As we dug into the fiery Chicken Curry at home-chef Sneha Lata Saikia’s residence, tears were the expected result. This wasn’t the first time we’ve sampled Northeast fare but this was incomparable. The generous use of the king of chillies—Raja Mircha—was evident from the first bite. Saikia knows exactly how much to throw in what and when. These subtle variations determine the intensity of the dish’s flavours. Her home in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park was always open Northeastern food aficionados till the quarantine came along.
Born into an army family in a small Assamese district, Nowgaon, Saikia took to the kitchen when she was nine. She baked a cake. This simple act in the kitchen would take her down a gastronomic road along which she evolved her own style with Assamese and Naga specials. When she moved from Assam to Delhi, the first thing she did was to join food groups on Facebook. She noticed that people were largely ignorant about Northeastern cuisine.
They didn’t speak highly of it. It disturbed her deeply. There were inane comparisons with Chinese food. Saikia decided to counter misconceptions with authentic information. She referred to her mother's recipes. After a while, she felt confident enough to host her own food pop-up in 2017 at Junglee Billee, GK-II, Delhi. It was perfect timing for there were few options to sample Northeastern food. The pop-up was an instant hit and paved the way for several others. It enabled her to reach out to gourmets. But there was one problem. She wanted to tell stories about food to enrich the experience.
“I wanted to talk about our food’s history, its special quality and place in our lives. I wanted to clear misconceptions like Bhut Jolokia being synonymous with Northeastern cooking, it is used in every dish. That’s not true. There are other chillies such as Raja Mircha, the black Krisno Jolokia and white Mem Jolokia with distinct flavours,” says Saikia. Then came Saikia’s ‘Table for Six’— a sit-down meal at her home where six strangers who had signed up for home-cooked Northeastern food, including Assam, could eat authentic cuisine on traditional brass plates. Each feast had a different menu. Priced at `1,000, they were weekend affairs before Covid-19 struck. Much in demand is Saikia’s Masor Tenga, a light tomato-based tangy Assamese fish curry. Rongalao Xoithe Pathar Mangsho combines the sweet taste of pumpkin with goat meat and polu (silkworms); the latter is hard to find in Delhi.
Saikia’s Naga lineage is evident in her pork preparations made with either axone (fermented soybeans) or anishi (fermented yam leaves). “Due to the relatively scarce vegetation in our states, Northeasterners tend to consume more fish and meat.” Fermented bamboo shoot is a signature ingredient, slightly alkaline and sour, which breaks across the meat fibres. It also has medicinal properties that help with cold and cough. The fermentation protects the bamboo against high humidity and prevents spoiling. The spices aren’t fried in oil to release their aromas; instead they’re steeped in curries to impart subtler flavours.
Other fermented products in her repertoire are yam leaves and soybean. While the former gives a whole lot of savouriness to a dish, the latter adds a typical sour flavour while being quite pungent. Both are used extensively in cooking meat, including goat and pork. Since the Brahmaputra keeps flooding frequently, meat and fish are dried in the sun and smoked. This gives the food its characteristic pungency and sourness, which North Indians find peculiar. “We don’t usually have dessert,” Saikia says mischievously while offering traditional black rice kheer and Roselle Tea. “Since dairy products aren’t easily available in the Northeast, most people end their meals with areca nuts and betel leaf or with tea,” she says. Considering the acute shortage of home-cooked Northeastern food in the capital city, Saikia’s home-dining has opended the city’s eyes and palate to exotic tastes.