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Feast from the East

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

``Catch a dog, kill it, roast and eat it,'' and what you have is a North-east delicacy, a friend once remarked jovially. Of course, food from the North-east is much more than just dog's meat -- it boasts of its own exotic delicacies which are not a part of mainstream menus, but that's more to do with lack of marketing than inadequacies in the cuisine itself. Due to lack of interaction with the rest of the world, these delicacies continue to be cooked, prepared, consumed and appreciated within the confinement of their area. From roasted meat to plain boiled food to subtly crafted delicacies, all these are characteristic features of the North-east.

The food is recommended for calorie-watchers, as it is nutritious, digestible and mainly non-fattening. Like any cuisine, it has its own distinct style, and it's really a pity that food-lovers in the city can't enjoy North-eastern delights except at the few stalls in Dilli Haat. And though the stalls at Dilli Haat at least house the cuisine, due to lack of ingredients required in preparing most dishes, the food here lacks that authentic taste. What is on offer at Dilli Haat is just a small sample of the North-east's wide variety of cuisines. Back home, the food is usually served in plantain leaves, but at the stalls, you will have to make do with plates, which somehow tend to lessen the the real flavour. But something is better than nothing at all, and you are advised to try the fare just for a change from the usual Chinese and North Indian cuisines, if nothing else.

When trying these delicacies, you will realise that most of them have a strong Oriental base, but nevertheless boast of flavour that are uniquely Northeastern. Bamboo shoot and black mushrooms are common ingredients in almost all items. In fact, bamboo shoot is used in everything from a mouth-watering pork curry to a vegetarian chutney as a distinct flavour enhancing ingredient. If South Indian food turns to coconut for garnish and seasoning, the Northeast has its indigenously developed ingredients, known in different dialects as ngari, akhuni or in English, dried fish or fermented soya bean. This is an essential ingredient for preparing chutney, which is available at Dilli Haat in the Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram stalls.

There is, however, one word of warning for those who like their food well-spiced: on the whole, North-east delicacies are simple to the point of being bland and are cooked without oil or masalas. The most you'll get as a concession to spices is perhaps the flavour of ginger or garlic. Chilli, though, is used in abundance in most dishes.