Guests enjoy an Assamese spread at Khorikaa

Khorikaa restaurant

Opposite Bora Service Bus Stop

Why Khorikaa?

Imagine meat, seafood or vegetables roasted, broiled, or grilled over live coals or an open fire, often basting with a seasoned sauce. Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?

The secret behind the mouthwatering Assamese barbecue is the quintessential khorikaa (the slim bamboo stick) used to pierce the food while it rests over the fire.

Khorikaa is not just a stick used to grill the food.

The khorikaa mingles with the fire and imparts a unique flavour to the dishes, giving them that distinctive taste, which makes all the difference.

Khorikaa, the eatery, which was inaugurated recently in the city, aims at bringing the best of traditional Assamese cuisine within the reach of foodies. Master chef Atul Lahkar drew up the menu, where the dishes are cooked with a khorikaa.

A grill has been put up in a corner of the eatery to rustle up special delicacies.

Cuisine

Typical Assamese cuisine and a melange of Thai and Chinese dishes.

Service

Khorikaa remains open for customers all throughout the week from 11 in the morning to 11 at night. Uniformed men welcome customers into the friendly and comfortable ambience of the eatery.

First Impression

The cool and calm ambience of the spacious eatery is the perfect getaway in summer.

It can accommodate 80 patrons at a time and is done up in wood and bamboo, harmonising with the indigenous food served here. A typical fireplace found in changs (bamboo huts) of Assamese tribesmen adorns a corner of the eatery.

On The Menu

Hungry souls can start with akhaj, a sumptuous vegetarian or non-vegetarian meal (depending upon preference) comprising steamed joha rice, dal, black dal, vegetable curry, fried green herbs, boiled green vegetable/herbs, khar (alkaline), tenga anja, alu pitika (mashed potato), chutney, pickle and curd/kheer/mithai.

Besides this array of tempting delicacies, foodies can also relish potato khorikaa, paneer khorikaa, fish khorikaa, chicken khorikaa, pork khorikaa and egg khorikaa.

Khorikaa specialises in an array of mouth-watering prawn delicacies, including prawn and corn khorikaa, prawn and tofu khorikaa or simply prawn khorikaa.

The menu also comprises a variety of versatile chicken dishes, such as chicken with mustard seeds curry, chicken with sesame seeds and bamboo shoots.

The other sought-after dishes at the eatery are pork with sesame seeds and bamboo shoot or boiled fish with dhekia and aloo tenga.

Those foodies who prefer fish can try borlai with pepper and potato, magur/singri with green herbs, magur/singri with bamboo shoots, small fish with ginger paste, steamed hilsa, ari with pepper and potato, kusia with pepper and chital with pumpkin.

The indigenous dishes found at the eatery, such as chicken cooked with bamboo shoots, banana flowers, rice flour and gourd, are a definite must-have.

Not to be missed are mutton and duck cooked in a number of delicious flavours. The Assamese favourite, pigeon meat cooked with either pepper or banana flowers, is a treat for any fastidious food lover.

Moreover, the soups served at the eatery are redolent with the flavour of herbs from the rich forests of the state.

Recommended

The jalpan, a full meal that can be tried at any time of the day, is undoubtedly the best buy at the eatery.

The popular jalpan at the eatery are purang with two pieces of pork or chicken khorika and black dal, topola bhaat with chicken or pork with black dal, magic rice (kumal chawal) with cream, hurum with cream, sticky rice (bora chawal) with cream and steamed rice cake with cream.

Variations

The eatery provides mouthwatering Thai and Chinese delicacies that include paneer red curry, paneer green curry and paneer yellow curry with coconut milk, to name a few.

Minus point

Lack of parking space.

What’s new?

The eatery has plans to conduct a survey to gauge the taste of the regular patrons.

The last word

“The eatery is unique in its approach and a delight for any avid Assamese food lover. The dishes are typical of any Assamese kitchen and revive memories of grandma’s kitchen. I am happy that we finally have a place to enjoy the flavours of Assam,” said Pallav Gogoi, a city-based musician while enjoying his dinner.

A staff reporter