Atul Lahkar at work in his ‘laboratory’. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Sept. 13: The kitchen is his laboratory; khar, bamboo shoots and spices his ingredients for experiment.

Driven by a passion of serving Assamese food to the world — and spiced up with grandmother’s recipes — Atul Lahkar, a living encyclopaedia on Assamese food, is all set to establish a research institute on the cuisine of his state.

Lahkar has researched and documented over 200 recipes collected from remote corners of the state. Lahkar now wants to make Assamese delicacies as popular as Chinese, Continental and Mughlai cuisine.

“I am planning to organise an international food festival on Assamese cuisine in November in the city. Thereafter, I will take the festival to different parts of the country and to a few foreign locales,” said Lahkar, whose personal favourites are khar (alkaline), chicken cooked with bamboo shoot and tenga anja with quintessential steamed joha rice.

Lahkar has also identified a plot in the city to start his research institute, which will also serve as a school where one can learn, taste and enjoy all kinds of Assamese food.

The idea of opening the institute came to Lahkar’s mind once he completed his documentation and wanted to preserve all his research work in both written and video format. “Otherwise, all my research work will be lost and forgotten if they are not preserved now,” said Lahkar.

“Many had raised doubts when I started my research. But to gauge the response of Assamese delicacies outside the state, I visited different parts of the world like Bangkok, London and Paris, to name a few.”

And the response was overwhelming.

Lahkar also has plans to set up eateries in Chennai and Delhi where gourmets will be treated to a sumptuous spread of authentic Assamese cuisine in a typical bamboo-hut restaurant. “These eateries, specialising in Assamese cuisine, will start functioning by early next year,” he said.

Some of Lahkar’s recipes form part of the everyday menu in Assamese households, including khar, tenga anja, alu pitika.