Food from the 7 sisters has an exotic blend of subtle spices and taste, and cannot really be described in a few sentences. The dishes you find in this cuisine are so diverse in their taste, use of ingredients and technique of cooking, that gives a whole new different experience to the taste buds. You will find many exotic ingredients such as fermented soybean, bamboo shoots and dry fish transformed into simple yet delicious delicacies. We recently visited The Ashok, Chanakyapuri to attend the North Eastern States fest. According to the Executive Chef Arvind Rai, ‘The motive behind this fest is to promote the culture of North Eastern states by presenting foods that are unique to it. For someone who loves experimenting with food, Northeast India has a lot to offer, so much more than momos and noodles”.

We started out our meal with the delightful and warm soup known as gyathuk which was filled with noodles and flavoured with mild and fragrant spices, possibly the best start we could have asked for.

Moving on to mains, we took a round and saw what all dishes were available. We chose to fill our plate with quite a few delicacies such as puta (noodles), lukter (tangy and delicious chicken salad), Khorika (Assamese fish) and dal with axone in a bowl. The whole meal was so different compared to other cuisines. It was not just delicious but also very healthy. Among the desserts, we had the delicious and luscious black rice pudding to end our experience on a sweet note.

Besides, there were so many other options to savour in salads, desserts, main-course and starters. Most of the ingredients used in creating these delicacies were sourced from regional bhavans to retain the authentic taste.

That’s it! Our experience at this fest was quite one-of-a-kind. We will definitely look forward to having more such North Eastern delicacies.

Where: The Ashok, Chanakyapuri.

What: North Eastern Fest