“K har khuwa oxomiya (Khar eating Assamese) is a misnomer, isn’t it?” questions Kashmiri Nath. Kashmiri continues, “Assamese don’t consume as much khar (semi-dry vegetable curry) as they eat and relish their various tenga (wet sour curry) preparations. I’d rather be called tenga khuwa Oxomiya ,” she laughs.
In Hyderabad for an Assamese pop up menu session, Khuwar Amez Louk (relish the flavours), at Bidri in Hotel Marriott, she has impressed the chefs and guests with the variety of herbs, rice and amount of vegetables in her cooking.
A home chef from Assam, Kashmiri learnt the nuances of Assamese cooking from her mother, and put that knowledge to practise when she had to begin her life in the tea gardens with her husband after her marriage. “Right after my wedding as per norms, I was to host some guests at the club as a newly married woman. But I almost flipped when the guest list consisted of 200 people. However, with the help of the cook at the bungalow, the mission was accomplished and I was confident that I had learnt the tricks of Assamese cooking well. Now, several years later, I am a food blogger, baker and have hosted several VIP dinners on behalf of the Government,” says Kashmiri.
As an Assamese you know you are in safe hands when the combinations are right and when Kashmiri mentions Mas tenga (sour fish curry) made with Ou tenga (elephant apple) and tomato, I am a fan already.
Discussion went on to jokes about the food Assamese people eat and the blogger says she has lashed out on people who thought Assamese survive on momos, crickets and worms. Where do people get these ideas? I blame people who desperately want to be in limelight by saying inappropriate things about our cuisine,” she fumes, adding, “The Ahoms ruled Assam from the 13th century to early 19th century. They are descendants of ethnic Tai people. So, there is a great influence of South Asian flavour in the dishes. Like every cuisine in the world, food habits are a confluence of many factors, but that doesn’t mean momo is our everyday dish. When I prepared Dhekiya xaak (fiddle head fern) with maybe a wee bit of oil, the chefs were most surprised. I explained that it is possible because of slow cooking on low heat.”
Kashmiri has a whole host of dishes to wow food lovers. To showcase Assamese cuisine, she has also brought to light a very popular dish of the Assamese Muslims, Chicken kurma . “Assamese Muslims are no different from other Assamese. They celebrate all the Assamese festivals and there’s a difference between them and the ones from across the border.”
Kashmiri’s menu at Bidri consists of Chicken with black sesame , Chicken with curd and onions , Red pumpkin and mutton , Labra bhaja , Matir dail with ou tenga, Baah gajor chutney , Khar , a variety of Pitikas and various Tenga prepartions.
The desserts are brilliantly made with black, white and red sticky rice and showcased to with a lot of style.
The fest ends on June 26 and is a must try.
