TASTE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH | VERSATILE- VIVID & VIBRANT…

BY: DR. KAVIRAJ KHIALANI – CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF.

Arunachal Pradesh is one of the states of north eastern India and just like all the other North-Eastern states, its tradition and culture are one of the main focus of Indian tourism. Food forms an essential part of the culture of North East India, and is a traveller’s urge to understand the unknown, the food of Arunachal Pradesh is a topic that draws a lot of attention!

The first thing you should know about Arunachal Pradesh food is that it differs from tribe to tribe. Arunachal Pradesh’s platter varies across the regions and the tribal groups. The styles, methods of cooking, the ingredients used and elements of these tribal preparations are countless and hence offers one with a very diverse, vibrant and dynamic menu.

The staple food, like in most North-Eastern places, is rice, fish, meat and vegetables. The dishes use very less spice, and they mostly use flavours from herbs, organic productions and bamboo shoots. Different styles and verities of Momos and Thukpa are popular and widespread in the area.

Boiled rice cakes are also enjoyed widely as a snack all over Arunachal Pradesh. Pasa, a fish soup, while Noatak a fish curry are delicacies, almost essentials in a local platter. Chinese cuisine is also trendy and finds its distinct place in Arunachal Pradesh’s kitchen. Other than these is a rice beer called Apang found in the region. Arunachal Pradesh “The land of rising sun” is one of the largest

among North eastern states. They prefer to use different methods of cooking. This region is occupied by tribal people and they use fresh herbs, vegetables in their everyday cooking. They don’t use oil much or packed spice products and they prefer steaming, boiling and smoked food methods of cooking. As you move toward the eastern side of Arunachal people are dependent on bamboo and other
leafy vegetables which are strictly boiled.

Fried food is not very popular as people like to eat either boiled or smoked food. As you move toward the town of Tawang and places closer to the country of Tibet you’ll notice that dairy products are more in use. The people closest to the city are more dependent on a normal day to day products.

A few popular ingredients and culinary basics of the cuisine: Rice is a staple food in Arunachal Pradesh food, and any other food is just a side dish. The most important and different thing about their rice is that in Arunachal, they prefer to cook their rice in the hollow bamboo over some hot coal to give it a different flavour than other types of rice.

Bamboo shoot is widely eaten through all the North Eastern States because of its delicate flavour and is a chief component of food in Arunachal Pradesh. The delicious bamboo shoots are used in the dishes of boiled vegetables, cooked meat, pickles and chutneys. Pika Pila is a famous type of a pickle that is mostly made by the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.

It is a favourite accompaniment of food in Arunachal Pradesh. Pika Pila is a type of a pickle that is made by using bamboo shoot and pork fat with a little addition of King Chilly. It is hot but not very spicy as to make you feel sick. Lukter Another delicacy of the Arunachal Pradesh Food is the Lukter. Nothing complicated, Lukter is a combination of cooked

dry meat and chili flakes from the King chilly or Bhut Jolokia. Like the norm goes with Arunachal, this too is just a side dish meant to be eaten with the rice. Pehak is also a side dish delicacy of Arunachal Pradesh Food. Pehak is a type of spicy chutney that is made by the use of fermented soya bean and chilli.

The chilly obviously being the King chilly is the main ingredient in this dish as that’s what makes it hot and spicy. The taste of flavoured rice along with this spicy tangy mash makes for an awesome dish! Apong- Rice Beer- It is just another name for rice beer and is one of the most important traditional drink of Arunachal, and forms an important part of cuisine in Arunachal Pradesh.

This beer is home- made, free of any chemicals and is also light on the buds if you’re a light drinker and want a little light beer instead of the usual strong commercialized one. Marua-Just like the Apong, Marua is also home-made alcohol that is very famous in Arunachal Pradesh cuisine.

The only difference is that this alcoholic beverage is made of millet instead of rice. A common drink that Arunachalis enjoy drinking on occasions. Chura Sabji- I personally have not developed a taste for this dish yet but all the people I know absolutely love it. It is a kind of a
curry made of fermented cheese made by either yak milk or cow’s milk and not to forget most important the flakes and a few pieces of the King chilly which makes it spicy but delicious.

Momos- The defining food of the northeast, stuffed dumplings known as momos are ubiquitous across Delhi and the northeast and are usually filled with various vegetables like cabbage, potato, carrot in their vegetarian variants and chicken, mutton, and beef are used in their non-vegetarian counterparts. If you haven’t tried it yet please do so soon, they are among the most famous food of Arunachal Pradesh!

Mithun -Meat is the main delicacy of Arunachal Pradesh. Until now, I have not met a single Arunachali who doesn’t love meat be it Chicken, Mutton or pork. The people of Arunachal however, prefer not to have their meat fried, and it’s either boiled or smoked and the most common meat is that of an animal called ‘Mithun’ (Bos frontalis), a member of the cattle family found only in the North East.

Here are a few easy to make recipes from Arunachal Pradesh:

Recipe-1] KHARZI PULAO [cheesy- spring onion pulao]

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice – 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Water – 2 cups
• Ghee – 2 tbsp.
• Onion – 1 small
• Tomato – 1
• Mozzarella Cheese – 30 gm
• Ginger – a small piece
• Garlic – 3-4 pods
• Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp
• Green Peas – 1/4 cup, boiled
• Spring Onions – 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the recipe, clean and wash, soak rice for 20 minutes.
2. Cook it in an open pan with salt and water until tender. Set aside to cool down.
3. Grind together ginger, garlic, red chili powder, tomato and cheese to a fine paste. Set aside.
4. to continue further, in a pan heat ghee and add onions & once they are golden, add in the ground paste and cook on low flame until it is thick and ghee separates.
5. Add the boiled green peas, chopped spring onions and fry for a minute.
6. .Add this to the cooked rice and gently mix it to combine, garnish with more spring onions and serve with a raita.

Recipe-2] Vegetable Thukpa Bowl.

Ingredients:

• Oil – 2 tsp
• Garlic- 2 tsp sliced
• Ginger-1 tsp sliced
• Green chilies 2-3 no
• Tomatoes- 2 med sized
• Water-1/2 cup
• Onions- ¼ cup chopped
• Salt to taste
• Cumin powder-1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
• Water as needed for cooking
• Noodles- 150 gms boiled
• Beansprouts- ½ cup
• Tofu-1/2 cup

Assorted veggies:

• Carrots/ cabbage/ capsicum/ french beans/ red & yellow peppers cut
• Spring onions- 2 tbsp. chopped
• Lime juice- 2 tsp.

Method:

1. To prepare the thukpa soup recipe, assemble all the ingredients as per the recipe.
2. To start cooking, heat oil in a pan and add in the onions and saute for a few minutes.
3. Using a grinder jar combine together the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chilies and using a little water grind them all into a paste.
4. Add the above paste into the pan and saute it with the onions for a couple of minutes.
5. Now add in water and salt, spices, vegetables and allow to cook for 8-10 mins. add in the boiled noodles and allow to simmer a little. Add some water or stock as needed so that it does not get too thick.
6. Finally add in the sprouts and the spring onion greens and serve hot with a splash of lime juice into the soup.

Recipe- 3] OYING VEGETABLE STEW

Ingredients:

• Potatoes- 2 cups peeled and cubed
• White cabbage- 1 cup cut into dices/shreds
• French beans-1/2 cup cut into small pieces
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Green chilies- 2 tsp slit
• Ginger-1-inch piece
• Water as needed for the stew.

Method:

1.To prepare the classical stew from Arunachal Pradesh, prepare all the ingredients as listed and using a heavy bottomed pan start the cooking.
2.This recipe is made without using any oil or fat and is also vegan too. Start with water in the pan add in the potatoes and allow them to cook on a low flame until they get tender 12-15 mins, add in the cabbage and salt, pepper, cook for another 2-3 mins.
3.Now add in the slit green chilies, ginger shredded/ grated or even paste can be used. Mix in all well and continue to cook on a low flame with a lid on top for 3-4 mins. turn off the flame, check for the seasoning and liquid content since it is a stew it is not supposed to be very dry.
4.This veg stew called Oying is usually eaten with steamed white rice, pickle on the side.

Recipe- 4] ZAN – Finger Millet Porridge with Veggies.

Ingredients:

• Ghee- 2 tbsp.
• Finger millet- ragi flour- 4-5 tbsp.
• Water- 1 and a half cup approx.
• Carrots- ½ cup sliced/ shredded
• Green peas-1/2 cup boiled
• Soy beans-1/2 cup boiled
• Spinach-1 cup leaves
• Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp or as per taste
• Fresh coriander leaves- 2-3 tbsp. chopped

Method:

1. Begin making the Arunachal Pradesh Zan Recipe (Finger Millet Porridge with Vegetables Recipe) roast the millet flour with a tablespoon of ghee in a kadai and set aside. 
2. Dissolve millet flour in little water and cook until it becomes semi thick paste.
3. Saute the vegetable separately in a flat tawa with little oil, saute the carrot first so that it gets cooked and then add in the spinach. Keep it aside. 
4. You can also blanch the vegetables in water with salt till it becomes tender and then add it to the ragi porridge. 
5. Take about one and half cup of water in vessel and bring it to a boil. Add this millet flour paste and mix it. 
6. At this point add the vegetables and seasoning like salt, pepper and herbs. Keep whisking it till you get your desired consistency. 
7. Serve it hot with by sprinkling some fermented cheese or just plain as well. 
8. Serve the Arunachal Pradesh Zan Recipe (Finger Millet Porridge with Vegetables Recipe) as a healthy breakfast.

Recipe-5] BAMBOO SHOOT PICKLE

Ingredients:

• Bamboo shoots- 2 cups, fermented
• Cumin seeds-2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
• Red chili powder-1 tsp
• Kalonji- 1 tsp
• Bird’s eye chilies- 12-15 no
• Local red chilies- 2-3 no spicy
• White vinegar-2 tbsp.
• Mustard oil-1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients as listed for the pickle recipe and If the bamboo shoot is whole big pieces then cut them into small pieces and roughly crushed them with a mortar and pestle. 
2. Dry roast cumin, fennel, fenugreek seed, Mustard seed, Kalonji till it starts to splutter. Let it cool down and come to room temperature.
3. Now coarsely ground the roasted masala along with bird eye chillies and local spicy red chillies and chili powder. 
4. In a mixing bowl add the bamboo shoot, grounded masalas, vinegar and half of mustard oil. Add Salt and mix all together nicely. 
5. Now transfer the mixture in a sterilized jar and pour the remaining mustard oil and close the lid tightly and sunbath it for a week in the sun or for Atleast 2-3 days for places with proper sunlight and then the tempting bamboo shoot pickle will be ready to eat and relish.

Recipe-6] KOAT PITHA

It is a delectable fritters recipe, which is easy-to-make and can be prepared at home without putting in much efforts. Made with the goodness of rice flour, banana, powdered jaggery and oil, this dish is a perfect sweet cum snack recipe.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour- 2 cups
• Jaggery powder- ½ cup
• Water- ½ cup
• Oil- 1 cup
• Salt- 1 tsp
• Bananas ripe- 4-5 no

Method:

1. Begin with combining powdered jaggery and water in order to get a syrup like consistency. Once you achieve the desired consistency of the mixture, sieve it to remove the unwanted particles etc.
2. Take a deep bowl and add bananas in it. Gently mash the banana using a spoon and add the jaggery syrup in the bowl followed by rice flour and salt. Mix all the ingredients together to get a thick dropping batter like consistency.
3. Heat a deep bottomed pan on medium flame, heat oil. Once the oil is hot enough, gently pour spoonful of the prepared batter in the oil. Fry these fritters until you see a nice golden brown color.
4. Transfer the fritters into an absorbing paper. Serve warm with a choice of topping/sweet sauce etc to go alongside.