This time our gastronomic pursuits have brought us to the largest North Indian state, Assam. Well known for its sprawling tea gardens, national parks, paddy fields, the mighty river the Brahmaputra and artistic heritage, Assam has emerged as a popular tourist destination. Its vibrant cuisine makes it an important food destination for foodie travelers. Our food explorations in Assam began from the scenic place called the Chandubi lake situated around 64 km away from the capital city of Guwahati.
Surrounded by forests, tea estates and small villages, this calm and picturesque area is a popular tourist spot. The lake was formed as a result of the submergence of a part of the forest area during the devastating earthquake that had hit Assam in 1897. It is a rich habitat for different flora and fauna. Visitors can go fishing and rowing in the lake.
At Chandubi we visited the Chandubi Jungle Camp along with our hosts Chayanika, Sisir, and Risha to savour a traditional rustic meal prepared with local ingredients. The scrumptious lunch spread at the retreat camp included the tupula bhat, omita khar, Assamese style chicken curry, tangy fish curry, aloo pitika, koldil bhaja, bilahi pora, and dal. It was a simple and gratifying meal that introduced us to some new ingredients like khar and thekera whose details can be found in the video.
In the evening we all gathered together to prepare bamboo chicken, bamboo pork, and barbecued pork. Chicken or pork cooked in the hollow bamboo stem is a popular delicacy in this region that has caught the fancy of the gourmet crowd from near and far. Although initially, it appeared easy with the minimalist marinades and all but it wasn’t, as it needs the practice to master this style. The outcome was delicious. We particularly loved the bamboo chicken and bamboo pork.
We are super grateful to our amazing hosts for making us familiar with the wonderful local cuisine with so much warmth and patience.