Assam Food
Assamese cuisine is a mixture of different indigenous as well as external influences with a lot of regional variations. It is characterized by the use of simple ingredients which are at times very flavorful and at times very pungent. Fermented food is very widely used, giving it a very distinct flavor. Preparations in Assam are rarely elaborate.
The Yagini Tantra provides some of the early geographical and cultural information about Assam.
The upper classes of Assam were permitted no scale-less or serpent-shaped fish. Certain meats (duck, pigeon, tortoise, wild boar ) were specially condemned, and those of the goat, deer and rhinoceros were permitted. A later historic work called the Kumara Harana, recommended pork cooked with soft roots of the banana. The favorite curry mentioned was an alkaline salty extract of banana roots cooked with certain aquatic green plants, and also with fish. Vegetables mentioned in the Yogini Tantra showed that both tubers and green leaves were important in the early Assamese diet. The usual pulses and spices were made from milk , curds and ghee, and madhumada may have had a honey base. Rice beer was made domestically, and the tribal brewed a liquor called laopani. Bana records that in the 7th century AD the Emperor Harsha received from King Bhaskara of Assam cups of ullaka, which diffused the fragrance of swet wine.
People of Assam eat non-spicy foods and even bland at times. Rice is the staple diet and other supplementary food includes lentils, fish curry, meat curry along with herbs and vegetables. The curry is generally seasoned with ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, onions and sometimes lemon.
Sweets made during the festivals are usually made of rice paste. Pitha is a paper-thin pancake stuffed with sweet coconut paste or sweet black sesame seed paste.
The Healthy, Tasty Vegetarian Assamese Recipes
Though majority of the Assamese community is non-vegetarian, lots of tasty vegetarian recipes are also prepared the traditional way. Pakodas(Bor/ Bora), meshes of different vegetables (pitika), vegetable fries and curries (Bhaji/ Anja/Torkari), baked/roasted vegtables (Patot/Khorikat Dia) and lentils (Dail/Dali) prepared in unique style are served along side the main dish.
Please try a few of the preparations with easily available ingredients and experience the Assamese delight.
The items mentioned here are very special to Assamese cuisine.These are tasty, easy to prepare and are served as side menues of the main dish.Commonly known as Ou-tenga (Elepant Apple/
sc.dillenia indica) is a sour fruit available in South-East Asia. It's an evergreen fruit with medicinal values.
Elephant Apple(sc:dillenia indica) in Black Gram Dal
(Ou tenga dia mati dail)
| Ingredients: |
| Black Gram Dal : | 1 cup |
| Ou-tenga : | 2 pieces (4 sq-inch each) |
| Fenugreek seeds : | Half a tsp |
| Salt : | According to taste |
| Mustard Oil : | For tempering |
| Turmeric Powder : | Half a tsps |
| Procedure: |
Soak the dal for around 2 Hours and wash thoroughly. Add salt and Turmeric powder and cook the daal. Add smashed Ou-enga pieces to the already boiled daal and cook till done. Temper the daal with mustard oil and fenugreek seeds.
"KHORISA BHAJI"- Fried Bamboo Shoot
Yet another indigenous recipe made of Bnah Gaj(bamboo shoot). Selected varieties of bamboo shoots are cleaned, ground and khorisa is prepared. This preparation can be stored for months. Khorisa has a significant pungent smell which may attract or repel one to have a taste of it. It is a bit sour in taste. The items mentioned here are very special to Assamese cuisine.These are tasty, easy to prepare and are served as side menues of the main dish. Try these unique recipes and experience Assamese cuisine delight.Bamboo Shoot Fry (Khorisa)
| Ingredients: |
| Khorisa : | 4 tsp |
| Onion : | 1 (long slices) |
| Chilly : | 1 (cut long) |
| Salt : | According to taste |
| Mustard Oil : | For shallow fry |
| Turmeric Powder : | Half a tsps |
| Dried Jackfruit Seeds (optional) : | 7 (sliced long) |
| Procedure: |
Heat oil in a kadai. Fry the onions and jackfruit seeds till golden brown. Add the bamboo shoot, chilies, salt and Turmeric powder and mix it well. Stire fry for sometime.
KOSU XAAKOR JALUKIA"- Curry of Colocasia Leaves |
khorisa is prepared. This preparation can be stored for months. Kosu Xaak or colocasia leaves are rich sources of iron. The plant is abundant in Assam. Nowadays it is cultivated for commercia puppose. The root and the leafy palnt both can be used as vegetables. The items mentioned here are very special to Assamese cuisine.These are tasty, easy to prepare and are served as side menues of the main dish. Try these unique recipes and experience Assamese cuisine delight Colocasia Leaves curry (Kosu Xaakor Jalukia)
| Ingredients: |
| Colocasia Leaves with black stems(de-veined) : | 3 big stems |
| Black pepper powder : | 3 tsp |
| Onion paste : | 2 tsp |
| Garlic paste : | 2 tsp |
| Salt : | According to taste |
| Mustard Oil : | For shallow fry |
| Turmeric Powder : | Half a tsps |
| Bay leaf : | 2 numbers |
| Chilly : | 2 numbers |
| Procedure: |
Cut the de-veined leaves and stems into 2 inch pieces. Boil and strain the colocasia. Mesh roughly. Heat oil. Add all the ingredients except the boiled Kosu. Fry till brown and oil comes out of the spices. Add the boiled Kosu mesh and salt to the fried spices and mix well. Add alf a cup of water if required and boil in low flame till done. The curry prepared like this is a thick gravy.
Tasty, Less Spicy Non-vegetarian Items. Majority of the Assamese community is non-vegetarian. Fish is specially popular and abundance different varieties of fishes are available in the water bodies of the state. Meat and egg recipes are also prepared the traditional way. Try a few of the most popular ethnic non-vegetarian recipes. Assamese cuisine, be it veg or non-veg, is less spicy, healthy and easy to cook. Experience these healthy-tasty Assamese non-vegetarian recipes in significantly less preparation time. Baked Hilsa
(Ilish Mas Bhapot Dia)
| Ingredients: |
| Hisla Fish (Cut into Medium Pieces): | Half kilo |
| White Mustard Seed Paste : | 4 tbsp |
| Grren Chilly (Chopped Roughly)(: | According to taste |
| Onion (Cut Rounded) : | 1 |
| Salt : | According to taste |
| Mustard Oil : | 2 tbsp |
| Turmeric Powder : | Half a tsps |
| Sugar (Optional) : | Half a tsps |
| Procedure: |
Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder and mustard paste to the fish pieces and mix well in a pressure cooker seperator. Add onion and chilly pieces atop the mixture and pour raw mustard oil over it. Cook in high flame for 5 minutes.
"AMITA DIA CHAGOLIR MANGXO"- Mutton Curry cooked with Raw Papaya
khorisa is prepared. This preparation can be stored for months. Amita Dia Chagolir Mangxo is a very simple yet tasty indigenous non-vegetarian preparation of Assam. The preparation time is less as papaya is added to the curry. The items mentioned here are very special to Assamese cuisine.These are easy to prepare, tasty and are less spicy. Try these unique recipes and experience Assamese non-veg delight | | |
Mutton Curry with Green Papaya
(Amita Dia Chagolir Mangxo)
| Ingredients: |
| Mutton : | 1 kg |
| Onion : | 2 numbers (long slices) |
| Onion Paste : | 2 tbsp |
| Ginger-garlic Paste : | 4 tsp |
| Coriander Powder : | 1 tbsp |
| Cumin Powder : | 1 tbsp |
| Turmeric Powder : | 1 tbsp |
| Black Pepper Powder : | 1 tbsp |
| Raw Papaya (cut into medium size pieces) : | 1 (medium) |
| Potato : | 4 numbers (cut into half) |
| Salt : | According to taste |
| Mustard Oil : | 2 tbsp |
| Bay Leaves : | 2 numbers |
| Cinnamon, clove and cardamom powder : | 1 tsp |
| Pure Ghee(optional) : | 1 tsp |
| Procedure: |
Mix the mutton with mustard oil, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, onion paste and ginger-garlic paste and marinate for half an our. Heat oil, add the bay leaves and the cut onions. Fry the mutton well. Add potato, papaya pieces and salt and fry till dry. Add boil water and cook till done. Add ghee and garam masala powder to the preparation and boil for 3 minutes.
"MASOR TENGA"- Fish Sour Curry Fish preparations are very famousand unique of this land. Various types of fishes are avaiabe in the water bodies of Assam. Among all the Assamese non-vegetarian items Masor Tenga is a hot favorite. This recipe is preferred mostly during hot summers because of its sour taste and refreshing flavour. The items mentioned here are very special to Assamese cuisine.These are easy to prepare, tasty and are less spicy. Try these unique recipes and experience Assamese non-veg delight. | |
Fish Sour Curry
(Masor Tenga)
| Ingredients: |
| Fresh Fish (river fishes preferred) : | 500 gm |
| Ridge Gourd : | 1 number (cut into small pieces) |
| Tomato : | 5 (medium, chopped) |
| Salt : | According to taste |
| Mustard Oil : | For frying the fish |
| Fenugreek Seeds : | Half a tsp |
| Turmeric powder : | 1 tsp |
| Lemon juice : | 4 tbsp |
| Procedure: |
| Add salt and tumeric power to the fishes and deep fry in oil. Add fenugreek seeds to the remaining oil and and add the chopped potatoes. Add turmeric powder and let the tomato melt well. Add the ridge gourd pieces, add salt and boiling water and cook till done. Add the lemon juice at last and boil for merely 1 minute. |
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