Arunachal Pradesh
Dung Po and Kholam:Dung po and
kholam both celebrate the staple cereal
rice. For dung po, rice packed in leaves
is placed in two brass utensils, arranged
to serve as a double boiler, steamed and
served leaf-wrapped. With kholam, the
rice is cooked in the hollow of a bam-
boo tube and buried in the dying em-
bers of a fire, which lends the rice a
distinct smoky flavour. The bamboo
tube is then carefully hacked to reveal a
cylinder of rice. This method of cooking
sticky rice is also practised in Assam,
where it is called sunga bhaat.
Popular Choice: Dung Po and Kholam
Assam
Masor Tenga: Perfect for the humid
Assamese summer, masor tenga
means tangy fish curry. Prepared with
river fish, sour notes singing through
it, masor tenga makes for a delightful
summer lunch. Mildly spiced and
eaten with rice, this preparation is
NORTH-EAST ZONE light and refreshing on the palate.
Some of the souring agents used are
tomatoes, outenga (elephant apple),
thekera (mangosteen) and the kazi
nemu (a variant of lemon). Every
Assamese home has a cherished
recipe for this dish.
Popular Choice: Masor TengaManipur
Singju: Think of a spicy salad bursting
with flavour, tossed up with green
leafy vegetables, crunchy lotus stems
or thinly sliced raw papaya, combined
with a dry, ground dressing made of
thoiding (perilla seeds), ground-
roasted yellow peas and seasonings.
This is no boring salad—the non-vege-
tarian variant includes ngari or
fermented fish. Eaten as an accompa-
niment to meals or an evening snack
in homes, it is widely sold in small
eateries across Manipur. Singju is now
available in several variants, one of
which is Wai-Wai singju that includes
the very popular instant noodles.
Popular Choice: ErombaCover StoryAssam's beloved
masor tengareadersdigest.co.in 61