Header image courtesy of O’Tenga (via Twitter)
In many ways, India’s Michelin star chef Atul Kochar’s food represents the apex of classical Indian cuisine. After all, his quest to cook meals from every region in India has almost been fulfilled after decades of practice and service. Well, almost! When he was asked if there’s really a room left for anything new, his answer was “cuisine from the seven sister states!”
The seven sister states refer to the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The geographical and cultural landscape of this mountainous region of northeast India varies dramatically from the rest of the country. And so does its cuisine, which in some way, bespeaks the extreme climate and harsh conditions in which the crops grow. It’s unique in a lot of ways and doesn’t necessarily gel with what we know of authentic Indian flavours.
For instance, the use of soya, or techniques such as fermentation and preserving food for long durations, is almost non-existent in Indian cooking. And that’s what makes the regional cuisine stand out and be so intriguing to people even from within India. So, here’s an earnest attempt to showcase the exotic flavours from the most unexplored terrains of India—the mighty Seven Sisters!