Fancy food pages, youtube recipes, calling mom for tips on how to cook your favorite delicasy, this lockdown has surely given birth to the chef in you. But, what if this lock-down we dare you eat these regional dishes which are made up of not so fancy ingredients. Are you up for it?
If you are someone who has a fetish for food and like to taste various cuisines then gulping down these dishes can be a challenge for you. Yes, we are talking about food which requires some good amount of practice and patience because they might not go down well with your olfactory sense and also on your taste buds. Their strong smell and taste is sure to turn you off for sometime in case you are not accustomed to its taste and smell. These Indian dishes are one of its kinds and you must know about them because you don’t know they might turn out to be your next best dish.
Here goes the list…
Tungrymbai
Found in: Meghalaya, North-East India
Key Ingredient: Fermented boiled soybeans
Eating this dish from Meghalaya takes lots of guts. The strong smell is sure to make you say “NO” to this dish in case you haven’t eaten it before. But as per the taste is concerned anybody who has tasted this can swear by it. This dish is prepared by boiling pork with herbs along with a handful of rice and other spices as well as fermented soy beans which make it smelly. The color of the dish is dark green or almost black when ready to serve. You need to develop a taste to eat this. So, next time you are in Shillong for your next vacation do make it a point to try it out.
Shutki Maach or Xukan Maach
Found in: West Bengal, North-East India and few other Eastern State of India
Key Ingredients: Dried Fish
Shutki Maach or dried fish is a common in many Bengali houses. They basically prepare chutney out of the dried fish which is so smelly that you would only want to prepare this when your neighbors are away. Yes, this dish is smelly to that extent. The dried fish is first of all cleaned in hot water then roasted and then finally mixed with spices and turned into a chutney and is best served with rice. The strong smell is sure to last for a few hours so think before indulging.
Vindaloo (Goan Dish)
Found In: Goa
Key Ingredients: Any kind of meat marinated in Vinegar and Garlic and cooked in Mustard oil
This Goan dish is loved by everyone there but someone who is new to this dish may get turned off by its little pungent flavor and tangy taste. Vendaloo is basically prepared with pork, chicken, beef, mutton, lamb or duck meat where the meat is first marinated in vinegar and garlic and then cooked along with a variety of spices. It is said that the older the vindaloo the better it tastes. People basically prepare and keep this in the refrigerator and consume it as a pickle. This hot, fiery and pungent dish is a must try for sure.
Chaprah (Chhatisgharh)
Found In: Chhatisgharh
Key Ingredient: Red Ants and their eggs
Chutney is always welcomed in an Indian meal as we don’t mind adding a twist to our plate with a dash of spice and sour taste. But wait, how about chutney made up of red ants and their eggs? This hot and pungent chutney, Chaprah is a dish from Chhattisgarh and people there love this like any other dish. The tribe there dries those ants and their eggs and then mixes them with a variety of spices to prepare the chutney. It’s pungent and sour and can either make your happy or fiery. So, try it at your own discretion.
Nakham
Found in: Meghalaya
Key Ingredients: Fish, vegetable and distilled ashes
Nakham is another dish from Meghalaya which the Garo tribe people love to gorge on. Nakham is prepared with dried fish, vegetable and distilled ashes. This dish has got a very strong smell which might be offensive to others but to some it is a much relished delicacy.
Khorisa
Found in: Assam
Key Ingredient: Bamboo shoot
Khorisa is another delicacy which is consumed basically in Assam. It is nothing but fermented bamboo shoot which is cooked with vegetables, chicken or pork and adds a certain texture to the dish. This is slightly pungent and certainly isn’t for the faint hearted.
Pithali
Pic Courtesy: http://khorisa.blogspot.in/2011/05/pithali-soup-like-gravy-prepared-from.html
Found in: Assam
Key Ingredient: Bhedai Lota, a kind of creeper
Bhedai Lata or better known as skunk vine in English is found extensively in northeast India and it is basically consumed for its medicinal values. This creeper has got a very strong pungent smell which might not be liked by many but this still remains their favorite as this is said to cure stomach ailments. This is consumed in the form of chutney, curry and even mixed with rice powder which is then cooked as pakoras or soup like gravy as well. Have you ever managed to taste any of the above delicacies? Or in case you are planning to go and indulge in any of these do let us know in the comment section below. We would love to hear from
{This article is re-created for my blog. This was originally published on http://www.polkacafe.com. Now that the site has been pulled off I want these write-ups to be up and and seen and read again.}
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