A visit to any kitchen in Meghalaya is like a party for the senses.
As herbs, meats and greens are smoked, fermented, stir fried and steamed, the air is always rich with aromas. The dishes are as diverse as the culture of the three tribes – Khasi, Garo and Jaintia – that inhabit this land of cottony clouds and lashing rain.
Till a couple of years ago, terms like jadoh, putharo and tungtap were alien words for the average food enthusiast – but because of the efforts of a couple of eateries and home cooks from across the country, there is rising awareness about the delicate flavours of Meghalaya.
The three tribes are united in the use of black sesame, rice, wild mushrooms, smoking and fermenting techniques.Gitika Saikia, 8 Sisters
Mumbai-based Geetika has conducted three editions of the pop-up, 8 Sisters.
The latter is dedicated to the tribal culinary traditions of the northeast, and she has cooked local Meghalayan recipes as a part of that.
A Plethora of Delicious Fare
Pradeep of Bengaluru-based The Ants Cafe concurs – “Khasi and Jaintia cuisines are similar and slow-cooked.”
The fare is simple – with minimal use of spices – and flavoured with local herbs such as onion, ginger, garlic, sesame, mustard oil, pepper and turmeric. He has been organising Naga, Mizo, Manipuri, Assamese and Meghalayan food festivals since 2010 at this cafe and store dedicated to crafts from the northeast.
Just last weekend we did a special promotion on the food of Khasi and Jaintia tribes. I’d expected around 50 to 60 guests but 95 people showed up!Pradeep, The Ants Cafe
On the menu, of course, was the iconic jadoh – a rice dish cooked with pork blood and intestines and a staple in any Meghalayan household.
There was also Doh Thad Sniang (smoked pork), Doh Kpu (chicken meatballs), Pathaw nei Long (black sesame pumpkin), Jhur Khleh (fresh vegetable salad) – and the famous tungtap (fermented fish chutney). The guests were treated to performances by local musicians Rida and Peter of ‘Rida and The Musical Folks’, who also cooked the traditional food and developed black clay tableware, typical to Shillong.
The differences in the three tribal cuisines, perhaps, emerge from the proportions in which the tribes use the ingredients.
Ashish Chopra – chef, travel writer, TV show host and culinary historian – has documented the northeast cuisines in detail in his book NE Belly: The Basic Northeast Cook Book. He feels that while the matriarchal society binds the Meghalayan tribes together, culturally they are very different – and that is reflected in their cuisine as well.
“Garos use a lot of dried fish in their chutneys and gravies. They love their sticky rice while the other two make lots of jadoh,” he says.
How Cafes and Home Cooks are Changing the Scene
While each of the three sub-cuisines make use of a lot of meats and fish, there is something for the vegetarians as well.
A lot of sorrel leaves are used in all forms – dried, fermented and fresh.Karen Yepthomi, owner of the Dzukou Tribal Kitchen, Delhi
The Tribal Kitchen recently did a Meghalayan food promotion on April 17.
Veggies and greens are combined with meat dishes to form a wholesome fare. For instance, at Dzukou, on offer was the wak pura – or pork cooked with rice powder and green vegetables – and Do’o galda gisi pura, which is chicken dried sorrel leaves and rice powder.
One could also sample a traditional vegetarian dish called gominda kambe made from mustard leaves squash and pumpkin stems, among other dishes.
Like The Ants Cafe, Dzukou too focuses on cuisines from the various northeastern states and focuses on one state at a time. “We have a Manipur special coming up next,” says Yepthomi.
The authenticity of ingredients plays a huge role in the flavour of a dish, and all three – Pradeep, Saikia and Yepthomi – source their meats and herbs from the northeast.
The bamboo shoot that you get in Bengaluru is from Kerala and the taste is completely different from what you get in the northeast. Moreover, the Khasis preserve the crop by fermenting it – so that lends it a unique taste.Pradeep, The Ants Cafe
Saikia too makes sure to source the pork blood for the jadoh and black sesame from the region to maintain the flavour profile.
It may take a while before jadoh and tungtap become mainstays of restaurant menus across India, and for people to realise that food from the northeast is more than just momos.
Till then, these cafes and home cooks are taking baby steps towards changing one notion at a time.
(Avantika Bhuyan is a freelance journalist who loves to uncover the invisible India hiding in nooks and crannies across the country.)
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