Today, as a way of helping you to explore the Assamese culture, we will share with you some tasty and some interesting food items from Assam.
We believe these food items will bring a sweet smile on your face.
1. Pitha
When we talk about Assamese recipes, Pitha is the first name comes in front of our imagination. The chief ingredient to prepare this dish is Rice flour. In Assamese language, rice flour is called Pitha. This is why, all those recipes made with using rice flour, is called Pitha in Assam. There are several verities of Pitha's made from it by mixing various items.
At the present time, there are about 10-15 different verities of Pitha recipes available in the Assamese society.
They are:
- Til Pitha (made by mixing melted Jaggery and Sesame seeds.
- Tel Pitha (made through mixing Jaggery and frying in deep mustard oil)
- Nangol Dhua Pitha (boiled through wrapping banana leaves)
- Hutuli Pitha (Looks like Hutuli, a traditional musical instrument)
- Kesa Pitha
- Sungat Dia Pitha
2. Muga Leta or Silk Worm
Muga Leta recipe is very close to heart of the Assamese people. However, this is not for vegetarians. A person can never even imagine the greed who had never tasted Muga Leta recipe before. Usually, Assamese people eat this food with Apong or Haz. Apong is a type of traditional strong rice beer. To cook this recipe a few ingredients are very necessary. First is as usual Muga Leta, second is onion and the third is some salt and turmeric powder.
This food has no occasional connection with other cultural elements of Assam but we can say this is one of the best ethnic foods among all.
3. Pani Tenga
Pani Tenga is a seed food made with Indian mustard seeds. Due to using Mustard seeds, Pani Tenga recipe becomes very stronger. Assamese people also consider it as good medicine, which is useable for some common diseases, like fever and cold-cough. Every year on Bohag Bihu days, Pani Tenga recipe is highly prepared by Assamese people. This is a part of their traditional culture.
4. Aloo Pitika
Aloo Ka Bharta from North India is simply called Aloo Pitika in the Assamese language. Here first Aloo or Potato is boiled very softly and then mashed with some onion, salt, pepper, coriander, mustard oil, egg, and some peanuts. That's all. Though Aloo Pitika recipe making process is very simple but it tastes very good if it properly made. In Assam, this food is very familiar to everyone and a part of their day-to-day life.
Usually, Assamese people eat this with Ukhuaa rice, because the combination of both items matches amazingly.
5. Aamroli Tup
Aamroli is a type of red ant, whose larva is very tasty. In each Rongali Bihu, on Goru Bihu day young people of villages in Assam collectively find Aamroli nests in jungles as a tradition. This is especially a tradition of Ahom community people of Assam but now a days almost every people do attempt to find this. The cooking process of Aamroli is also very simple (Follow the same steps as Muga Leta recipe).
Here are some necessary ingredients to make it:
- Red Ant Larva (main ingredient)
- Chopped onion
- Salt
- Pepper
- Turmeric and
- Mustard oil
6. Apong or Haz
As I mentioned earlier Apong is a strong rice beer made with rice and some Apong seeds, usually called Hazor Guti. This is a traditional food, which has been running from around 300 to 400 years in society. At very first this rice beer invented by the Ahom’s, they used it in various worship programs to satisfy their god Langdon deity.
Nowadays almost every occasional programs, this is used in the Assamese society, especially Bihu days and ancestors yearly worship programs.
7. Bilahi aru Masor Tenga
Bilahi aru Masor Tenga recipe is another amazing dish, which is made with tomato and fish. This is actually a fish curry, where tomato and fish are the main ingredients. You can whip up this sour fish curry in under 15 minutes. The next time you come home late and wanna have something that's tasty as well as nutritious, you might wanna turn that raw fish in the fridge into Tenga Mas. You want to make it? Here is the simple step by step process below -
- First of all deep fry the pieces of fish and then put it off from the pan.
- Next, fry some chopped onions and then add some salt, pepper, turmeric with it.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes.
- In the fourth step, add some water and then after 5 minutes add your fried fishes to it.
- Let it cook in a medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. That’s all, your Bilahi aru Masor Tenga recipe is ready to go for your plate.
8. Narikolor Laru
Narikolor Laru is a sweet dessert made with mashed Coconut and Sugar or Jaggery. Usually, this recipe is made during Rongali and Bhogali Bihu days by Assamese housewives. The combination of Narikolor Laru and Assam tea becomes very delightful for every Assamese people. If you still haven't tried this dessert then don't forget to try it once.
9. Assamese Khar
Assamese food’s key taste profile incorporates elements of bitter, sweet, salty, pungent, sour and astringent/alkaline. The dish that best represents this profile is khar. Assamese khar is traditionally the starter to an elaborate meal. Interestingly khar can be a dish, as well as an ingredient called kola khar.
Banana peels are burnt into ash, mixed up with mustard oil, and then folded into dishes to impart alkalinity. This can also be made from peels of papaya, cucumber, potato, as well as fish. Fermented foods are also a big part of this cuisine. Taste some awesome masor muror khar (fish head) while in Assam.
So, these are the few delicious Assamese dishes, incredibly popular within Assamese society. I recommend you to try at least for once. You will never be able to forget Assamese cuisine.
