Assam is a diverse state in the northeast of India as you all know. Preserving the sweet memories of Assam and sharing with all of you, is perhaps the best.
Assam, I love its people. I think the people of Assam are wonderful. I have memories of the chirping of the kite bird and the smoke of the earthen oven. I still like the tuberos, the lillies, the lotus in the ponds, the curries, the thin walled houses, the small ponds behind every house that supplied water.......I could go on and on. I spent some great years among the Assamese.
I attended local weddings, had picnics, cooked impromptu dinners with neighbours , taught little children in a primary school, woke up early in fog filled chilly mornings to travel to far off corners of Assam, fished in the pond and then cut and fried the same fish, went" hunting" with friends in the jungles of Lonka (Yes,there's a place called Lonka in upper Assam).......
We couldn't be dissuaded from living in an all Assamese locality when Bengali's were being targeted in the eighties.......we got more love from the local Assamese people than we got from others.
Jorhat......some 89 kms from Kaziranga national Park, was home to us. People visit Kaziranga from all over, to see the one horned Rhino's. We were lucky to be travelling all over Assam and quite often as we took the national highway from Jorhat to Guwahati we saw rhino's grazing with the buffalo's very near to the highway !!
Milk was unavailable in those days and we had to use milkmaid or tinned milk"Amulya" in our Tea but in a small sweet shop just outside the Jorhat Indian Oil Depot we tasted steaming hot Rosogolla in freshly made thin syrup.......oh....heavenly it tasted.... from huge black wok straight into our mouth it went!!
Assamese food is similar to its sister, the Bengali cuisine. Most love the Maacher Paturi Bengali style but the Assamese too prepare baked fish in the similar style. Similarly the Assamese style Maacher Tanga and Adar Maach are prepared in Bengal too. I learnt a lot about Assamese food from my land lord Sri Chandra Dutta and his pretty wife, and whenever I prepare these simple dishes I remember them. Come winter and one thing I miss the most is Bora Chaal Pitha. Bora Rice is not available to me so I have given up but I have the recipe for those of you who want to try it....
Sticky Rice (Bora Chaal)............................................................1kg
Jaggery,grated.............................................................................750 grams
Sesame seeds,dry roasted...........................................................400 grams
Coconut,grated..............................................................................1,large
This is how:
Wash and clean the sesame seeds. Dry roast the sesame seeds till golden.
Grate the coconut.
Grate the jaggery.
Mix the sesame with grated coconut and grated jaggery. If you want you can add sugar as well to increase the sweetness.
Heat a griddle. Take a handful of the rice powder and spread thinly in a round shape.
Put the sesame-coconut-jaggery mix in the middle and fold the pitha in half.
Move the pitha to the edge of the griddle while you prepare the rest of the pithas. Keeping the pithas on the griddle will make them crisp. Turn sides.
This pitha can be stored for a week or two in an airtight container. Warm pitha before serving. Serve with fresh cream.
Assam, I love its people. I think the people of Assam are wonderful. I have memories of the chirping of the kite bird and the smoke of the earthen oven. I still like the tuberos, the lillies, the lotus in the ponds, the curries, the thin walled houses, the small ponds behind every house that supplied water.......I could go on and on. I spent some great years among the Assamese.
I attended local weddings, had picnics, cooked impromptu dinners with neighbours , taught little children in a primary school, woke up early in fog filled chilly mornings to travel to far off corners of Assam, fished in the pond and then cut and fried the same fish, went" hunting" with friends in the jungles of Lonka (Yes,there's a place called Lonka in upper Assam).......
We couldn't be dissuaded from living in an all Assamese locality when Bengali's were being targeted in the eighties.......we got more love from the local Assamese people than we got from others.
Jorhat......some 89 kms from Kaziranga national Park, was home to us. People visit Kaziranga from all over, to see the one horned Rhino's. We were lucky to be travelling all over Assam and quite often as we took the national highway from Jorhat to Guwahati we saw rhino's grazing with the buffalo's very near to the highway !!
Milk was unavailable in those days and we had to use milkmaid or tinned milk"Amulya" in our Tea but in a small sweet shop just outside the Jorhat Indian Oil Depot we tasted steaming hot Rosogolla in freshly made thin syrup.......oh....heavenly it tasted.... from huge black wok straight into our mouth it went!!
Assamese food is similar to its sister, the Bengali cuisine. Most love the Maacher Paturi Bengali style but the Assamese too prepare baked fish in the similar style. Similarly the Assamese style Maacher Tanga and Adar Maach are prepared in Bengal too. I learnt a lot about Assamese food from my land lord Sri Chandra Dutta and his pretty wife, and whenever I prepare these simple dishes I remember them. Come winter and one thing I miss the most is Bora Chaal Pitha. Bora Rice is not available to me so I have given up but I have the recipe for those of you who want to try it....
Pitha :
You will need:Sticky Rice (Bora Chaal)............................................................1kg
Jaggery,grated.............................................................................750 grams
Sesame seeds,dry roasted...........................................................400 grams
Coconut,grated..............................................................................1,large
This is how:
Wash and clean the sesame seeds. Dry roast the sesame seeds till golden.
Grate the coconut.
Grate the jaggery.
Mix the sesame with grated coconut and grated jaggery. If you want you can add sugar as well to increase the sweetness.
Heat a griddle. Take a handful of the rice powder and spread thinly in a round shape.
Put the sesame-coconut-jaggery mix in the middle and fold the pitha in half.
Move the pitha to the edge of the griddle while you prepare the rest of the pithas. Keeping the pithas on the griddle will make them crisp. Turn sides.
This pitha can be stored for a week or two in an airtight container. Warm pitha before serving. Serve with fresh cream.
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