenugreek powder (methi)
tsp cumin powder
Garnish:

Place green peas in a pressure cooker with 2 cups water and cook under pressure for
5 minutes.
Open cooker and mix in red chillies, turmeric and salt.
Cover lightly and simmer over low heat for 1015 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan, and add ginger, onion leaves or chives, tomatoes and spice
powders.
Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly till tomatoes have disintegrated.
Add green peas with any liquid remaining in the cooker and simmer for 23 minutes.
Ooti
Dried Green Pea Curry

Serves: 5
500 gms dried green peas
6 drops indigenous soda or tbsp sodium bicarbonate
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp salt
Garnish:

Wash green peas and soak in water overnight. Drain and rinse well.
Place green peas in a pressure cooker with soda or sodium bicarbonate and 2 cups
fresh water, and cook under pressure for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add remaining ingredients except green peas, salt and
garnish, and fry till onion turns golden brown.
Add green peas with its liquid and bring to boil.
Sprinkle in salt and cook for 5 minutes longer.
VARIATION:
Massori Hawai (Husked Egyptian lentils): Use husked Egyptian lentils (masoor
dal) in place of the dried green peas.
Ironba
Vegetable Chutney
Serves: 6
This is one of the most popular chutneys of Manipur, and accompanies almost every meal.
5 small potatoes, unpeeled
10 French beans, trimmed
3 large mustard or cabbage leaves
5 green or red chillies, ground to a paste
1 tsp salt
2 small fermented fish, lightly dry roasted

Place all ingredients, except fish, in a pressure cooker with water to cover, and cook
under pressure for 10 minutes.
Drain vegetables.
Peel potatoes, and mash with remaining ingredients including fish and serve.
Singzu
Manipuri Salad
Serves: 56
kg unripe papaya
2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp salt

Peel papaya and cut into very thin slices.
Dry roast gram flour on a tawa or griddle till golden brown. Remove from heat and
set aside.
Dry roast red chillies with fish and grind to a paste with 1 tbsp water.
Combine ground paste with gram flour and salt, and mix well.
Add papaya slices, mix well and serve.
NOTE:
This is often eaten as an afternoon snack or served to visitors.
Nga Thongba
Fish Curry
Serves: 6
1 kg river fish (hilsa)
cup mustard oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf (tej patta)
2 medium-sized onions, ground to a paste
tbsp red chilli powder
5 green chillies, split
1 tsp salt
Marinade:
1 tsp salt
Garnish:

Clean fish, cut into medium-sized pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a heavy-based kadhai or wok, and fry fish in batches, turning occasionally
till crisp and light brown. Drain and set aside.
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and bay leaf to kadhai, and fry till mustard seeds
start sputtering.
Stir in onions, ginger and garlic, and fry till onions turn golden brown.
Blend in tomatoes and chilli powder, and continue frying till oil separates.
Pour in 3 cups warm water and bring to boil over high heat.
Mix in green chillies and gently add fish.
Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Voksa Pok
Pork with Mustard Leaves

Serves: 4
1 kg pork with fat
2 tbsp rice
500 gms fresh mustard leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)

Wash rice and drain.
Add rice, bring to boil again and continue boiling till rice is fluffy and tender.
Add pork, cover pan and bring to boil again.
Uncover pan and cook, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes, till gravy thickens
with the rice.
Wash mustard leaves, tear into small pieces by hand and add to pan with ginger.
Continue cooking and stirring for a further 10 minutes.
Mix in soda or sodium bicarbonate and salt, and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
Sprinkle in chilli powder (if used) and serve with steamed rice.
Aksa Pok
Chicken with Ginger

Serves: 5
1 kg chicken
2 tbsp rice
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt

Clean chicken, cut into small pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Heat a heavy-based pan over moderate heat and add chicken without any water or oil.
Keep stirring to prevent it from burning, and cook till the moisture dries out.
Add 2 cups water and bring to boil over high heat.
Wash rice, drain and add to pan. Cover pan and simmer till rice is fluffy and soft.
Uncover pan and keep stirring till gravy thickens with the rice.
Stir in ginger and salt, and cook till the aroma of ginger is released.
Sanggom Kher
Milk and Coconut Dessert

Serves: 4
1 cups rice
2 tbsp ghee
5 litres milk
5 green cardamoms
medium-sized fresh coconut, finely chopped
1 tbsp sultanas (kishmish)
1 tbsp cashewnuts
1 cup sugar

Do not wash rice. Clean it as well as possible with a dry cloth.
Melt ghee, mix into rice and set aside.
Place milk in a heavy-based pan with all ingredients except rice and sugar, and bring
to boil over high heat.
Mix in rice and bring to boil again, stirring constantly.
Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently till rice is fluffy and milk thickens.
Add sugar and continue cooking till it reaches the consistency of a medium-thick
porridge.
Remove from heat, cool and chill.
Meghalaya
Delectable Treats from the Khasi Hills

Meghalaya was called the Scotland of the East by the first British colonials who entered
the state, because of its scenic beauty, but this sobriquet has nothing to do with the food
habits of the people. The people of Meghalaya relish pork cooked with fermented soya
beans. Their staple food is rice, and a typical meal consists of a well-prepared pork dish
with rice.
Besides rice and pork, if there is one thing that they cannot do without, it is kwai, the
local betel nut. In Meghalaya, every family whether lazing around or going about their
daily work, do so chewing kwai and reddening their gums in the process. They begin and
end their day with kwai. It starts early in the morning, when even a toothless octogenarian
is busy crushing the hard betel nut into pieces to keep a days quota ready. The crushed
pieces are then mixed with betel leaves (called tympew in Khasi), tobacco and chemical
lime, and the day starts with a mouthful.
The life of the people here revolves around kwai. The first thing they offer a visitor is
kwai and if you are served tea instead, it could mean that you are not a welcome guest.
Kwai is a symbol of friendship, but a guest is not obliged to have it.
This affair between the people of Meghalaya and kwai is an ancient one and no one
knows when it began. There is a legend, as old as the rivers and the mountains of the
Khasi hills, woven around two friends who remained faithful to each other to the point of
dying for each other. A rich man befriended a poor man in a village and with time their
friendship grew and transcended all material barriers. The rich man lavished gifts and food
on his poor friend whenever the latter visited him. One day the rich man decided to visit
his poor friend, who was at first overjoyed to see him, but was soon overcome with grief,
as he had nothing to offer. He sent his wife to buy or borrow some rice, but she returned
empty-handed. A pot of water was boiling over the fire but there was nothing to put into it.
Ashamed to face their friend, the couple committed suicide. The friend entered the kitchen
to look for them, and as soon as he saw their dead bodies, he understood what had
happened. He then killed himself saying he did not deserve to live when his loyal friend
had given his life. All the while, a thief had been witness to this dramatic affair, and afraid
that he would be accused of the crimes, he too killed himself.
Since then, a ritual was born wherein kwai, an economical item, is served in all
households. The underlying idea being to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.
Symbols are also derived from this storythe hard betel nut represents the rich man while
the leaves are the poor man, the lime represents the wife and the tobacco reflects the
character of the thief.
Social functions are incomplete without kwai. In a marriage ceremony, the bride and the
grooms family exchange kwai, which reflects the acceptance and extension of their
hospitality.
Every meal of all three tribesGaro, Khasi and Jaintia begins and ends with kwai.
When chewed before a meal it acts as an appetizer, and after a meal as a digestive.
They believe that it retards the aging of their skin (the constant movement of muscles
prevents wrinkles) and it is supposed to be the secret of their stamina.
As far as food habits are concerned, the people of Meghalaya are no different from any
other North-East tribe, but they have a sweet tooth. They prefer pork to beef or mutton,
and there are slight variations in their styles of preparation. Garo cooking is marked by the
generous use of indigenous soda in every dish, whether it is the traditional dish,
ngakhamkapa (fermented fish) or a pork dish, as it acts as a tenderizer and gives it a
unique flavour. The favourite food of the Khasis, is pork prepared with soya beans, and
most of their cooking is done without oil or spices, while the Jaintias cook pork with black
sesame seeds. Every meal has a simple boiled accompaniment.
In the typical Khasi kitchen, there is provision for smoked meat to be kept around the
fireplace. They usually preserve meat or fish for a month.
Although this is a matriarchal society, the kitchen is still the domain of women. Descent
is traced through the mother and society bestows more authority to women, but
traditionally, men do not cook.
Food has a lot of symbolism attached to it in this society. For instance, during a
marriage, the groom and his relatives visit the brides house carrying rice beer, betel nut,
betel leaves and new clothes, among many other items which are handed over to the eldest
lady of the brides family. Food is then offered by the grooms party to the brides party as
a pledge that the boy will not desert the girl.
The marriage ceremony is an occasion for a grand feast. A Christian marriage is
solemnized in church after which a feast is arranged by the brides parents and is attended
by both the parties. It is comparatively simpler and less expensive than the Hindu one.
Pork prepared with bamboo shoot, ginger, garlic, chillies, etc., is served along with
chicken, rice, etc.
On reaching the brides house, the grooms party is served two gourds of rice beer and
betel nuts are exchanged. Dishes of well-prepared meat are then brought out. Rice is
served in two or three brass bowls. In olden days, rice beer was also served with the meat.
In ancient days, food was arranged for a departed soul in the belief that it would help
the soul on the journey to the village of the dead. After a year, a ceremony called
Dapsnem was performed where a rich assortment of food including rice beer, betel nut,
betel leaves and chemical lime are offered to the ancestors by the family, for their welfare
and that of the clan members. After the advent of Christianity, these practises have been
discontinued and modern-day Khasis prefer to have a tea party or hold a grand feast after
the funeral.
Apart from the traditional dishes, Shillong is home to more than fifty Chinese
restaurants which cater mostly to outsiders. Though they have gained popularity with the
local people, they still want their jadoh or liver pulao.
Nathok Brenga
Fish in Bamboo Hollow

Serves: 5
1 kg small fish (rohu or hilsa)
1 tsp salt
A drop of indigenous soda or a pinch of sodium bicarbonate

Combine fish with onion, green chillies, salt and soda or sodium bicarbonate, and fill
bamboo hollow with mixture.
Seal bamboo with a banana leaf or foil.
Place bamboo over a charcoal fire and cook for about 20 minutes, till bamboo is
almost burnt. Rotate bamboo from time to time to cook evenly.
Remove from fire and allow to cool a bit.
Open bamboo and empty contents into a bowl.
Serve with steamed rice and any other dish with a gravy.
VARIATION:
Use chopped chicken, pork, beef or mutton instead of the fish. In this case it is
preferable to partially cook the meat with a minimum of water over low heat, before
filling it into the bamboo hollow.
Watepa
Fish Barbecued in Banana Leaves

Serves: 6
1 kg fish fillet
1 tsp salt
3 banana leaves

Wash fish, drain thoroughly and chop fine.
Combine fish with remaining ingredients except banana leaves.
Clean banana leaves with a damp cloth on both sides, dry and pass over a live flame
to make them pliable, taking care not to burn the leaves. Cut banana leaves into 5
squares.
Place 2 tbsp of mixture in the centre of each banana leaf square and fold to form
parcels. Tie with cotton string to secure parcels.
Cook fish parcels over a charcoal fire for about 15 minutes, turning them from time
to time for even cooking, till leaves turn brown.
Open parcels, empty contents into a bowl and serve.
NOTE:
You can use foil instead of banana leaves, in which case make the parcels with 34
layers of foil.
The parcels, wrapped in banana leaves can also be cooked in an oven preheated to
180C/350F for 15 minutes.
VARIATIONS:

Use chopped chicken, mutton or pork instead of fish.
You can add chopped vegetables like cabbage or tomatoes to the mixture.
Papaya flowers can also be added. This enhances the flavour and has good medicinal
value for diabetic patients.
Na Tok Shokapa
Fish Head Curry

Serves: 4
1 kg fish heads
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt

Clean fish heads carefully and cut into medium-sized pieces. Wash and drain
thoroughly.
Place fish heads in a pan over low heat without any water or oil. Cook, stirring
occasionally till all water from the fish evaporates and the aroma of raw fish
disappears.
Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
Pour in 2 cups water and simmer till gravy thickens.
Ngakhamkapa
Fermented Fish Chutney

Serves: 4
2 tsp oil
500 gms fermented fish
1 large onion, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
tsp salt

Heat oil in a heavy-based pan over low heat and add fish. Cook, stirring constantly
till fish turns soft and becomes a paste.
Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes longer.
Add onion, ginger and garlic, and continue stirring till golden brown.
Stir in remaining ingredients and cup water, cover pan and cook for 5 minutes
longer.
This goes well with steamed rice.
VARIATIONS:
You can use ordinary sun-dried fish, but the flavour will not be the same.
Wak Pura
Pork with Mustard Leaves

Serves: 4
1 cup rice
1 kg pork
500 gms mustard leaves
23 green chillies, broken in half
1 tsp salt

Wash rice, soak in water for 15 minutes and drain.
Spread to dry till crisp again and grind to a powder.
Wash mustard leaves and shred by hand.
Place pork in a pan over low heat without any oil or water, and let it cook till water
from the pork evaporates and a reddish sediment starts appearing. Stir occasionally to
prevent burning.
As the fat starts melting, mix in mustard leaves, green chillies and salt, and continue
cooking and stirring till mustard leaves disintegrate and are well mixed.
Cover pan and cook over low heat for 510 minutes.
Stir in 2 cups water, cover pan again and cook for 10 minutes longer.
Blend in rice powder and soda or sodium bicarbonate, and simmer for another 15
minutes till pork is tender and gravy thickens.
Wak Al Galda
Pork with Sorrel Leaves

Serves: 6
1 kg pork
5 sorrel leaves (amrul), washed and roughly torn by hand
2 tsp onion paste
2 tsp green chilli paste
1 tsp salt

Place pork in a pan over low heat without any oil or water, and cook for 2035
minutes, stirring occasionally till water from pork evaporates.
Add remaining ingredients and keep stirring and cooking till sorrel leaves
disintegrate and are well mixed.
Stir in cup water, raise heat, bring to boil, and boil for about 15 minutes, till gravy
thickens and pork is tender.
Wak Me-A-Mesang Pura
Pork with Fermented Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 6
500 gms fermented bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
1 kg pork with fat and bones
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp salt
A pinch of turmeric powder (optional)
cup rice powder

Wash bamboo shoot in lukewarm water and drain.
Wash pork, drain thoroughly and cut into medium-sized pieces.
Place pork in a heavy-based pan over low heat without any oil or water.
Cook for 2035 minutes, stirring occasionally, till water from pork evaporates and it
turns light brown.
Add bamboo shoot and 1 cup water, and cook for a few minutes, stirring
occasionally.
Mix in green chillies, ginger, salt and turmeric (if used), and simmer till dry.
Stir in 2 cups water and cook for about 15 minutes till pork is tender.
Blend in rice powder to thicken gravy and cook for 15 minutes longer.
Tungrumbai
Pork with Fermented Soya Beans

Serves: 6
1 kg pork
2 tsp oil
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 cup fermented soya beans
1 tsp black sesame seeds (til), powdered
1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and garlic, and fry till golden brown.
Stir in soya beans and pork, and fry till pork is golden brown.
Add 1 cup water and cook for 30 minutes till pork is tender, adding more water if
required.
Stir in sesame seed powder and salt, and cook for 15 minutes longer.
Remove from heat and serve.
Dohneiiong
Pork with Black Sesame Seeds

Serves: 4
1 kg pork
4 medium-sized onions, sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tsp black sesame seeds (til) A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

Place pork in a cooker over low heat and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring
constantly, till the fat oozes out.
Remove meat from cooker and set aside.
Add remaining ingredients to cooker and cook, stirring frequently till the fat
separates.
Add reserved pork and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in 2 cups water, close cooker and cook under pressure for 15 minutes.
Jadoh
Liver Pulao
Serves: 7
500 gms pigs liver
3 cups rice
1 tsp salt

Wash liver, drain and cut into 2 pieces.
Place liver in a pan with 2 cups water and bring to boil over high heat.
Wash rice, drain and add to pan with remaining ingredients.
Bring to boil again, lower heat and simmer till rice is done.
VARIATION:
This dish is also prepared with chicken liver.
Machu Rasin Chisik
Beef with Sorrel Leaves

Serves: 5
1 kg beef
3 spring onions, finely chopped
5 sorrel leaves (amrul), washed and torn by hand
1 tsp alkaline water (kalchi)optional
1 tsp salt

Wash beef, drain thoroughly and cut into 1 pieces.
Place beef in a pan over low heat without any water or oil, and cook, stirring
constantly, till water from beef has evaporated.
Stir in 1 cup water and continue cooking and stirring till dry. Repeat till beef is
tender. It should take about 40 minutes.
Add spring onions, green chillies and sorrel leaves, and fry for a few minutes.
Stir in 2 cups water, bring to boil and add alkaline water (if used). Lower heat and
simmer for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle in salt and soda or sodium bicarbonate, mix well and cook till gravy
thickens.
Mentil Rita
Rice Cake Steamed in an Earthen Pot

Serves: 6
1 kg sticky rice
1 tbsp powdered black sesame seeds (til)optional
An earthen pot

Wash rice and soak in water for 8 hours. Drain and grind to a paste.
Stir in sesame seed powder (if used).
Place mixture in an earthen pot and steam for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool, unmould, slice and serve.
Sakin Gata
Rice Cakes Steamed in Banana Leaves

Serves: 56
This is usually served as an afternoon snack. It is sometimes taken for lunch while the
people work in the fields, as it is very filling.
1 kg sticky rice
A pinch of salt or 5 tsp sugar
3 banana leaves
1 tbsp black sesame seeds (til)

Wash rice, soak in water for 8 hours and drain. Spread out to dry and grind to a
powder.
Place rice powder and salt or sugar in a bowl and knead to a soft dough with 23
cups water.
Clean banana leaves with a damp cloth on both sides, dry and pass over a live flame
to make them pliable, taking care not to burn the leaves. Cut banana leaves into 5
squares.
Spread about 2 tbsp dough on each banana leaf square and sprinkle over sesame
seeds.
Fold leaves to form parcels, and tie with cotton string to secure.
Place parcels in an earthen pot and steam for about 20 minutes till cooked.
Remove parcels from pot, allow to cool, unwrap and cut into slices.
Mentil Pita
Fried Rice Balls

Serves: 7
This dish is served at breakfast or afternoon tea.
1 kg rice
1 tbsp sugar or grated jaggery oil for deep frying

Wash rice, soak in water for 8 hours and drain. Spread out to dry and grind to a
powder.
Place rice powder in a bowl, mix in sugar or jaggery and knead with 45 cups water
to a soft dough.
Shape dough into egg-sized balls.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok and fry rice balls till light brown and soft.
Serve with tea.
Mizoram
Delicacies from the Mizo Hills

Pick any vegetable of your choice and shred it. Heat water in a pan, add the vegetable and
salt, and then boil top, which means just boil it. What you get is bai, a traditional
favourite dish of the Mizos. Like bai, the rest of Mizo food is quick and easy to make and
they apply their boil top formula to non-vegetarian food as well. A typical special dish
for the Mizos is fish or pork cut into large chunks (Mizos love large chunks), boiled in
water with salt. This simple form of cooking retains natural flavours in their purest forms.
Ingredients are not added to a dish to affect the colour and appearance of the food, and
more attention is paid to the nutrient value, natural colour and flavour.
Earlier, the only known spices were chillies and ginger that grew in almost every
kitchen garden. Unlike the other tribes of the North-East, Mizos rarely use ginger for
seasoning dishes; fresh ginger sprinkled with salt is served as an accompaniment. It is only
recently that it has become a common ingredient in the modern Mizo kitchen. Even today,
with easy access to almost all spices, they rarely use them. Spices like turmeric and
cloves, and herbs grown in their gardens, are sparingly used. For instance, the Asomiyas
prepare alu pitika (mashed potatoes), with pepper, coriander and onions, while the Mizos
prepare alu rot, which is just boiled and mashed potatoes with salt. Though the Mizos are
non-vegetarians, with pork being the favourite meat, they dont eat a non-vegetarian meal
everyday as it is expensive.
Mizos are rice eaters. They begin their day early and the first meal is the tukthuan, or
early morning meal at nine oclock, before they go about their routines. The family
gathers around a low-level dining table and seated on moorahs (stools), they say grace.
The meal consists of rice, boiled vegetables or fried potatoes and a chutney made of green
or red chillies ground with dried shredded meat.
By midday, they gather around the table for chawfak, the midday meal, which often
consists of the leftovers from the tukthuan. Sometimes a fresh vegetarian dish may be
prepared.
Zanriah or supper is served before sunset, after all the members have returned home.
Once again the family gathers around the table, and this gathering together of the family
signifies the unity and solidarity that is the bedrock of every Mizo family. In some
villages, where the men work in the jhum fields (farms), they return late and the family
may have a late supper.
Mizos being Christians, are actively involved in religious activities. Almost every
evening they attend church and each day of the week is reserved for a special group, like
young men, or married women, etc., to meet.
A typical Mizo kitchen has a huge furnace over which dried meat on skewers and
vegetables like beans, mustard and colocasia leaves, neatly wrapped in banana leaves are
stocked. A sawm bel (a small container) with fermented meat called Mizo cheese is kept
above the fireplace. Paddy is placed in the sun during the day to dry and brought into the
kitchen in the evening. The rice is stored in an earthen pot called a fairel bel.
Here too the kitchen was the domain of the woman, and she was rarely assisted by men.
Even if the husband happened to be sitting near the fire and the pot was overflowing into
the flames, he would merely call his wife and wait for her to stir it. The coming of
Christianity has changed their way of life, and the male dominated society is today an
egalitarian one where both have more or less equal rights. Still, a woman is expected to
exercise her rule in the kitchen.
In the old days, every Mizo family reared animals and poultry for feasts. Even today,
pigs and cows are reared in the villages.
Christmas is an important festival. They usually have a ruautheh or community feast to
mark the occasion. Like the Nagas, the Mizos contribute generously towards their feasts.
Here, men do the real cooking, while the women sit back or help in carrying water or
cutting vegetables. Either pork or beef is prepared in a huge pot. For a community meal,
banana leaves or well-crafted wooden plates large enough to serve five to ten people are
used. The rice is served around the edges and the main dish is placed in the centre.
Mizo society does not discriminate between the haves and have-nots. The rich donate
generously for the Christmas feasts, while the poor may or may not contribute anything at
all. At funerals, tea is always served without sugar to bridge the gap between the rich and
poor. This type of consideration towards the poorer sections of society is typical of Mizo
culture. They are a hospitable people and if you enter a Mizo home, you are expected to
stay on for a meal or at the very least you will be served tea, which you cant refuse.
Mai An Bai
Vegetable Stew
Serves: 4
20 gms fresh white pumpkin (doodhiya) leaves
1520 French beans
3 potatoes
5 green chillies
1 tsp salt

Wash vegetables. Remove veins from pumpkin leaves and shred by hand. Trim
beans, peel potatoes and cut into 1 pieces.
Place all ingredients except salt in a pan with 2 cups water and bring to boil over
high heat.
Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes till vegetables are tender.
Stir in salt and serve with steamed rice.
Mizo Bai
Vegetable Stew with Mizo Cheese

Serves: 56
75 gms red pumpkin (kaddu) leaves
12 French bean leaves
2 medium-sized aubergines (baingan) or 1 cup bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
2 okra (bhindi)
5 gms lengmaser (optional)
tbsp rice
1 tsp salt

A drop of indigenous soda or a pinch of sodium bicarbonate 1 tbsp Mizo cheese
(fermented pork) or fermented fish (optional)
Wash pumpkin and bean leaves thoroughly, remove fibres and tear by hand.
Cut aubergines (if used) into 23 pieces and bamboo shoots (if used) into 2 pieces.
Trim okra and cut into 2 pieces.
Place 2 cups water in a pan over high heat, bring to boil and add all ingredients
except soda or sodium bicarbonate, and Mizo cheese or fish.
Bring to boil again and add soda or sodium bicarbonate and Mizo cheese or fish (if
used).
Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes till vegetables are cooked.
Rotuai
Bamboo Shoot with Green Chillies

Serves: 4
500 gms tender bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
50 gms green chillies
1 tsp salt

Place bamboo shoot and green chillies in a pan with plenty of water and bring to boil
over high heat.
Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes till tender.
Drain and pick out chillies.
Grind chillies with salt to a smooth paste.
Cut bamboo shoot into 2 pieces and mix into chilli paste.
Serve as an accompaniment for lunch or dinner.
Alu Kan
Fried Potatoes
Serves: 4
1 tbsp oil
1 medium-sized onion, finely sliced
5 medium-sized potatoes, finely sliced
1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add onion and fry till golden.
Add potatoes and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Cover pan and cook for about 10 minutes till potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with water
as required to prevent burning.
Sprinkle in salt and serve with steamed rice and a gravy-based dish.
Bal Kan
Fried Colocasia
Serves: 4
A popular vegetarian dish, served with rice.
500 gms colocasia (arvi)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

Peel colocasia, wash and cut into 1 cubes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add onions and fry till golden brown.
Add colocasia and salt, and fry for a few minutes.
Sprinkle in a little water at a time to ensure it does not burn and cook till tender and
slightly sticky.
Mai Kan
Fried Pumpkin
Serves: 4
500 gms white pumpkin (doodhiya)
1 tbsp oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
5 dry red chillies (optional)

Wash, peel and clean pumpkin, and cut into 1 cubes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add onions and fry till golden brown.
Add remaining ingredients and fry, stirring gently till pumpkin is tender.
Serve as a side dish.
Hmarcha Rawt
Chilli Chutney
Makes: 550 gms
1 tsp salt

Place a tawa or griddle over moderate heat and dry roast green chillies till slightly
burnt and blackish.
Grind to a coarse paste.
Mix in remaining ingredients.
VARIATION:
This chutney can also be made with dry red chillies. Dry roast chillies, soak in water
for 10 minutes, drain and grind.
Sa Nga
Boiled Fish
Serves: 4
1 kg river fish (rohu)
1 tsp salt

Clean fish, cut into pieces and wash.
Add fish and continue boiling till tender.
Sprinkle in salt and strain.
Serve fish with rice.
The stock is relished with rice or served in cups as a soup.
VARIATION:
Crabs or colocasia (arvi) are prepared in the same way.
Nga Kan
Deep Fried Fish

Serves: 7
1 kg river fish (rohu or hilsa)
1 tsp salt
Oil for deep frying

Clean fish, cut into 2 pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, sprinkle salt over fish and fry in batches till golden
brown and cooked through.
Serve with steamed rice and a gravy-based dish.
Voksa Rep
Barbecued Pork
Serves: 6
kg pork
1 tsp salt
Bamboo or metal skewers or a flat grill

Wash pork, pat dry and cut into 5 pieces.
Rub salt into pork and thread onto skewers, or place on grill.
Roast pork over a charcoal fire for 1 hour, turning frequently to ensure even cooking.
Shred pork, sprinkle in salt and serve with steamed rice.
VARIATION:
Traditionally the pork was placed over the kitchen fireplace for about a week.
Voksa Chhum
Pork Ribs
Serves: 2
1 kg pork ribs
300 gms fresh mustard leaves, washed and torn by hand
1 tsp salt

Clean ribs, wash and drain thoroughly.
Place ribs over a smoking fire and smoke for about 1 hour. Cool and cut into 2
pieces.
Place ribs with 2 cups water in a pan and boil for 20 minutes till half cooked.
Add mustard leaves and continue boiling till ribs and leaves are cooked.
Sprinkle in salt and pepper, and serve hot with steamed rice.
Pork Rk-Fry
Serves: 6
This dish has been created by Chef Roukunga, who is currently the only Mizo chef
working with Hotel Ashoka in New Delhi. It is a fusion of Mizo and Continental cuisine.
200 gms boneless pork
2 tbsp sticky rice powder
2 tsp cornflour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup oil
Marinade:
4 tsp oil
tbsp vinegar
Juice of lime
45 fresh lengmaser leaves (optional), chopped
1 tbsp powdered mustard seeds
1 tsp salt

Wash pork, pat dry and cut into 4 large pieces.
Combine ingredients for marinade, mix in pork and marinate for 1 hour.
Mix rice powder, cornflour and eggs, into pork.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add pork one piece at a time and fry over low heat for
about 20 minutes till crisp, golden brown and cooked through.
Serve with French fries and boiled vegetables.
VARIATION:
The dish can also be prepared with boneless fish or chicken.
Bongsa Kan
Fried Beef
Serves: 4
1 kg beef
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste

Wash beef, pat dry and cut into strips.
Rub in salt and set aside for 2 days in the refrigerator to tenderize.
Rinse beef in water and drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok till smoking. Lower heat, add ginger and garlic, and fry
till golden brown, stirring constantly.
Add beef and stir-fry till brown.
Stir in 1 cup water and simmer for 3040 minutes till tender, stirring frequently to
prevent it from burning.
VARIATION:
Peel and cut 3 medium-sized potatoes in half and add about 15 minutes after adding
beef. Stir in 2 cups water and simmer till beef and potatoes are tender. Serve with
steamed rice.
Arsa Pok
Chicken Stew
Serves: 4
1 kg chicken
1 cup rice
1 tsp salt

Clean chicken, cut into 1 pieces and wash.
Place 2 cups water in a pan, and bring to boil over high heat.
Add rice and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Mix in ginger and green chillies, and simmer for about 10 minutes over moderate
heat.
Add chicken and salt, and continue simmering for about 20 minutes longer till rice
and chicken are cooked and gravy thickens.
Ar Sawchiar
Chicken Pulao with Mizo Herbs

Serves: 5
1 chicken (700800 gms), kept whole with skin
1 cup basmati rice
1 green cardamom
1 black cardamom 2 bay leaves (tej patta)
2 fresh raja chillies (use any fiery red chillies)
3 stalks celery leaves, chopped
5 leeks, chopped
2 Mizo anthur leaves (use mustard leaves), washed and shredded by hand
1 tsp salt
tsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp rice beer (use any white wine)
Garnish:
1 branch parkia, chopped (optional)

Clean chicken, wash and pat dry.
Wash rice and soak in water for 30 minutes.
Roast chicken over a charcoal fire for about 20 minutes, turning frequently till the
skin turns brown. (You can roast the chicken in an oven preheated to 120C/250F for
20 minutes.)
Cut chicken into 8 pieces.
Add cardamoms, bay leaves, raja or red chillies, celery, leeks and anthur or mustard
leaves, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Drain rice and add.
Raise heat, bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes till rice is half done.
Add chicken and simmer for 20 minutes longer till tender.
Stir in rice beer or wine.
Garnish with chopped parkia (if used) and serve hot.
VARIATION:
While you can use any white wine in place of rice beer, the taste will not be the same.
Arsa Llods
Stir-Fried Chicken
Serves: 4
200 gms boneless chicken
3 tbsp oil
2 green capsicums, chopped
1 cup chopped bamboo mushrooms (use black mushrooms)
3 parkia seeds (optional)
1 tsp salt
cup chicken stock
2 tsp cornflour
Marinade:
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp thick red chilli sauce
2 tbsp oil

Wash chicken, pat dry and cut into 2 strips.
Combine ingredients for marinade, mix into chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add onions, ginger and garlic, and fry till onions turn
golden brown.
Add remaining ingredients except cornflour, and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
Combine cornflour with 1 cup water and add to pan.
Cook, stirring constantly, till chicken is tender and sauce thickens, and serve.
Buh Ban
Sticky Rice Cakes

Serves: 6
1 kg sticky rice
2 tbsp sugar or 2 tsp salt
Oil for deep frying

Grind rice to a smooth powder.
Mix in sugar or salt.
Add 3 cups water and knead to a soft dough.
Shape dough into 8 round discs.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok and fry rice cakes in batches over low heat for about 10
minutes, turning frequently, till golden brown.
Serve with tea.
Nagaland
Recipes from Jhapfu Mountain

The saying goes that the Nagas eat everything that has legs, except tables and chairs. But
it isnt really a joke, for the Nagas do relish all kinds of meat with a few exceptions. A
typical Naga meal is made up of meat and rice, washed down with zu, the local rice beer.
Without zu their food is incomplete. What wine is to the Italian, and whisky to the
Scotsman, rice beer is to the Nagas. It refreshes him on hot days, encourages him to carry
the heavy baskets many hundreds of feet up the steep mountains to the village, loosens his
tongue, and makes him merry when on feast days he sits with friends around the fire, says
Christoph Von Furer-Haimendorf, professor of Asian Anthropology, University of
London, in The Naked Nagas. That was before the advent of Christianity. Today, zu is
consumed for traditional reasons during festivals.
The favourite meat of the Nagas is pork or beef, and Naga students living away in
hostels keep a stock of smoked meat sent from home. Almost every Naga home in the
villages rears animals to be slaughtered at Christmas. Since they do not rear goats, mutton
is not a common delicacy.
The Nagas like their food hot and they make it fiery by adding raja chillies and Naga
pyaaz or onion. They are not particular about colouring ingredients or other spices. The
food is simple: the meat is cut into large chunks, mixed with ginger, garlic, bamboo shoot,
Naga herbs and plenty of chillies, and cooked slowly over a wood fire.
The Nagas are simple-hearted, fun-loving people. They loosen their purse strings when
it comes to festivals and making merry. With nearly eighty per cent of the population
engaged in agriculture, most festivals are harvest-related, but there are also occasions to
remember the departed souls, and Christmas, which is their most important festival.
Villages are spruced up and roads cleaned and repaired. Attired in their colourful
ceremonial costumes and headgears, they perform traditional dances and songs. Most
festivals symbolize equality, so the rich and poor dine at the same table.
Each of the more-than-sixteen-tribes boasts of traditional dishes that vary in style and
preparation. For example, the feast of the Ao tribe, which celebrates Oatsu in May and
Tsungrem Mong in August, will include ietcgak (bamboo shoot) and amerso (a chicken
dish) served with rice and various other side dishes along with the mandatory boiled
vegetable called sungoleo.
For the Angamis, the inhabitants of Kohima, the harvest festival, Sekreyni or
Phousanyi, which falls in February, represents the protection of life. During this time, men
are isolated from women for almost ten days and they carry out all household chores
cooking, carrying water, washing and cleaning and they do not even eat food cooked by
women, who are not allowed to take part in the activities. This is a rejuvenating process to
strengthen the men. They drink mahopiva, a specially brewed country beer for the
occasion.
Come December, and its time to mark a successful harvest in the form of a lively
festival called Terhunyi. Apart from eating dishes of beef and pork, unlimited zu is drunk
from mugs made of animal horns. During this festival, modi, a special kind of pork or
beef, cut in large chunks is prepared and served. They also give each other small portions
of modi wrapped in paper to display their affection. During weddings, portions of modi
are given as return gifts by the hosts.
Almost every Angami kitchen has rows of dry, salted meat over the fireplace
throughout the season, which can be preserved for as long as a year.
The Semas, inhabitants of Zunheboto and Wokha district, celebrate Tuluni, a harvestrelated festival, in the second week of July. Here the emphasis is on akhuni (fermented
soya beans). The Semas relish dishes like awushi kulho (a chicken preparation) and aoshi
(a pork preparation).
The Lothas answer to the Semas akhuni is bastenga or bamboo shoot, an important
ingredient in almost all Lotha dishes. Inhabitants of Wokha district, the Lothas celebrate
Tokhu Emong in the first week of November.
The Rengmas, the smallest tribe, live in Phek, and celebrate Ngada in the last week of
November or beginning of December. Termed as the festival of zu, the special zu
prepared for the festivalis kept untouched until the eldest male member first tests the
beverage. It is customary for every male including baby boys to taste this nye-zengzu
while it is prohibited for women. They sit for long hours in the night holding their rice
beer in bamboo mugs, chatting and singing traditional songs.
Hospitality is a societal trait of the Nagas that goes with their moral ethos. They love to
pamper their guests. No visitor to a Naga house comes away without sharing a meal with
the family. In the interior villages of Nagaland, the warmth and hospitality is often
manifested by killing a duck or a four-legged animal in honour of their guests. Even the
poorest family will bring forth the best it can to entertain its guests. Refusal to dine with
them can be misinterpreted as being rude or impolite.
Hinkejvu
Colocasia with Mixed Vegetables

Serves: 5
3 cabbage leaves, washed and torn by hand
2 large mustard leaves, washed and torn by hand
10 French beans, trimmed and broken into pieces by hand
1 tsp salt

Peel colocasia, wash and cut into small pieces.
Add colocasia, cover pan and cook for about 10 minutes till soft.
Mix in remaining ingredients and continue cooking, stirring and mashing colocasia
till gravy thickens.
Akibiye
Colocasia and Bamboo Shoot Potage

Serves: 5
1 tsp salt

Peel colocasia, wash and cut into cubes.
Wash bamboo shoot in lukewarm water.
Add colocasia and cook for about 20 minutes, till tender.
Add bamboo shoot and continue boiling till mixture reduces to a thick paste, stirring
constantly.
Sprinkle in salt and serve with aoshi (p. 138) and steamed rice.
Anishi
Dried Colocasia Leaves with Naga Herbs

Serves: 45
2 dried colocasia leaves (arvi patta)
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
45 long aubergines (baingan), sliced lengthwise
3 cabbage leaves or mustard leaves, washed and torn by hand
1 tsp dried lengmaser (optional)
2 tbsp garlic paste (preferably Naga garlic)
1 tsp tangmo (use 1 tbsp lime juice)
1 tsp salt

Wash colocasia leaves and shred by hand.
Add colocasia leaves, fish, green chillies and ginger, and boil for 5 minutes.
Add aubergines and cabbage or mustard leaves, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Stir in lengmaser (if used), garlic, tangmo or lime juice, and salt, and serve with
steamed rice.
Itsuk
Bamboo Shoot Stew with Naga Herbs

Serves: 56
500 gms fresh bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
500 gms small river fish (rohu or hilsa)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried lengmaser (optional)
1 tbsp chopped Naga onion or spring onion

Wash bamboo shoot and cut into 2 pieces.
Wash fish.
Add bamboo shoot and fish, and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add green chillies and salt, and continue cooking till gravy thickens.
Add lengmaser (if used) and Naga onion or spring onion, and simmer till bamboo
shoot is cooked.
Galho
Vegetable Stew
Serves: 7
This dish is usually served in the afternoon as a snack. In the old days, it was taken to the
fields for lunch by the cultivators. Today, galho is served as a delicacy in most restaurants
in Nagaland.
2 tbsp rice
1 medium-sized cabbage, leaves washed and torn into 1 pieces by hand
5 French beans, trimmed and broken into small pieces by hand
1 tbsp chopped tomato
5 large mustard leaves, washed and shredded by hand
1 tsp salt

Add rice, bring to boil again, lower heat, cover pan and simmer till rice is fluffy and
soft.
Mix in remaining ingredients except salt, and continue simmering over low heat,
stirring occasionally, till vegetables are done.
Stir in salt and serve hot or cold.
Akhuni
Fermented Soya Beans

Serves: 5
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 cup fermented soya beans (akhuni)
56 dry red or fresh green chillies, chopped
tsp salt

Heat oil in a frying pan and add soya beans.
Stir well and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add chillies and tomato, and continue cooking and stirring.
Stir in salt and cup water, and cook stirring constantly till it thickens to a paste.
Akhuni Chutney
Fermented Soya Bean Chutney

Makes: 2 cups
10 green chillies
2 tsp oil
2 cups fermented soya beans (akhuni)
2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp salt

Wash green chillies and dry thoroughly.
Heat a tawa or griddle over very low heat and place chillies on it. Roast till slightly
burnt.
Cool and grind to a paste.
Heat oil on tawa and add soya beans. Fry, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, till soft.
Remove from heat, cool and grind to a paste.
Combine all ingredients and grind once again.
VARIATION:
Use red chillies instead of green and 23 cloves chopped garlic in place of ginger.
This can be preserved for days in a refrigerator.
Pongsen
River Fish Chutney

Serves: 4
250 gms small river fish (rohu or hilsa)
50 gms fermented bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
large spinach leaves, washed and shredded by hand
1 tsp salt
Garnish:
1 tbsp very finely chopped garlic

Combine all ingredients except garnish, and place in bamboo hollow.
Carefully seal opening of bamboo with foil.
Place bamboo over a charcoal fire for 20 minutes till the aroma of roasted fish wafts
through the air. Rotate bamboo occasionally to ensure even cooking.
Cool and pour contents onto a plate.
Sprinkle over garlic and serve with steamed rice.
VARIATION:
The chutney can also be made with prawns or crab.
Thevo Chu
Pork with Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 6
1 kg pork
1 cup washed and chopped bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp salt

Wash bamboo shoot, drain and chop.
Place pork in a pan over low heat without any water or oil and keep stirring for 5
minutes.
As the pork starts giving out its water, add bamboo shoot. Cover pan and cook over
very low heat for 1 hour. Sprinkle in some water if it gets too dry.
Open pan, mix in remaining ingredients and cook over high heat, stirring constantly
for 510 minutes.
NOTE:
This is usually served dry but you can add a cup of water with the remaining
ingredients, if you want a gravy.
Akshi
Pork with Dried Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 5
1 kg pork
100 gms dry bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt

Wash pork and cut into 3 pieces.
Wash bamboo shoot and drain.
Add bamboo shoot and cook for about 5 minutes.
Lower heat and add pork. Cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes till tender.
Add ginger and green chillies, and cook for a few minutes longer.
Aoshi
Pork with Fermented Soya Beans

Serves: 6
1 kg pork
1 cup fermented soya beans (akhuni)
1015 powdered angoithi seeds (use black pepper)
10 dry red chillies
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
23 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped (optional)
1 tsp salt

Wash pork and cut into large pieces.
Place 2 litres water in a pan with soya beans and bring to boil over high heat.
Add pork and continue boiling for 30 minutes till tender.
Mix in remaining ingredients except salt, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally
till gravy thickens.
Tukuluk Lun
liver chutney
Serves: 5
250 gms pigs liver
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 fresh raja chillies or any other red chillies
10 dry red chillies, lightly roasted and coarsely ground
tsp salt

Clean liver, cut into 1 pieces and wash.
Add liver, ginger and fresh chillies, and bring to boil again.
Lower heat, cover pan and simmer for 2025 minutes till tender.
Drain and grind to a fine, thin paste.
Mix in dry red chillies and salt.
VARIATION:
This dish is also made with brain.
Nashishi
Beef with Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 6
1 kg beef
250 gms fermented or fresh bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
1 tbsp chopped green chillies
3 fresh raja chillies or any red chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp salt

Wash beef and cut into 1 pieces.
Wash fresh bamboo shoot (if used) and cut into 1 pieces.
Place 2 cups water in a pan over high heat and add beef.
Cover pan, lower heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, mix well, lower heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for
about 30 minutes till beef is tender.
Tabathyu
Meat Stew
Serves: 5
This dish is usually served during the Ngada festival of the Rengmas in November when
they are adorned in their colourful traditional costumes, and zu is drunk from bamboo
mugs.
1 kg beef, pork or chicken
5 dry red chillies, broken into small pieces
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste

Clean, wash and cut meat into desired size.
Add meat and boil till tender (40 minutes for beef, 30 minutes for pork and 20
minutes for chicken).
Mix in remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes longer.
Chu Hu Tathu
Dry Meat Chutney

Serves: 5
200 gms dried meat
3 tbsp chopped Angami onion (use regular onion)
2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped (optional)
Metal skewers

To soften dry meat, bury it in hot ash till you get a burnt aroma. You can also thread
meat onto skewers and cook over a live flame for about 15 minutes. Rotate skewers
to ensure even heating.
Clean meat and beat it with a wooden mallet to soften further. Shred meat.
Grind together remaining ingredients to a paste and mix with shredded meat.
Thevu
Chicken Stew
Serves: 6
1 kg chicken
1 tbsp garlic paste 1 tbsp ginger paste
4 dry red chillies, broken 1 tsp salt

Cut chicken into small pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Place chicken in a pan over low heat without any water or oil, stirring constantly, till
water from the chicken dries out.
Add 3 cups water and remaining ingredients, cover pan and cook for 20 minutes till
chicken is tender and gravy thickens.
Awushi Kulho
Chicken with Potatoes

Serves: 5
1 kg chicken
7 green chillies, sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp ginger paste
4 medium-sized potatoes, sliced
1 tsp salt

Clean chicken, cut into medium-sized pieces and wash.
Place 1 litres water in a pan and bring to boil over high heat.
Add chicken, cover pan and cook for 10 minutes till chicken is half-done.
Mix in remaining ingredients, cover pan again and cook for 10 minutes longer, till
potatoes and chicken are tender.
Open pan, lightly crush potatoes with a ladle and continue cooking till gravy
thickens.
Amerso
Chicken with Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 6
1 kg chicken
cup rice powder
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp salt

Clean chicken, cut into 2 pieces and wash.
Wash bamboo shoot and cut into 1 pieces.
Add bamboo shoot, cover pan and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes.
Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes longer.
Blend in rice powder and keep stirring.
Stir in remaining ingredients and continue stirring constantly for about 10 minutes,
till chicken is cooked and gravy thickens.
Tripura
Dishes from the Tripuri Kitchen

For the people of Tripura, food revolves around a fermented fish preparation called shidal.
Fish is cleaned, salted, stuffed into a clay pot with mustard oil and stored for about three to
four weeks till it matures to a certain stage of pungency. Every household has a stock of
shidal which never runs out. Even in the absence of vegetables and meat, they can turn
shidal into a hearty meal. Shidal does need an acquired taste, but for the local people, it is
used as a taste-maker for every vegetarian dish.
Tripuri fermented fish dishes are really so easy to prepare. Take berema butuiboil
some fermented fish and season it with onion and chillies; or chakhui butwi, which uses
soda and ginger instead of onion. Serve them with steamed rice, sit on the floor and help
yourself with your hand.
Tripuris are rice eaters. They love simple food, just boiled and seasoned with homegrown ginger or chillies. Bamboo shoot is another essential ingredient that accompanies
almost every non-vegetarian dish, whether pork or chicken; it is also just mixed with
chillies and fermented fish to prepare a chutney.
For the hill tribes like the Reang, Jamatia and Debbrarma, who were once nature
worshippers, and are now Hindus, there are no hard and fast rules as far as their diet is
concerned. They relish every kind of non-vegetarian dish and rear pigs and mithun (a type
of buffalo) for their feasts.
For years these tribes have coexisted with the Bengali migrants from East Bengal.
Today, the Bengalis have outnumbered the tribals, but this has not resulted in an exchange
of food habits between the two communities, except that the local people have adopted the
use of dals and spices. The tribes continue to live in the interiors while the Bengalis live in
towns. Like most tribes of the North-East, the Tripuris do not spice their food with
condiments. They use just a bit of oil for frying and a pinch of turmeric for colouring.
Those who work in the fields have rice early in the morning and come home by noon for
lunch.
Guntok
Vegetable Potage
Serves: 5
500 gms of any vegetable (green peas, French beans, cabbage or potatoes)
1 tsp salt
25 gms fermented fish (optional)

Clean and cut vegetable of choice, as desired.
Add all ingredients except fish and cook over high heat till tender. Keep stirring to
mash mixture and thicken gravy.
Add fish (if used) and simmer for 5 minutes more.
VARIATION:
Rug (Potage of Okra and Green Leafy Vegetables): Pronounced ruog, it is
prepared in the same way using a combination of okra (bhindi), mustard leaves,
cabbage and pumpkin leaves, and omitting the ginger.
Wasung
Vegetables Cooked in Bamboo Hollow

Serves: 4
1 cup button mushrooms
3 bittergourds (karela)
1 cup shelled green peas
7 French beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp salt

Wash and chop vegetables.
Combine all ingredients, mix well and place in bamboo hollow. Seal opening with 2
layers of foil.
Place bamboo over a charcoal fire and cook for about 30 minutes. Rotate bamboo
from time to time to cook evenly.
Open bamboo, drain out liquid that has formed into a bowl and reserve.
Mash vegetables in bamboo to a paste with a wooden spoon. Pour reserved liquid
into bamboo, mix well and empty contents into a serving dish.
Mosoden
Roasted Vegetables
Serves: 2
5 small round aubergines (baingan) or medium-sized potatoes
1 tsp salt

Roast aubergines or potatoes over a direct flame till skin is charred. You can also
place vegetables on a tawa over low heat with a large pan inverted over the tawa.
Cool, peel and mash to a fine paste.
Combine with remaining ingredients and mix well.
Chakhui
Bamboo Shoot Potage

Serves: 6
This is a popular dish amongst the local people and is served with rice for lunch and
dinner.
1 kg bamboo shoot (baans ki kalli)
23 fermented fish (optional)
2 drops of indigenous soda or tsp sodium bicarbonate
200 gms pork, chopped (optional)
1 cup rice powder
1 tsp salt

Wash bamboo shoot, drain and cut into 1 pieces.
Add all ingredients except rice powder and salt, and cook for about 20 minutes, till
bamboo shoot is tender, stirring frequently. Make sure not to overcook it.
Blend in rice powder and salt, and continue cooking, for about 10 minutes, stirring
constantly.
The consistency should be that of a thick dal.
VARIATION:
Use 5 okra (bhindi) and 3 small fermented fish in place of the pork.
Aa
Fish Stew
Serves: 4
1 kg fish (rohu or hilsa)
2 small fermented fish (optional)
1 tsp salt

Clean fish, cut into 2 pieces and wash.
Place fish in a pan with 2 cups water and bring to boil over high heat.
Add remaining ingredients, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, till fish is
tender and gravy thickens.
Aa Karan
Deep Fried Fish

Serves: 4
1 kg fish (rohu or hilsa)
1 tsp salt
Oil for deep frying

Clean fish, cut into 2 pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Combine turmeric and salt, rub into fish and marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok and fry fish in batches over low heat till cooked through
and golden brown.
This is a side dish and served along with any other gravy-based dish.
Chakhui Butwi
Fermented Fish with Ginger

Serves: 4
A quick dish that is prepared when they run out of vegetables. It is served for lunch or
dinner.
3 medium-sized fermented fish
1 tbsp shredded ginger
1 tsp salt
Garnish:
23 lime leaves, chopped

Add remaining ingredients except garnish, and boil till gravy thickens.
Garnish with lime leaves and serve with steamed rice.
Berema Butui
Fermented Fish and Chilli Potage

Serves: 4
This is a popular item in the villages when they do not have vegetables.
2 cups water
1 tsp salt

Add fish and cook till it disintegrates.
Stir in remaining ingredients, lower heat, cover pan and simmer for about 1 hour till
gravy thickens.
Wookhan
Pork Stew
Serves: 4
1 kg pork (a good mixture of meat and fat)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt

Wash pork, drain and cut into medium-sized pieces.
Place pork in a pan with 2 cups water and bring to boil over high heat.
Lower heat, cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes till tender.
Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes longer.
Wak Serjak
Pork Curry
Serves: 4
1 kg pork
2 tsp oil
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt

Wash pork, drain thoroughly and cut into medium-sized pieces.
Heat oil in a kadhai or wok, add ginger, green chillies, onions and tomatoes, and fry
till golden brown.
Add pork and stir-fry till water from pork dries out.
Stir in salt and 2 cups water, cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes till tender.
Tokhan
Chicken Curry
Serves: 4
1 kg chicken
1 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt

Clean chicken, cut into 2 pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.
Place chicken in a kadhai or wok over low heat, sprinkle in oil and mix by hand.
Cook, stirring constantly till water from chicken dries out.
Add remaining ingredients except ginger and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Pour in 2 cups water and simmer for about 20 minutes, till chicken is tender and
gravy thickens.
Stir in ginger and serve with steamed rice.
VARIATIONS:
Musuk Maha (Beef Curry): Use beef in place of chicken.
Punghan (Mutton Curry): Use mutton in place of chicken.
Sikkim
The Secret of the Sikkimese Kitchen

There are three things that bind the people of Sikkim together: steamed or boiled rice,
chhurpi (traditional cottage cheese), and hot, steaming momos. No Sikkimese person will
ever disagree that they love all three with equal passion. Every home in Sikkimright
from the far-flung villages to the capital town of Gangtokcooks these, albeit with slight
variations depending on individual taste. These three things are an invariable part of the
local cuisine.
Rice is what Sikkimese relish with meat curry, or a simple soupy lentil, or stir-fried
seasonal vegetables including mushrooms. Momos are what they will indulge in any time,
any day, anywhere. This is comfort food that needs no occasion or excuse, while chhurpi
is what adds flavour to their daily diet. Its their all-time-favourite accompaniment that
every home lovingly stocks. Even those who are too busy to get into the process of
making chhurpi make sure they keep reserves tucked away somewhere in the corners of
their kitchens. The cubes of dried chhurpi that are strung together on thick threads are
what homesick students studying far away or adults working away from home quietly
remember to sneak into their belongings and pop into their mouths each time they long for
home.
The people rely on fresh produce from their fields. The availability of crops like wheat,
maize and buckwheat has led to the people using them widely in their diets. Millet, for
instance, is grown in plenty, and is fermented to make into an alcoholic beverage.
The fermentation of food, be it seasonal vegetables or chhurpi, is a common technique
followed by all three communities. In earlier times fermenting food was a necessity. Food
was preserved to enable it to last through the long and harsh winter. Everything from
spinach to bamboo shoots to soya bean and radish, among other vegetables, was
fermented. The tradition is followed, unchanged, to date, despite modern amenities and
changes in taste.
The Sikkimese love to experiment with flavours when it comes to traditional chhurpi.
They prepare this with assorted vegetables and herbs, and enjoy it with rice. For
generations, this cheese has been made by accumulating leftover milk. In the interiors of
Sikkim, people usually collect leftover milk in a large pot every day. They store this in
hollow bamboo or in big pots. It is collected over a period of time and when it is about
1520 litres, it is churned with the help of a cylindrical wooden or bamboo churner. It is a
painstaking process that takes about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Once the curdled milk has been churned optimally, a jug of cold water is also added to
the mix. The liquid is then separated from the solid and all of it is then strained through a
fine cloth. It is subsequently let to drain the excess water and stored in containers. Fresh
chhurpi is a natural source of nutrients; dried chhurpi cubes, strung on strings, are sold in
local shops, and enterprising shopkeepers sell them in small packs. Fresh chhurpi is used
to flavour vegetables, used with cucumbers for salads. Locals also use it with wild ferns to
lend extra flavour to their food.
The different communities take pride in their own distinct tastes, although it is a
combination of collective cuisines that gives Sikkimese cuisine its rich range. The
Sikkimese of Nepal origin are today the ethnic majority. They relish food mostly fried in
oil and laced with spices. Their food is far fierier than that of the others, but less spicy
than North Indian food. Religion also plays an important role in their choice of food. The
Nepalis are primarily Hindus and so they avoid beef, while some sections of the Nepalese
eat a pork delicacy they can rarely do without.
For farmers and those who engage in hard manual work, this also revs up the appetite
for an early lunch, which invariably comprises rice, dal and vegetable dishes. The Pradhan
community amongst the Nepalis is known for their pickles and their typical meat dishes.
They pickle almost every vegetable and meat, and their homes are always stocked with
them, making them the envy of other communities.
The food of the Lepchas is rather simple but flavourful. It is not high on masalas and
spices. The food preferences of these indigenous inhabitants of the former mountainous
kingdom revolve around rice and meat, with different, seasonal, locally grown vegetables
and produce from the wild, all of which lend a subtle flavour to the food. The food of the
Lepchas though flavourful is somewhat bland, as is that of the Bhutias.
Bhutia food is not spicy either. The Bhutias are of Buddhist and Bon descent, and
arrived from Tibet around the late sixteenthearly seventeenth century. The first
consecrated Chogyal or ruler who rules with righteousness (the Law of Dharma) is said
to have migrated from Kham in eastern Tibet in the late sixteenthearly seventeenth
century.
The Bhutias love rice, pork, beef and seasonal vegetables cooked in their own distinct
style. Momos are also very much a part of their diet. Every kitchen must have an
aluminium steamer for making momos, which are prepared with different kinds of
stuffings.
Like every community in the region, festivals are the best time to sample the different
cuisines in Sikkim. Thats when the Sikkimese loosen their purse strings and indulge in
feasting.
Come NovemberDecember and Losoongalso called Sonam Loaar or Farmers New
Year (as it culminates post the harvest festival and precedes the Tibetan New Year falling
in February-March) the Sikkimese celebrate with a food and cultural extravaganza.
When cries of Tashi Delek Phuntsum Tsog rent the air, these days, the youth take out
boisterous processions on the streets, flinging tsampa powder (roasted flour, usually
barley or sometimes wheat flour) in the air. The celebrations go on for about a week, with
the real highlight being the first three days. Day one is for immediate family. The locals
compete to see who brews the best changkol, a kind of rice beer made from chang. Chang
is the traditional drink of the Bhutias and Lepchas and now other communities as well. It
is made of fermented barley or millet and served in a bamboo container, called tongba in
the Nepalese language. Some people also serve tea with milk and sugar, or butter tea for
religious or social occasions.
The Losoong festival is preceded by the Kagyed rituals singularly marked by the
spectacular tantric dances performed by the monks in their ceremonial regalia of brocade
and silk and masks, which represent the various manifestations of wrathful and peaceful
deities, the ultimate end of evil and the prevailing of good and righteousness. Come
August the Lepchas celebrate Tendong Lho Rum Faat, the age-old religious festival of
bringing the community together over the prayer and worship of Mount Tendong, the
Kanchenjunga mountain range, and the rivers and caves. The Lepchas believe they were
saved from destructive floods by the mountain range and revere it even to this day. The
festival falls during the third lunar month every year. The womenfolk prepare a lavish
spread of traditional food to mark the occasion.
For the Nepalis, there is no better time than Dussehra and Durga Puja to let their hair
down, party and make some wonderful delicacies. This is when housewives make heaps of
special breads called syal roti and stock up on it so much that nearly every visitor will be
fed this speciality with alu dum and much more. The festival usually falls in September or
October.
Food is usually exchanged among the communities during festivals and this is what lift
spirits and lends harmony, mirth, gaiety and helps transcend the mundane travails of
everyday life.
Paheli Dal with Pork
Pork with Dal

Serves: 45
kg pork
1 cup whole green lentils (moong dal)
2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
tsp turmeric
3 cups water
Salt to taste

Thoroughly wash the pork, cut into large chunks, 23 inches long, and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, boil water and lentils for 10 minutes till the lentils are
partially cooked.
Add salt and spices.
Stir and gradually add chunks of pork into the mixture.
Cover and cook on a low flame.
Occasionally stir to prevent the mixture from getting too thick at the bottom and to
ensure it is mixed well.
Once the pork is soft, it is ready to eat.
Paheli dal is served for both lunch and dinner with steamed or boiled rice.
Khorsani Ka Achar
Pork Pickle
Serves: 23
kg pork
kg green chillies, whole, with the stems removed
1 tsp cumin powder
45 cardamom cloves
12 whole cardamom
1 tsp citric acid
2 cups water
Salt to taste

Wash and cut the pork into 2-inch long pieces.
Boil the pieces in 2 cups of water and cook till it is soft.
Once cooked, open the lid and separate the meat from the stock.
Pour the stock into a pan and add chillies.
Allow the chillies to cook for about 5 minutes and let the mixture thicken.
Now, add the cooked pork into the mixture. Stir well.
Let it simmer for half an hour on a slow fire/flame.
Add citric acid into the mixture to preserve for about 15 days.
Serve with rice and other accompaniments. If it is deep-frozen, the mixture can last
for 15 days to a month.
Sungur Ka Achar
Meat Pickle
Serves: 23
kg pork/mutton/chicken
cup red chilli powder
100 gms cumin powder
5 cloves, roasted and powdered
5 cardamom pods, roasted and powdered
1 tsp turmeric
2 lemons
Oil for deep-frying
Salt to taste

Thoroughly wash and cut the meat into 23-inch pieces.
Heat enough oil in a pan and deep-fry the meat in batches till it is golden-brown. Set
aside.
Remove half the oil from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl.
Now, with the remaining oil in the pan, add the spices (chillies, cumin, cloves,
cardamom and salt) and shallow-fry over a low flame to prevent from burning.
Add the fried meat to the mixture and pour the rest of the oil into it.
Cut the lemons into half, deseed and squeeze the juice into the mixture to preserve.
Syal Roti
Rice Bread
Serves: 45
1 kg coarsely powdered rice (roast any average quality rice and then pound)
250 gms sugar
kg butter
45 cloves, powdered (elaichi)
1 cup water
1 cup milk
Oil for deep-frying
A pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients together to make a slightly watery batter.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
Scoop the batter in your hand and gently and carefully put it into the hot oil to make a
ring-like design. It needs an expert hand to make that design/shape of a ring.
Fry till light-brown on both sides. This goes best with alu dum.
Alu Dum
Potato Curry
Serves: 45
1 kg potatoes
5 masalas (Panch Proran) (Cumin, mustard seeds, saunf, fennel, coriander whole,
nigella)
tsp turmeric
tsp red chilli powder
3 cups water
1 tbsp chopped coriander
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Boil potato and peel. Dice and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the masala including the salt until it sputters, and then stir for
two minutes.
Add the diced potatoes and mix properly.
Pour water in the gravy and allow it to cook over a low flame until the potatoes are
tender; keep the lid covered so the gravy thickens a bit. Turn the flame off once the
thickness you prefer has been achieved.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with syal roti.
Pyaaz Ka Achar
Onion Pickle
Serves: 23
250 gms onion
kg fresh tomatoes
100 gms ginger
tbsp turmeric
1 cup oil
Salt to taste

Heat oil in pan. Add the chopped onion, green chillies and ginger. Stir well.
When the onion is golden brown, add the chopped tomatoes and salt and cook until it
has a thick consistency. Pair with syal roti.
Sukha Masu
Smoked Pork in Brandy

Serves: 45
1 kg pork
1 cup brandy
Salt to taste

Clean the pork and cut into long strips.
Salt it gently and soak it in a brandy overnight.
The next morning, remove the pork from the brandy and grill over a fire for as long
as it takes to cook until dry. (Usually village fires are lit through the day and night
and the pork smokes in a weeks time. The smoked flavour is what makes it tasty.)
Sungur Khutta Ko Achar
Pork Trotters
Serves: 56
2 kg chopped trotters
Scallions 10 stems
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
tsp turmeric powder
56 sprigs coriander leaves
5 green chillies (optional)
2 red chillies, dried (optional)
1 tbsp oil
1 betel nut (supari) (optional, helps to tenderize the meat)
Salt to taste

Bring the chopped trotters to a boil with turmeric powder and betel nut.
Cook on a medium flame for about an hour.
Cook in a pressure cooker for about 15 whistles.
When the meat is cooked, drain and remove the pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the sliced onion and saut till it is light golden-brown and then
add the tomato, garlic paste, ginger paste, chillies, scallions, salt and the trotter
pieces.
Cook until the mixture attains a slightly sticky consistency.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.
A delicious spicy dish, chewy and gelatinous, this is a popular accompaniment to
drinks, and can also be served as a separate dish at a meal, with rice or bhalep
(flatbread). The pork can be replaced with beef or mutton.
Wacheepa
Chicken Curry
Serves: 45
1 chicken, whole (preferably country chicken)
1 kg rice
4 onions
2 cups shredded ginger
250 gms oil
2 glasses water (enough to drown the rice and cook)
Salt to taste

Dress the chicken clean by plucking the feathers off completely.
Sear or burn the dressed chicken over an open fire and keep flipping sides in order to
prevent it from getting too burnt. Scrape the chicken clean.
Set aside a small handful of the scraped soft feathers.
Cut the chicken, with its bones, into fingernail-sized pieces.
Heat oil. Add sliced onions, ginger, green chillies and chopped chicken.
Stir-fry the mixture and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Add the scraped feathers and let it simmer for five minutes.
Add the washed rice and mix well. Add the water and cook till it becomes like a
pulao.
Patsa Doh
Bamboo Shoots with Cottage Cheese

Serves: 23
300 gms bamboo shoot
1 cup cottage cheese
tsp cumin seeds
tsp mustard seeds
tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Peel and slice the bamboo shoots. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, mustard seeds and turmeric powder. Once it splutters,
stir to prevent from burning at the bottom.
Add the chopped bamboo pieces and fry for a few minutes. (Fresh shoots may take
longer than tinned ones.)
Allow the bamboo shoots to cook on medium fire for about 10 minutes.
When tender, add cottage cheese and chillies and let it simmer to a semi-dry state.
Serve hot with rice or bread.
Khoodi
Buckwheat Roll with Spinach-And-Cheese Stuffing

Serves: 34
kg buckwheat flour
2 cups water
1 kg spinach or any other green seasonal vegetables, chopped, washed and wiped dry
350 gms cottage cheese
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp oil
A pinch of turmeric

Make a batter of the buckwheat with water and spread on a non-stick pan over
medium flame, as you would a pancake. Make sure there is no oil. Once the pancakes
are done, set them aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the onion and tomatoes and stir till the mixture becomes a
coarse paste.
Add the pinch of turmeric. Then add the chopped spinach and let it cook for a while
and, when its almost done, add the cottage cheese.
Continue to stir and keep frying till it turns light golden-brown.
Take buckwheat pancake, place a spoonful of the stuffing on it, and roll it up as if
making an egg roll.
To reheat before serving, either steam or microwave.
Khoo in Sikkimese means bread and di means to roll. Khoodi is a stuffed breadroll. This is a popular dish of the Lepcha tribes in Sikkim, usually prepared by
housewives and served as a snack at teatime.
Mincha Tsam-Thu
Millet Porridge
Serves: 2
1 cup millet flour
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Melt some butter in a small pan and add the beaten egg to it. Let it fry for a minute.
Add the millet flour to the fried egg and gently stir to mix well as if making
scrambled eggs.
Add boiling hot water to the mix to get a porridge-like consistency.
The Bhutia tribes of Sikkim specially love this preparation. It can be served for
breakfast or in the afternoon to kill mid-evening hunger pangs.
Sochha Patsa Tsoem
Nettle Soup with Bamboo Shoot

Serves: 23
kg beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
250 gms bamboo shoot
250 gms nettle leaves
5 cups water (approx.)
Oil to fry

Wash and mince the beef and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and tomatoes, followed by minced beef. Stir.
Continue to stir and, when the moisture dries up, add a cup of hot water and let it
cook over low flame.
Cover it with a lid till the water dries up. Stir occasionally to make sure it does not
burn.
When the meat is tender, add the bamboo shoots and continue cooking over low heat.
Add more water (23 cups) and nettle leaves (washed clean).
Boil for three to four minutes more and serve.
This is a typical Bhutia specialty, usually eaten as a between-meals afternoon soup. It
can also be a good appetizer both for lunch or dinner.
Shya-Phaley
Bread with Meat Filling

Serves: 34
kg cornflour
kg pork/beef/chicken
250 gms onion, chopped
2 tbsp ginger paste
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add onions, tomatoes and ginger paste.
Stir till it becomes a fine paste and add chopped meat of your choice. When it is
done, keep aside.
Now, make a dough out of the cornflour, like the dough for chapattis, and make small
puris.
Fill the puris with a spoonful of the fried beef and seal it with your finger as if
making momos (see recipe on p. 20).
Deep-fry them (shya-phaleys) in batches till light brown. Serve with chutney.
The Bhutia tribes of Sikkim usually prepare this for guests and visiting relatives. It is
sometimes served as an appetizer or an afternoon snack.
Shamo
Sauted Seasonal Mushroom

Serves: 23
250 gms seasonal mushroom (any)
2 tbsp butter
Salt to taste

Gently wash the mushrooms and keep aside. Make it free from moisture. Slice as
desired.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms. Add salt and it is
ready to serve.
Phaksha
Pork Curry
Serves: 23
kg pork
tsp turmeric
50 gms fresh bamboo shoot
50 gms ginger, shredded
Salt to taste

Wash and cut the pork into 23-inch pieces and boil in a pan with shredded ginger.
When the liquid begins to dry up, add the bamboo shoots, salt and turmeric.
When the pork is tender, it is ready to serve.
Shachu
Dried Beef
Serves: 45
1 kg beef
2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

Wash the beef and cut into long strips.
Salt and drape strips over a stick, like clothes hung out to dry. Leave the meat by a
wood fire indoors, or in the sun to dry, and, in the process, cook. It should take about
a month.
When it is done, cut the dried beef into pieces. It can then be sauted or added into
any soup for flavouring.
Dolum
Chhurpi or Cottage Cheese with Brinjal

Serves: 23
250 gms cottage cheese
6 long brinjals, cut long
1 tsp turmeric
1 tomato
1 onion
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and fry onion till golden.
Add the brinjal, cottage cheese and tomato and stir till the brinjal is cooked.
Chumthuk
Rice Gruel
Serves: 2
250 gms starchy rice
2 tsp ginger, shredded
100 gms beef, finely chopped for flavouring
34 cups water for cooking

Mix the rice into the pot of water and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover for five
minutes.
Open the lid and stir constantly to prevent from getting stuck at the bottom.
Cook until the meat is tender. Make sure that it has a soupy consistency. This is an
ideal afternoon meal.
Thampa
Roasted Rice Power

Serves: 2
250 gms rice (or more as desired)
2 tsp clarified butter (or more)
Salt/sugar/honey to taste

Roast the rice in a thick-bottomed pan. Let it cool and then pound to make a fine
powder.
Add clarified butter and sugar or salt and mix well.
This is a popular breakfast or mid-morning snack. The roasted powder can also be
stored in an airtight container and preserved for about a month.
Patso
Steamed Fish in a Bamboo Hollow

Serves: 34
1 kg small river fish
1 tsp turmeric
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp mustard oil
Fresh hollow bamboo for steaming
Salt to taste

Clean the fish thoroughly and apply mustard oil as if marinating.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Put the mixture inside a hollow bamboo.
Seal the open end with banana leaf.
Put the bamboo near a fire to roast it. Keep turning it for about 1520 minutes to
ensure it is evenly cooked.
Glossary
English
Almond
Asafoetida
Aubergine
Bamboo shoot
Bay leaf
Beef
Bengal gram flour
Betel leaf
Betel nut
Bittergourd
Black beans
- Husked
- Whole
Black pepper
Bottlegourd
Brain
Cabbage
Capsicum
Cardamom
- Black
- Green
Carp
Carrot
Cashewnut
Cauliflower
Celery
Chicken
Chickpeas
Chilli
- Dried, red
- Green
- Red
Cinnamon
Coconut
- Fresh
- Milk
Colocasia
- Leaves
Coriander
- Fresh
- Seeds
Cottage cheese
Hindi
Badam
Hing
Baingan
Baans ki kalli
Tej patta
Gai ka gosht
Besan
Paan
Supari
Karela
Urad dal
Sabut urad
Kali mirch
Ghia/lauki
Bheja
Band gobhi
Shimla mirch

Badi elaichi
Hari elaichi/chhoti elaichi
Rohu
Gaajar
Kaju
Phool gobhi
Selery
Murgh
Kabuli channa/safaid channa
Mirchi
Sookhi mirch
Hari mirch
Lal mirch
Dalchini

Nariyal
Nariyal ka doodh
Arvi
Arvi patta

Hara dhania
Sabut dhania
Paneer
Crab
Cumin seeds
Curd
Duck
Egg
Egyptian lentils
- Husked
- Whole
Fenugreek seeds
Fish
French beans
Garlic
Ginger
- Fresh
Gooseberry
Green peas
Jaggery
Leeks
Lentils
Lime
Liver
Milk
Mince
Mushroom
- Greens
- Oil
- Seeds
Mutton
Oil Tel
Okra
Onion
Papaya
- Unripe
Peppercorn
Pork
Potato
Prawn
Pumpkin
- White
- Red/yellow
- White
Rice
Salt
Sesame seeds
Shad
Shrimp
Sodium bicarbonate
Sorrel
Kekda
Jeera
Dahi
Badak
Anda

Masoor dal
Sabut masoor
Methi dana
Machchi/Machchli
Fransbin
Lehsun

Adrak
Rashbari
Mattar
Gurd
Vilaiti pyaaz
Dal
Limbu/nimbu
Kaleji
Doodh
Keema
Dhingri/khumi Mustard
Sarson ka saag
Sarson ka tel
Sarson/rai
Gosht

Bhindi
Pyaaz

Kaccha papeeta
Kali mirch
Suvar ka gosht
Alu
Jhinga

Doodhiya
Seetaphul/kaddu Radish
Safaid mooli
Chaval
Namak
Til
Hilsa
Jhinga/kolmi
Meetha soda
Amrul
Spinach
Spring onions
Sugar
Sultana
Tamarind
Tomato
Turmeric
Vinegar
Wheat
- Plain/refined flour
Palak
Hara pyaaz
Cheeni/shakkar
Kishmish
Imli
Tamatar
Haldi
Sirka

Maida
NOTE:
The following ingredients are found only in the North-East and have been described
in the introduction under Speciality Ingredients:
Akhuni, Angoithi seeds, Bamboo mushrooms, Indigenous soda, Lengmaser, Mizo
anthur, Parkia, Raja chillies, Repchi, Sticky rice, Tangmo.
Acknowledgements
To write a book on the cuisine, culture and customs of the North-East has not been an easy
task, simply because there are no written records on the subject. This book has entailed
many years of research during which time I have travelled through the states of the NorthEast and visited the kitchens of the different tribes, to actually see and document their
cooking procedures. This comprehensive research was only possible with the help of the
elders of the tribes who shared their knowledge with me and gave me hitherto unwritten
and unknown information. I thank them all.
I will always be grateful to the many nameless cooks and housewives of different states
for helping me with every detail in the art of cooking perfect North-Eastern meals. I thank
my wonderful friends in Delhi and Gurgaon for always accepting my invitations to come
home and sample my cooking each time I cook something authentic. They have
encouraged me to delve deep into the subject and keep my passion alive.
I owe a great debt to the late Dera Natung, the former Education Minister of Arunachal
Pradesh, who supplied me with authentic Arunachali ingredients to familiarize me with
their aromas. He was enthusiastic about the book till the end; the chapter on Arunachal
Pradesh would not have been possible without him.
My thanks to Mr M.P. Bezbaruah, former secretary, Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, and
his wife, Mrs Bezbaruah, who often had to forgo their afternoon siesta to go through my
manuscript on Assam.
Sanjoy Hazarika, writer and documentary film-maker, gave me free access to his books
on the North-East.
Thinlay Topgay, eminent lawyer from Sikkim, helped me with every detail of
Sikkimese cooking and was my guide. Binita Rai from Sikkim Tourism, I thank her for
her patience in taking me through Nepali cuisine.
My elder sister, Alice, collected valuable material and shared her recipes with me.
Rajesh Khanna, my friend, confidant, guinea pig and beloved husband, for being my
best critic when it comes to my cooking. His constant feedback helps me understand what
works for most palettes.
Devyani Onial, my former colleague, spent many afternoons looking through my
manuscript and giving valuable advice. Manjula Negi, my former colleague and friend, I
thank her for fine-tuning my work.
My special thanks go to my parents for their financial and moral support, which made
all those trips to the North-East possible and which helped complete my task.
Finally I thank David Davidar, the first publisher of this book, for having faith in me. I
also thank Chiki Sarkar and the team at Penguin Books India for their work on both
editions of the book.
THE BEGINNING
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Penguin Books India 2003
This revised edition published 2014
www.penguinbooksindia.com
Copyright Hoihnu Hauzel 2003, 2014
Cover photographs and design by Haitenlo Semy
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-0-143-42388-1
This digital edition published in 2014.
e-ISBN: 978-9-351-18163-7
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Hoihnu

All spoon measures are level

Feasts from the Tribal Kitchen

the dead fish float on the surface, they collect them.

Vegetable Stew with Noodles

Tender Bamboo Shoot with Chillies

Fish in Bamboo Hollow

Pork Stew with Ginger

Pork Stew with Bamboo Shoot

Dried Pork and Bamboo Shoot Pickle

Mutton Stew with Ginger

Noodles with Meat and Vegetables

Chicken Stew with Ginger

Makes: about 15 momos

Rice Cake Steamed in Banana Leaves

Tea with Yaks Milk

Meals from the Banks of the Brahmaputra

As you move down to lower AssamKamrup, Nalbari, Barbeta, Bongaigaon,

Spicy Mashed Potatoes

Sour Colocasia Leaf Curry

Black Beans with Pumpkin

Black Beans with Unripe Papaya

Bottlegourd with Fish

Fish with Colocasia Leaves

Fermented Fish Chutney

Fish Roasted in Banana Leaves

Fish Baked in Banana Leaves

Oma Bedor Saonai

Oma Vedor Gwran

Kukura Aru Gaj

Chicken and Bamboo Shoot Curry

Chicken with Black Beans

Sweet Rice Pancakes

Titbits from Loktak Valley

Cottage Cheese Cooked in Milk

Curry with Gram Flour Dumplings

Green Pea Curry

Dried Green Pea Curry

Pork with Mustard Leaves

Chicken with Ginger

Milk and Coconut Dessert

Delectable Treats from the Khasi Hills

Fish in Bamboo Hollow

Fish Barbecued in Banana Leaves

Fish Head Curry

Fermented Fish Chutney

Pork with Mustard Leaves

Pork with Sorrel Leaves

Wak Me-A-Mesang Pura

Pork with Fermented Bamboo Shoot

Pork with Fermented Soya Beans

Pork with Black Sesame Seeds

Machu Rasin Chisik

Beef with Sorrel Leaves

Rice Cake Steamed in an Earthen Pot

Rice Cakes Steamed in Banana Leaves

Fried Rice Balls

Delicacies from the Mizo Hills

Vegetable Stew with Mizo Cheese

Bamboo Shoot with Green Chillies