They came, danced, ate and also learnt how to cook! Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s SK Culinary Studio and Gitika Saikia joined hands to celebrate the flavours of a traditional Magh Bihu in Mumbai on Saturday.
Saikia is the proprietor of Gitika’s PakGhor, specialising in delicacies not only of Assam but also Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland.
The alkaline flavours of khar, the heat of bhut jolokia and the light flavours of fish and pork, all feature in her cooking. Saikia, hailing from Namrup and based in Mumbai, organised a pop-up at SK Culinary Studio at Andheri West on Saturday, to recreate Magh Bihu celebrations at her home away from home.
The specialty of the occasion was an interesting tribal festive menu with fresh ingredients flown in from Tezpur.
With lai xaak, khar, sesame and sticky rice, Saikia put up a huge feast that brought home the real flavours of the state, simple yet delicious.
Moreover, the chef also demonstrated how to rustle up some authentic Assamese cuisine, including lai xaak gahori, a preparation of pork with broad mustard leaves, and fried silkworm pupae, before the guests.
The guests also got to match steps with Gitika, as they swayed to the folk music that plays across Assam during this harvest festival.
Menu
Bihu jolpaan:
Handoh gakhir aru akhoi (pounded rice powder served with hot milk, puffed rice and sugar)
Starters:
Silkworm pupae stir-fry
Main course:
Lai xaak gahori (pork with broad mustard leaves)
Baby potatoes stir-fry
Tupula bhaat (sticky rice in banana leaves)
Til maas (fish cooked in black sesame and exotic herbs)
Hukan khorisa masala paat bhut jolokia gahori (pork with smoked bamboo shoot, bhut jolokia and Arunachali herbs)
Rongalau murgi (chicken cooked with pumpkin)
Maas’or Petu aru moor bhoja (fish head and intestines with veggies — brinjal, cabbage and green peas)
Side dishes:
Plain rice
Matimah lau khar (organic alkali made of black dal and bottle gourd accompaniments)
Mixed vegetable salad
Kholihoi chutney (mustard seeds mixed with thekera and stored)
Dessert:
Pitha (Rice cakes)
Narikol laru (coconut laru)
(Served with black tea)
