Must eat places in Guwahati for Assamese Thali
A food festival needs to be celebrated with the gastronomic delight that is an Assamese Thali!! So for the #blogchatterfoodfest I will share 3 restaurants in Guwahati that you must try out if you want to experience and Assamese thali.
How will you know whether Assamese cuisine is for you? If you like less spicy/oily but tasty Indian food, then you will like a typical Assamese Thali. Assamese food is a simple yet balanced cuisine which is high on flavour, variety and taste.
Khar
The most unique thing that I found in an Assamese platter is the Khar which is translated to Alkali in English. It is made with raw papaya or bottle gourd or similar vegetables and a special alkaline liquid(made from burnt indigenous Assamese raw banana peel extract )is added to it. This veggie speciality is to be consumed at the start of the meal and is a superstar dish that has great digestive properties. It has an unique taste and flavour and I personally like it a lot.
Veggies
Plus the thali boasts of a variety of seasonal grean vegetables prepared in simple but unique styles which makes my Bengali palate very happy! And the highlights of the thali are the high quality local fish/ meat delicacies. The fish maybe paired with a seasonal veggie like Elephant apple a.k.a “O tyanga” a.k.a “Chalta”.
Meat
The meat served in Thalis is usually country chicken/duck/ mutton/ pork whatever you choose prepared in lip smacking flavourful Assamese style. The duck curry is a personal favourite of mine and its often cooked with Ash gourd a.k.a chalkumro. I know it does not sound like a very usual combination but you have to try it atleast once to know how truly delicious it is!
Rice
The rice usually served in Thalis is the aromatic Assamese indigenous Joha rice. This rice has black paddy and has a heavenly aroma similar to the Bengali Gobindo Bhog rice.
Desert
Desert served in these thalis is usually Black Rice pudding/ kheer, kheer or simply fresh curd served with local jaggery. Sweet and simple.
These are three of our favourite Assamese Thali restaurants in Guwahati where we turn up again and again!
1. Bajwi Hotel near 6 Mile.
2. Tholgiri Restaurant near Lamb Road
3. Bhogdoi Restaurant on G.S Road.
I feel the Assamese cuisine is a very underrated cuisine of our country and there needs to be more serious foodie chatter on this topic.
Interesting to know that fresh curd is served with local jaggery as a dessert.