Top 20 Best Assamese Dishes To Try

Top 20 Best Assamese Dishes To Try
Top 20 Best Assamese Dishes To Try

Assam is a gateway to the North East. Over decades, Assamese people have engulfed western eating habits. Assamese cuisine holds many incredible recipes, most of which are related to meat. They also have some amazing desserts to share with the world. Here are 20 incredible Assamese dishes that are definitely worth a try.

1. Alu Pitika

Generally served as a side dish, Alu Pitika is the typical Assamese comfort food. It comprises of mashed potato with some additions such as onions and green chilies. It is cooked slowly to infuse maximum delicate flavour. A final touch of mustard oil is added to complete the dish.aliu

2. Khar

Khar is a common Assamese meat dish which is unique to Assam. It is generally a mix of herbs, vegetables, or any other main element along with the key ingredient, khar. It is also cooked slowly. The meat is cleaned thoroughly and exudes flavours from the herbs and vegetables. Generally, it is served at the beginning of a meal with rice.

khar

3. Tenga Anja

Tenga Anja means Sour Curry. Vegetable sour curry is an extremely common daily comfort food in Assam. It is eaten almost every day by a large number of people in Assam. The recipe is extremely simple as no spices are required in the preparation. It is a soothing summer dish,  mainly consisting of tomatoes and lemon, and is excellent for health.

tenga

4. Pork with Lai Xaak

Lai Xaak or Saag is a saag that is only found in the state of Assam. Assam is, in fact, known for its unique collection of Saags which are not available elsewhere. Roasted or boiled pork is a very common ingredient in this cuisine. Though an unusual combination, pork tastes brilliant when paired with this Saag. Try it out if you like pork!

pork

5. Komolar Kheer

Komolar Kheer is a very fresh and zesty Assamese dessert. In plain kheer, ingredients like orange juice, orange pulp, and almonds are added. This dessert is tangy and gives out a perfect orange flavour. If you like creamy fruity desserts, you will definitely love this one!

Komolar Kheer

6. Sunga Chicken

Bamboo is available in abundance in Assam which makes it more susceptible to experimentation. Hence, the concept of cooking in the bamboo hollow was introduced. The dish consists of minced and marinated chicken stuffed and served in a bamboo hollow and is a delicacy. The delicate flavours get infused in the chicken meat and it tastes delicious. This dish is absolutely worth many a try.

sunga’

7. Dal Kosu Xaak

Kosu Xaak is another Saag which is another mouth-watering Assamese dish. The best way to cook this one is to pair it up with Dal! When cooked with dal and spices, this Saag becomes very creamy. It gets the consistency of Dal Makhani and almost tastes like that too. It can be served with parathas and rotis.

dal

8. Narikol Pitha

Narikol Pitha is a very interesting Assamese dessert. Pithas are cooked in every house during Bihu. Bihu, being a harvest festival, brings joy to all houses and the Assamese celebrate this joy by having sweet Pithas. Pitha is very tasty, when cooked properly. This particular dessert involves stuffing grated coconut inside as the filling.

narikol

9. Koni Anja

Assamese Koni Anja or egg curry is simple to make and is extremely delicious. A thick gravy is made with water, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, and salt. Some spices like garam masala and chilli powder are  added too along with boiled eggs. 10. Alu Bhaji. Diced cubes of potatoes, when fried, are always tasty. But, the Assamese have their own way of increasing the taste quotient. Fried ajwain, jeera, and other condiments are added along with herbs to improve the taste of this otherwise simple dish.

koni anja

11. Assamese Duck Curry

Duck meat is considered extremely tasty and is eaten worldwide. Assamese duck curry is no less. Seasonal vegetables and herbs are used to marinate the duck as well as prepare the gravy. The Assamese duck curry is generally served with rice and is very good for winters and monsoons.

duck curry

12. Jute Leaf Curry

With such incredible selection of herbs and leaves, Assamese cuisine is surely a unique one. Jute leaf curry is another such selection. The jute leaves are made into a puree, just like how the spinach is for Palak Paneer. This puree is then prepared with love to add succulent flavour. This can be diluted either into a soup or can be consumed in the thick consistency only.

leaf curry’

13. Til Laddoo

Til is not only extremely healthy, but also delicious when used in preparing laddoos. Til laddoos are also called Sesame seed laddoos. They have a very distinct taste of a sweet, roasted after-taste.

til ladoo

14. Masor Tenga

Masor Tenga is the fish version of Tenga Anja. In this, instead of vegetables, fish is added.  The gravy is tangy and sour and raw or slightly fried fish are added to the gravy. It is allowed to cook and simmer for some time and then, served while hot.

masor tenga

15. Mango Delight

Assamese people love mangoes and are blessed to be provided with many types of mangoes. This mango delight mousse is very easy to prepare  and is a perfect summer dessert. Mango pulp is mixed with condensed milk to form a pudding or mousse-like consistency. This is later cooled or frozen. The end product is indeed delightful! You should try this out to relish the taste of mangoes!

mango

16. Ouu Katha

Ouu Katha or elephant apple is very common in Assam and often used to prepare a sweetish sour chutney. This chutney is then added to dal. This fusion of food is so tasty and it calms the digestive system while exploding the taste buds.

ouu

17. Gooror Payash

Gooror Payash is a sticky rice pudding. Milk is added and the rice is allowed to cook for some time. This caramelizes the rice and creates a sticky brown consistency and taste, similar to kheer. To give it a better flavour, jaggery is added. Sometimes, dry fruits are added too.

gooror

18. Chicken and Bamboo Shoots Curry

This is an Assamese delicacy and is incredibly tasty. Chicken is cooked to perfection with pieces of bamboo shoots. The flavours used are quite subtle to highlight the key elements. The bamboo shoots release an aromatic pleasant taste into the curry while the chicken adds extra flavour.

chicken

19. Smoked Pork with Sengmora Xaak

Another saag, the Sengmora Xaak has a sophisticated yummy taste. With roasted pork slices added to it, it tastes wonderful! The charred and smoky flavour of the pork compliments the Saag perfectly and it is generally served with rice.

smoked

20. Til Pitha

Til is also used in these tasty Pithas. Pancakes are made with powdered or whole Til. The stuffing is made of sugar and jaggery and this Assamese dessert will surely refresh your palate.

til pitha’

Try these lip-smacking dishes and discover the real Assam!