Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

The venue was marked with work from and of the region. The buffet menu was introduced with the traditional spices and chutneys. Photographs by Amit Singha, Kenri Bassar, Samsul Huda and Ashish Chopra lined the wings. They were evidence of the glories of the region. A two-member girl band belted out popular numbers in English and Assamese. The work of two young artists, Jibesh Chakma and Ranjan Engti, brightened up the surroundings.

The meal was an exhaustive spread of salads, vegetables, meats and desserts. The salads were an interesting mix of the continental and the regional. The usual lettuce leaves beamed happily from bowls. But the lotus stem salad vied for attention with its unusual appearance. It had an interesting underwater taste and a watery crunchiness. The variety of chutneys was splendid. There was a brinjal chutney from Assam, which was like a baigan bharta, without oil but stood out for its interesting smoky flavour. Ngakhamkapa, a fermented fish chutney with spring onions, had a boisterous flavour, but went well with rice.

The cocktails came from the different states. The Passionate Naga was a catchy name. But the taste caught a bit too hard. The appetiser was of course momos and thupka. A sip of the thupka and you felt like you were trekking through the mountains.

While the food of each of the eight states varies, the staple is rice. Ashish Chopra, author of “NE Belly”, explained that 80 per cent of North East cooking uses negligible quantities of oil. Most of the dishes are cooked in their own juices. Chopra says that the greens are common to the region’s cuisine. Half-cooked greens, where the succulence remains intact, is especially common.

But the clear winner in the non-vegetarian dishes was the beef and pork dishes. The smoked pork with bamboo was excellent. It was prepared with a dried cake, made from yam leaves, cooked on a wood fire. Those ready to risk taste over health must try the fat pieces in it.

There were plenty of desserts to choose from. The Khera (Manipuri kheer) and kol peetha, made from ripe bananas and rice flour, were delicious.

The Park also conducted a four-day cookery course by Ashish Chopra on the cuisine of the North East.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail