Be it a tryst with nature and the use of all things natural, or the stark contrast and use of minimal spices in their cuisine in comparison with the neighboring states, or the zing of that brisk, malty breakfast tea so typical of the region, Assam is a one of those states with a cloud of mystery around it, but once you navigate your way out of the haze, an absolute kaleidoscope of colors, favors, beauty and diversity in action!
I started telling the girls about the famous tea gardens, nay estates... actual entire mountain sides that cradle one of the most prized possessions of this state... in fact, they contribute to nearly a half of the country's production of tea, catering to not just the high demand for tea in India, but for exports as well. The climate in the region as well as its topography lends itself as the ideal combination for nurturing the tea leaf plant... it's like looking at a picture... just like the one right above... surreal, breathtakingly beautiful and utilitarian, all at the same time.
There was a confession as well. I thought I'd be introducing them to fish and momos... fish yes, but momos? Really? I have to sheepishly admit that I was kind of as clueless, well close enough, as my daughters on this jewel of the north-east.
What I didn't realize is that there were limited (if any) momos, there was talk of chutneys with ants as the primary ingredient, and then there was a mention of the locals living off the local high protein produce - SILKWORMS. And we decided it was good to know, and "open our eyes" to the possibilities, but we'd look at building our character with the prospect of "trying" out the possibilities another time... we stuck to the fish, chicken and greens... local-to-Assam greens and/or substitutes based on what was available locally here, and the resultant menu we conjured up had all the makings of a brilliant dinner with new flavors, at the time alien to all of us!
But wait. SILKWORMS=Silk... Assam boasts of some of the prettiest silk, characterized and defined based on the diet of the silkworms.. (i) We've got Muga silk that is produced by the silkworm larvae feeding on indigenous "som" and "sualu" leaves, resulting in a fine textured, glossy and durable golden coloured silk; (ii) And then there's Paat, an off-white silk produced by silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves; and finally (iii) There's Eri used for shawls and quilts, made by the silkworms that feed on leaves of castor oil plant. A fantastic contributor to generating employment for the state, in addition to the tourism and the tea industry!
From Left to Right: Paat silk saree, Muga silk designs, Eri silk shawl
And then there's the local populace, adorning these gorgeous fabrics as part of their daily attire, or for special occasions or cultural festivities, be it the bride's garment of choice on her wedding day, or the local dance festivities in the bright red silks, signifying joy and enthusiasm for life in general! I think the closest I ever came to Assam was when we visited Sikkim and Darjeeling (in West Bengal)...
My girls quickly traced the states on the map of India, and they were like... "you were sooooo close Mom!" This was a milestone... the fact that they are now looking to find the states on a piece of paper with India's geographical boundaries imprinted on it... it brought a smile to my lips... mission a-quarter-accomplished!!!
Our Assamese home-cooked-food menu:
Kordoi (a crispy savory whole wheat snack, flavored with cumin and carom seeds, with onions and grated carrots for the added crunch) and Sake (as a substitute of Photika, a rice wine native to the state of Assam, but with a 70% alcohol content - super potent!)
Pabho Massor Logot Khorisha Tenga (Light and simple curry made with small Pabho fish (from the catfish family), cooked in mustard oil an tempered with fenugreek seeds, ginger and green chillies, along with bamboo shoots, some coarse rice powder and roughly chopped Mezenga leaves, garnished with fresh coriander)
Chicken with Black Sesame (semi-dry tribal delicacy where the country chicken is cooked in mustard oil, coriander paste and a signature black sesame paste)
Dhekiya Xaak aur Alu Bhaji (baby potato and fiddlehead ferns (dhekiya) stir fry tempered with fenugreek seeds and basic spices)
Kordoi
What you'll need:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp carom seeds; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tblsp grated carrot; 1 red onion, finely chopped; 2 tblsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tblsp ghee (clarified butter); 1/2 cup water (may vary); oil for frying
Mix all the ingredients together, and add the water in small quantities to make a semi-soft dough. Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes at room temperature. Knead it a little again, roll it out into a log with you hands, and divide it into 7-8 portions. Taking each ball, roll it out into a flat circular pancake, and make slits at 1" gaps, but not all the way to the ends (as in, don't slit all the way to the end - see pics below). Roll the pancake in the direction of the slits into a pipe-like structure, and pinch the roll at the ends so these don't open up when you start frying them.
Deep fry each roll until nicely browned on all sides to a crisp... enjoy this crunchy savory snack with a cup of hot Assamese tea!
Pabho Massor Logot Khorisha Tenga
What you'll need:
Any small fresh water fish, preferably from the catfish family, 15-20 of these, ~11/2 lbs; 1 tblsp garlic pd; 1 can bamboo shoots; 1 cluster basil leaves
4-5 tblsp mustard oil; 1 tblsp fenugreek seeds; 4-5 green chillies, sliced; 6-7 garlic cloves, roughly smashed with a broad knife; 1” piece ginger, sliced; 1 tblsp lemongrass paste
11/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd
Note: I didn’t / wasn’t able to actually, source Mezenga leaves so used the basil and lemongrass paste as a substitute for the flavor... and it didn’t turn out half bad after all.
In keeping with the general Assamese culinary rules, the process is even simpler than what I followed here - I’ll point out the differences as we go. I sprinkled the garlic pd on the fish and tossed these in a bowl so the garlic pd coated the small aqua creatures evenly... then I heated the mustard oil and lightly pan fried the fish, so they wouldn’t completely disintegrate in the curry - the folks from Assam don’t do any of this! With the remaining mustard oil, I tempered the fenugreek seeds till they browned, and added in the garlic, ginger and green chillies, sautéing these for about 3-4 minutes. Then, I added a cup of water, the bamboo shoots and the dry spices, and let these cook covered for 5-7 minutes. Next the greens: I broke off the basil leaves and added these to the gravy, along with the lemon grass paste... you could add any other greens as well and let this simmer for 3-4 minutes. Finally, drop in the pan-fried fish - super delicate in nature, you don’t want to cook the fish in the gravy for too long, but just enough to get the flavors in, while retaining the structure of the fish. ready to be served hot with a side of bok choy and white rice!!
Chicken in Black Sesame
What you'll need:
2 lbs chicken, boneless and skinless thigh pieces; 2 red onions, thinly sliced; 6-7 garlic cloves, chopped; 1” ginger, chopped; 6-7 green chillies, sliced
3 tblsp mustard oil; 1 tblsp fenugreek seeds; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 1tblsp coriander paste; 1 tsp garam masala (optional - sorry, being from the north, I just CANNOT resist putting in some garam masala in a chicken preparation!!)
For the black sesame paste, 1/3 cup roasted black sesame seeds; 3 tblsp sesame oil - blend these two ingredients together to get a thick slurry like paste... it’s magical, this flavor, and sooooo different from anything I’ve had before.
Heat the mustard oil, add in the fenugreek seeds and sauté until they start splattering. Add in the onions, green chillies and garlic, sautéing these until the onions turn translucent. Drop in the ginger at this time. Next, add the chicken pieces to the pan, and roast along with the onions mix. Finally, add in the spices as well as the coriander and black sesame paste and mix until the pastes have coated the chicken evenly.... this is technically supposed to be green chicken (thanks to the coriander paste), but in my case the black sesame color took over. Regardless, the flavor was fantastic!! Let the chicken cook, covered for 30-35 minutes, until it’s fully done. Serve with green chillies on the side and white rice as an accompaniment!
Dhekiya Xaak aur Alu Bhaji
What you'll need:
2 small packs of collard greens; 1 bunch mustard greens; 10-15 baby potatoes, cubed into small pieces
3 tblsp mustard oil; 1 tblsp coriander seeds/fenugreek seeds (I used coriander seeds here since everything had the fenugreek seeds, and I kind of got bored with them :/)
1 red onion, chopped; 4-5 garlic cloves; roughly smashed; 3 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd
Start with blanching the greens... just helps with keeping the color intact! For this, boil water and once the water is bubbling, add in the greens (chopped), and after a couple minutes, take these out and drop into chilled water. Also, to prep the potatoes, you could either boil the whole potatoes, or air fry these babies at 390F for 20 minutes with a tsp of oil.
Now for the tempering and cooking - heat the mustard oil, drop in the coriander seeds and fry until they start spluttering. Add in the onions, garlic and green chillies and saute until a golden brown... then add in the greens (remember to drain the water out completely... what you don't want is a squishy mess with the greens... you want them looking happy and upright!). Saute on high heat, with the dry spices for about 5-6 minutes until the water dries off completely. Then lower the heat, add in the air fried potatoes, and cook covered for 8-10 minutes. Serve hot, with the fish and rice on the side!
I have to say, this one was a mystery until very recently, and the haze has definitely cleared :).. I do look forward to moving on to the next level with the cuisine of this state, hopefully in the not so distant future!
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