Assamese Food – The Ultimate Guide on Traditional Assamese Dishes

Assamese Food is full of character. They are delicious and most importantly, very healthy. If you are a foodie and you love to travel then, Assamese Food would be something you must try once in your lifetime.

So if you’re traveling to Assam or you are in an authentic Assamese restaurant, these are the best dishes you must try.

Assamese Food has lots of advantages as they are highly beneficial for health, readily available, non-spicy, affordable.

This article will guide you through some of the

Best Traditional Cuisines of Assam.

1. Khar
2. Maasor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry)
3. Kumurat Diya Hanhor Mangxo (Duck with Wax Gourd)
4. Baahor Chungat Maach (Fish Cooked in Hollow Bamboo)
5. Aloo Pitika – Mashed Potato
6. Ou Tenga (Elephant Apple)
7. Paro Manxho (Pigeon Meat)
8. Baanhgajor Lagot Kukura (Chicken with Bamboo Shoot)
9. Xaak (Green Leaves Simple Curry)
10. Bhaja(Fritter)
11. Koldilor Sabji (Banana Flower Curry)
12. Kosu aru Alur Torkari
13. Bora diya Ou Tengar Anja
14. Ronga Lau Guti Bhaja (Pumpkin Seeds Fry)
15. Xewali Phulere Bhat Bhaja
16. Mati Mahor Dali (Black Lentil Gravy)
17. Thekera Tengare Maas
18. Naraxingha Paatere Maas
19. Baahor Gajere Kukurar Mangxo: Chicken with Bamboo Shoot.
20. Pickles

1. Khar

Khar is  prepared with raw papaya, pulses taro and also with a main non-vegetarian ingredient. All these ingredients are then filtered in water through dried banana ashes for a unique flavor. Khar gives the already aromatic papaya, a sweet aroma that I believe adds more to the taste.

2. Maasor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry)

The masor tenga is another signature class of preparations. It is a light and tangy fish dish prepared with Ou Tenga (Elephant Apple) or Kazi Nemu (a family of kaffir lime) which is a sour fruit that renders it a tangy flavor. Maasor Tenga is the best Assamese Food you can have.

3. Kumurat Diya Hanhor Mangxo (Duck with Wax Gourd)

Duck meat with the wax gourd. This is a must-have dish for all non-vegetarians when in Assam. This meat is cooked with bottle gourd, spiced up with whole spices especially smashed black pepper.

4. Baahor Chungat Maach (Fish Cooked in Hollow Bamboo)

We Assamese love bamboo shoot almost as much as we like fish. So we combine the two and prepare Baahor Chungat Maach. It is an impressive and unique dish where spiced fish is stuffed in bamboo hollows and cooked over charcoal.

In this process, fresh small river fishes used as they are much more delicious to eat.

5. Aloo Pitika – Mashed Potato

Aloo Pitika is a simple side dish served with rice and dal. You can have Aloo Pitika at both lunch and dinner. It’s a combination of mashed potatoes, mustard oil, onion, coriander, and salt.

6. Ou Tenga (Elephant Apple)

Assam utilizes elephant apple frequently in its cuisine. Ou Tenga (not ou khatta as mentioned in various sources, although Khatta is the literal translation of tenga in hindi) is a delicious sweet and sour chutney made out of ou and jaggery. The ou mashed lightly after the boil. Then it is sautéed with mustard seeds in slight oil, and then the jaggery is added.

7. Paro Manxho (Pigeon Meat)

Paro Manxho or pigeon meat is a delicacy in Assam. It usually makes your body warm and is perfect for eating in winters. It also tastes excellent when eaten with koldil (banana flower)

8. Baanhgajor Lagot Kukura (Chicken with Bamboo Shoot)

This unique dish made with chicken meat, bamboo shoots, and lentils. Although the taste of bamboo shoots is not very common, it leaves behind a unique taste which once you have it.

9. Xaak (Green Leaves)

A traditional Assamese thali always has a “xaak” as a dish.

It is mostly made with Fiddlehead Farn (Dhekia Xaak), Spinach (Paleng Xaak) and Mustard Green (Lai Xaak).

10. Bhaja (Fritter)

Made with herbs and vegetables, this dish is a typical side dish for lunch or dinner.  Fritters are mostly caused by using brinjal, cauliflower, pumpkin, pumpkin flower, and agathi flower.

11. Koldilor Sabji ( Banana Flower Curry)

A unique Assamese Traditional Food. Koldilor Sobji is a unique curry made from banana flower.

12. Kosu aru Alur Torkari (Colocasia & Potato Curry)

If you are thining that Colocasia & Potato will not be a perfect combinition, then you should try the curry. This curry is prepared with boiled colocasia and potato curry in tomato and spice mix.

Clocasia is also used in preparing mixed vegetable dishes and thick mixed dal.

13. Bora diya Ou Tengar Anja

Chickpea Fritters (Bora) is used as a dumpling to a tangy gravy made from Ou Tengna ( Elephant Apple)

14. Ronga lau Guti Bhaja (Pumpkin Seeds Fry)

Fry pumpkin seeds are also used as a side dish. These roasted seeds are a tasty, healthy snack containing few calories and little to no cholesterol or sodium.

15. Xewali Phulere Bhat Bhaja ( Fried Rice with Night Jasmine)

Xewali (Night Jasmine) is a seasonal flower with the medicinal property. Althogh it tastes bitter, we consume it with fried rice or fried potatoes for health benefits.

16. Mati Mahor Dali (Black Lentil Gravy)

Mati Mahor Dali, the favorite dal for all Assamese people. This dal is prepared with vegetables like raw jackfruit, papaya, colocasia, kohlrabi, pumpkin or sometimes only potato.

17. Thekera Tengare Maas

Thekera Tengare Maas (Fish Curry with Malabar Tamarind)

is sour fish curry. Here the key ingredient is dried slices of thekera (Malabar Tamarind)

18. Naraxingha Paatere Maas

Another fish curry prepared with Naraxinha paat (curry leaves). Here the filtered juice of the curry leaf paste is the main ingredient.

19. Baahor Gajere Kukurar Mangxo: Chicken with Bamboo Shoot

Chicken cooked with bamboo shoot has a separate fan base. One the unique recipe of chicken curry you can have while in Assam.

20. Pickles

Pickles have been an intrinsic part of the Indian cousin. We have some unique pickles to share with you like the Bhut Jolokiar Achar (ghost chilly), Baahor Gajor Achar(bamboo shoot pickle) and Jolpai achar(Indian olive pickle), etc.

Bhut Jolokiya has its tag as the hottest chilly in the world.

Bonus: Tamul Pan

And finally, it’s time to chew on the traditional ‘Axomiya Tamulpaan.’ Tamul paan contains areca nuts served with betel leaves. It’s a symbol of respect of honor, Tamulpaan is offered after every meal and in every Assamese family.

You can have these Assamese ethnic foods at various Assamese restaurants in Guwahati as well as across India.