Guwahati is abuzz with a lot of guests from the Food Industry. Last week it was Rocky and Mayur from Highway on My Plate and this time it was Indian Celebrity Chef Kunal Kapur who came to shoot for his brand new series “Utsav Thalis of India” that would be aired on the Living Foodz Channel. G Plus spoke to his chaperone Mitali G Dutta a food blogger based in Guwahati, who took him through the fascinating cuisine of the land of rivers and blue hills.
To start it off, how did Kunal Kapur find his way to Assam? Speaking to Mitali, she said that it came through Rashmi Hazarika, a Facebook friend of hers. “She called me up one day and said that one of her friends (Sahil Verma) was doing his research work for a travel and food show on different cuisines of India, specializing with thalis and asked if I could help her with the information from Northeast,” says Mitali.
Since they were very particular about the thalis and did not want a spread which is generally served in restaurants or something that was very common or commercial, Mitali suggested them the Mising and BodoThali.
It was a month after she forwarded them the required information that Chef Kunal Kapur had made plans to come to Assam. It was for his show for Living Foodz Channel wherein he was visiting parts of India to shoot for different varieties of traditional thalis.
Since they wanted the complete feel and taste of the ethnic thalis, the experience was designed as such. The Bodo Thali was shot in a village called Lamdang Para, near Manas National Park and the Mising Thali was shot in The Panacea Village, Sonapur with the help of the owners of The Mising Kitchen. The complete shooting schedule was planned over two days.
On day 1, the whole shooting took place in The Panacea Village. Since they were looking for an ethnic feel with cooking done on firewood, arrangements were made accordingly. Kunal was welcomed by a Mising dance. He tried playing the Dhol along with the other Dhuliyas and also tried a few steps from the dance. The location for Day 2 was a 3-hour journey from Guwahati to the village Lamdang Para. Special arrangements had already been made there by Mitali. Elephants from “The Smiling Tusker Elephant camp” welcomed Kunal with the traditional gamocha.
Giving a general idea about the specialty of the thalis, chef Kunal was treated to the thalis in Bell Metal utensils. The first thing that was served in both the thalis was Apong (Rice-beer of Mising tribes) and Zumai (Rice-beer of Bodo tribes). Most of the dishes were served with Khar. One particular thing that Kunal enquired was why these thalis did not come with a dessert in the end. The answer to this of course is the fact that most of the ethnic thalis in Assam start with the rice beers and the combination of Rice-beers and sweets do not go hand-in-hand. Chef Kunal was explained that rice beer holds an important place in the esteem of all the tribes. It is an essential element in the tradition of hospitality and served to the guest, out of respect.
One special dish that was cooked in the Mising Thali was “Ranam Jorsak”- pork cooked with Elephant Apple. He also enjoyed Purang Apin, boiled rice wrapped in Alpinia leaves (Torapaat). He was amazed to know its antibacterial qualities and also that the flavour of these leaves act as appetizers.
On day 2, the special dish that was cooked was “Moitha Naa Winkhri”- a sour fish curry. He was also served pork cooked with jute leaves along with other items in the thali. Bodo dishes mostly have jute leaves in them and the reason behind this is that, these leaves have medicinal and nutritional qualities which help in preventing diseases that are prevalent in those areas.
Kunal also learnt the traditional procedure of making of Zumai (Rice-beer of Bodo tribes). Mitali adds that apart from these shots, they captured the scenic beauty and the village ambiance and took detailed shots on the making of Zumai.
Out of these, what Kunal Kapur liked the most was the Elephant Apple (Outenga), Khar, Bhoot Jolokia and Rice beers. He was also presented with many traditional tokens of love and appreciation like Japi, Xorai, Assamese Gamocha, Mibugaluk (Mising waist coat), Linne Mufler (Mising muffler), Siphung (Bodo flute), Aronai (Bodo gamocha), Bodo waist coat and a few books on Assamese culture. He also took with him a Beetle Nut sapling and Sewali flowers
He also took a special interest in learning the Assamese language. He however could only grasp “Moi Tumak Bhal Pau” and “Apunar Bhal” out of everything, added Mitali.
