10 Delicious & Wholesome Local Delicacies To Relish in Guwahati

A lot of people call themselves enthusiasts of North Eastern food but have never ventured beyond momos. Assam has many amazing traditional dishes that are unique to their indigenous culture. Whether you live in the area, are visiting or merely wish to try something new, look no further than this list of local dishes that would be hard to find anywhere other than in Assam. 

Full-Day Meal Plan :

1. For Breakfast: Doi-Chira

A no-cooking required breakfast food item made especially during Bihu consisting of rice flakes, puffed rice, yoghurt and jaggery. Perfect for a holistic start to your day!

2. For Lunch: Khaar

A quintessential lunch dish for all of the Axomia community, Khaar is an exquisite vegetarian delicacy made with ash extracts of banana peel, dried-up banana trunk and raw pieces of papaya. This unique Assamese dish has its iteration in every household.

3. For Dinner: Duck meat curry with Ou Khatta (chutney)

Picture Credits: payels_kitchenette

A beloved dish cooked during feasts, Hanhor Mangxo Komora is a duck dish made with bottle gourd and oodles of whole spices. All food in the area is generally eaten with a sweet and sour chutney called Ou Khatta which is made with elephant apples and jaggery. 

4. For Sweet Dish: Narikol Pitha

Picture Credits: sikha7155

Pitha is one of the most loved sweet dishes in Assam and Narikol Pitha made with coconut and jaggery is among one of the most popular versions of the dish. This archetypal Assamese dessert has stolen our hearts!

For The Meat-Lovers :

5. Baanhgajor Lagot Kukura

Preserving its reputation for serving the best and most unique non-veg dishes, Assam brings to you this whopper! Featuring bamboo shoots, the most famous cooking ingredient in Assam forms the base of this famous dish; this goes along with Deep fried chicken and curry. It is usually served with rice. 

6. Masor Tenga

Famous fish curry using catfish made zesty with fenugreek, lemon, sugar, tomatoes and sugar. Masor Tenga is a famous curry-based dish served with steamed rice for a nice, filling meal. 

Famous Vegetarian Dish :

7. Aloo Pitika

Picture Credits: kasos_kitchen

Vegetarians know that if they can’t find anything edible at a place, they’d at least be able to find some potatoes that they can easily cook in a multitude of ways. Assamese cuisine isn’t one known for vegetarian dishes but this aloo dish is comfort food at its best for the region. Aloo Pitika is a mashed potato side dish eaten with rice and cooked in mustard oil. 

For Those Who Love To Experiment :

8. Silkworm

Picture Credits: northeast.foody/

Silk is pre-dominant produce in the area owing to a large number of silkworm larvae available. When the silk is extracted from the larvae, the silkworm is of no more use and is instead eaten as a beloved tribal dish after being fried with spices. Work up the thrill-seeker in you to try out this (experimental) delicacy!

9. Paro Manxho

A popular body warming dish during the cold winters, this is made by cooking pigeon meat with banana flowers. If you’ve managed to digest the concept of this dish, maybe you can try to eat and digest it?  

10. Pani Hamuk

Picture Credits: homeground_flavours

Potatoes, beans and pumpkin; the combination of flavours sounds good, right? We’ve missed out on the show-stopper though, water snails! There isn’t a reason to worry, ‘cause these snails are only sourced from the clean rivers and paddy fields and the edible part has to be sucked out from the shells of the snail. Will you dare to try it now? 

Although Guwahati offers oodles of cuisines from across the borders and all over the country, these indigenous delights cannot be found anywhere else, so don’t miss out on them!