rumi's kitchen

In Assamese homes, Aloo Pitika isn’t just food — it’s comfort on a plate. Simple, soulful, and made with the warmth of mustard oil, this traditional mashed potato dish has been a staple of Assamese meals for generations. From daily lunch to festive feasts and even wedding platters, Aloo Pitika adds a touch of home to every meal. In this post, let’s dive into the authentic way of making Aloo Pitika, along with regional twists and modern variations you can try! What is Aloo Pitika? Aloo Pitika is a traditional Assamese mashed potato side dish. Unlike rich buttery mashed potatoes, Aloo Pitika uses: ✔ Mustard oil for earthy pungency ✔ Green chilies for heat ✔ Onion and coriander leaves for crunch and freshness ✔ Sometimes roasted garlic, ghost chilli oil or dried fish  for extra flavour It’s rustic, quick, and full of authentic Assamese essence. Ingredients (Traditional Recipe) Potatoes (medium-sized) : 3–4 Mustard oil : 1–2 tbsp Onion (finely chopped) :1 small Green chilies : 1–2...

  In Assam, weddings are not just ceremonies — they are celebrations of community, nature, and flavour. From the soft rhythm of the bihu songs to the gentle aroma of rice and mustard oil, everything about an Assamese wedding feels rooted in tradition. And at the centre of it all is food — a wedding feast that reflects the land’s bounty, the people’s warmth, and generations of culinary wisdom. Let’s explore what makes a traditional Assamese wedding menu so special. The Philosophy Behind an Assamese Wedding Feast Unlike extravagant buffets, Assamese wedding meals are traditionally simple, wholesome, and cooked with love by local women and family members. The focus isn’t on luxury — it’s on purity, community, and balance. Every dish has meaning. Every ingredient has a purpose. And together, they tell the story of Assam’s connection to nature and culture. The Pre-Wedding Feasts Juron & Tel Diya These ceremonies mark the beginning of wedding celebrations. Guests are welcomed with pi...

Khar is a traditional Assamese dish made with an alkaline extract from burnt banana peel (bhim kol). It’s a unique culinary practice that balances flavour and wellness — representing the earthy simplicity of Assam’s food culture .  If Assamese cuisine had a heartbeat, it would be khar. More than just a dish, khar is a technique, a flavour, and a tradition that has shaped Assamese food for generations. Cooked in almost every household, from the Brahmaputra plains to the hilly villages, khar captures Assam’s philosophy of simple, earthy, and nourishing food. Let’s dive into the art of cooking khar — how it’s made, why it’s special, and what it says about Assam’s timeless relationship with nature. What is Khar? Khar is both an ingredient and a category of dishes unique to Assamese cuisine. It’s made using the alkaline extract of burnt banana peel — usually from the indigenous variety called bhim kol (a large plantain). The extract, called kol khar , acts as a natural cleanser and sof...

  The Secret Ingredients: Local Herbs and Spices That Define Assamese Flavours. Assamese herbs and spices are unique of its kind. When you step into an Assamese kitchen, the aroma is unlike anywhere else in India. It’s subtle yet deep — earthy greens simmering in mustard oil, the faint sourness of fermented bamboo shoot, and the warmth of fresh herbs gathered just moments ago. The traditional Assamese cuisine doesn’t rely on heavy garam masalas or rich gravies; its beauty lies in its simplicity — in the way fresh herbs and local spices capture the very essence of Assam’s rivers, fields, and forests. In this post, let’s explore some of the unique herbs and spices that give Assamese food its identity — ingredients that make each dish a story of the land itself. Manimuni (Asiatic Pennywory / Centella Asiatica) A humble creeping herb found near ponds and gardens, manimuni is a cornerstone of Assamese home cooking. It has a mild bitterness and an earthy aroma that refreshes the palate....

Assam soft rice or Kumol saul is instant soft rice that requires no cooking. Kumol saul is a glutinous rice found in Assam which is pre cooked and sun dried. It is also known as magic rice as it can be prepared in minutes by just soaking in water. Kumol saul is mostly served with boiled milk or curd , banana and jaggery. Although it's a breakfast recipe but kumol saul jolpan is also served to guests specially during bihu festivals. This Assam soft rice or Kumol saul got geographical indications (GI) tag in the year 2018.   Jolpan is an Assamese word which means snacks which are often served in breakfast. Below is the recipe of Kumol saul jolpan : Kumol Saul Jolpan: 📎 Course : Breakfast   📎Cuisine :  Assamese  🔪Preparation Time :  25 minutes ♨Cooking Time : 0 minutes 🕞Total : 25 minutes 🍴Servings :  2 INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cup kumol saul 1 cup curd 1/2 cup jaggery  1/2 cup cream (optional) METHOD: Soak kumol saul in warm water for 15-20 minutes...

  Here I am back after a long time. Today I am going to share a simple recipe of Pork Curry . Its an Assamese style pork curry where I cooked it with elephant apple . Serve this tasty pork curry with rice in lunch or dinner. Dillenia Indica   commonly known as Elephant  Apple   or Ou tenga   is a fruit ,  sour in taste and very native to Assamese cuisine. Ou tenga contains vitamins C and E along with vitamin B complex and potassium. It also contains antioxidants. Elephant apple is generally used in Assamese cuisine to make fish curries. Pork with Ou Tenga or Elephant Apple: 📎 Course :  Main course 📎Cuisine :  Assamese  🔪Preparation Time :  10 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  30 minutes 🕞Total :  40 minutes 🍴Servings : 4 INGREDIENTS: 500 gms pork 1 elephant apple or ou tenga  1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 onion, chopped Chopped green chillies (3-4) or bhoot jolokia * amount of chillies according to your taste...

Dillenia Indica commonly known as Elephant  Apple or  Ou tenga  is a fruit ,  sour in taste and very native to Assamese cuisine. Ou tenga contains vitamins C and E along with vitamin B complex and potassium. It also contains antioxidants. Elephant apple is generally used in Assamese cuisine to make fish curries. Dates contains several vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Dried dates are a good source of magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium. However dried dates are high in calories. Today I am going to share a chutney made from elephant apple and dried dates . I made this chutney for my office party. It was served with alu and methi parathas togather with peanut chutney.   Here is the recipe: ELEPHANT APPLE AND DATES CHUTNEY / OU TENGA CHUTNEY: INGREDIENTS: 1 elephant apple 1 cup dried dates  1 cup water  1/2 cup jaggery  1/2 cup suger  1/2 tsp black cumin or kala jeera seeds 1 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp corian...

  Spiny arum (scientific name : lasia spinosa) is known as sengmora in Assamese . Sengmora is a green leafy vegetable found mostly on wild are rich in dietary fiber and antioxidant. These leaves has a little bitter taste but it goes well when cooked with pork and fish. Today I'm going to share a simple recipe where I cooked sengmora with pork. Serve this recipe as a side dish with rice in the main course.  Pork with Sengmora : 📎 Course :  Main course 📎Cuisine :  Assamese  🔪Preparation Time :  10 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  30 minutes 🕞Total :  40 minutes 🍴Servings :  2 INGREDIENTS: 500 gms pork 1 bunch of sengmora xaak 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 onion, chopped 1 tbsp soy sauch Chopped green chillies (3-4) or bhoot jolokia * amount of chillies according to your taste  1 chopped tomato  2 tbsp mustard oil Salt to taste METHOD: Cut pork into cube sized pieces. Wash under running water. In a pressure cooker boil pork for 2 whistl...

 Jute leaves are rich in vitamin E,  A and C. Boiled jute leaves is a very simple yet tasty recipe that can be served as a side dish with rice in lunch. Use less bitter variety of jute leaves for this recipe.  Also try : Stir fried jute leaves Jute leaves fritters Boiled Jute Leaves : 📎Cuisine :  Indian 🔪Preparation Time :  5 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  15 minutes  🕞Total :  20 minutes INGREDIENTS:  A bunch of  tender jute leaves picked from the tip with stems   1 tbsp grated and fermented bamboo shoots (khorisa)    2-3 cups of water  2 green chillies  1/2 tsp mustard oil *  salt to taste  * If you don't like mustard oil, use olive oil.  METHOD: Wash jute leaves with stems under running water.  Cut the chillies lengthwise.  Boil 2-3 cups of water in a pan. Add jute leaves and green chillies.  Add salt and bring to boil.  When the jute leaves become soft and tender, add ferm...

 Hello everyone!  Hope you all are feeling well.  As the summer is here, it is better to eat light food which is not too hot and spicy for a healthy tummy, specially during day time. Cooking in summer is again a very stressful duty. So,  it is better to cook quick meal to avoid the hot kitchen during summer and to satisfy your belly. At this period of summer season traditional Assamese meal is really good to eat. Assamese food is less spicy and less oily and that's why is very healthy. One of the seasonal leafy vegetable found during summer is jute leaves .  Jute   is an edible leafy vegetable, rich in vitamins and fiber. Jute in  Assamese  called  Mora xaak .  Today I'm going to share a simple and quick jute leaves recipe. In Assamese cuisine we knot 2-3 tender leaves of jute leaves with stems together, and then fried it in mustard oil.Thereafter we sprinkle some khar upon the fried knotted jute leaves.  As khar recipe is served a...

  Jute  is an edible leafy vegetable, rich in vitamins and fiber. Jute in  Assamese  called Mora xaak .   Jute leaves can be added in lentil soup. I add knotted jute leaves in lentil curry. We can make  Khar recipe with jute leaves.  Today I'm going to share a fritter recipe of jute leaves.  Also check : Malabar Spinach Fritters Pumpkin leaves fritters  Night flowering jasmine leaves fritters Assamese Style Jute Leaves Fritters ( Mora Xaakor Bor) : 📎Cuisine :  Indian 🔪Preparation Time :  5 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  15 minutes  🕞Total :  20 minutes INGREDIENTS:  5-6 tender leaves of jute leaves picked from the tip with stems   1/2 cup chickpea flour   1 tbsp rice flour or semolina    1/4 tbsp cumin powder    1/4 tbsp coriander powder    1/4 tbsp red chilli powder   salt to taste   oil to fry METHOD: Wash jute leaves with stems under running w...

  Hukoti is ground dry fish. Hukoti is similar to namshing . Today I am going to share a simple Assamese style ground dry fish recipe : kosu aru hukoti . Tender leaves and stems of colocasia leaves are cooked with hukoti and served as a side dish with steamed rice. You can use namshing instead of hukoti and you will get the similar taste.  If you like colocasia leaves than you may also like : * Fish curry with colocasia * Dry fish with colocasia * Colocasia chutney Kosu aru hukoti : Assamese style colocasia leaves with dry fish recipe  📎 Course :  Side dish 📎Cuisine :  Assamese   🔪Preparation Time :  15 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  25 minutes  🕞Total :  40 minutes 🍴Servings :  2 INGREDIENTS: A bunch of colocasia leaves with stems 2 tbsp red lentil   1 big tomato or 10-15 cheery tomatoes 2 green chillies 1 tbsp mustard oil pinch of turmeric 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste  1 chopped onion  2 tbsp hukoti /namshing...

  A simple Assamese Lunch platter :  Lofa xaak aru Mass,  Bengana logot Masor Petu Bhoja & rice. Continuing my post on Assamese style everyday lunch platter,  presenting today a simple Assamese style lunch menu specially for busy people or working women who get very less time for cooking. I prepared this menu on a busy working day. After coming back from work, I prepared this in a very less time.  Today's lunch platter consists of : 1. Boiled rice : It's very easy to cook rice in a pressure cooker. Just rinse the rice properly and put it in the pressure cooker with the proper amount of water. Close the lid and in medium to high heat cook for 1-2 whistle. Remove from heat and let the cooker open itself. Your boiled rice is ready to serve.  2. Fish with lofa xaak : Chinese mellow is called lofa xaak in Assamese. Chinese mellow is a very tasty and very tender leafy vegetable which requires very less time to cook. Here I am using big rohu fish. But you can ...

A simple Assamese rice platter : Matidail (split black gram) , dhekia xaak bhaji (fiddlehead ferns),  bhedailotar bor (skunk vine fritters) and ou tenga achar (elephant apple pickle). What do Assamese people eat for lunch or dinner?  Well, like few other Indian cuisines, Assamese people eat rice as their main food. The main thing that differs Assamese cuisine from other Indian cuisines is the side dishes that are served with rice. Fish is an everyday business. Masor tenga or sour fish curries are very favourite of Assamese people. Varieties of greens and herbs are used as a vegetable or xaak. Khar is an alkali served in the beginning of a meal which is considered as a good home medicine for stomach related problems. Chicken, mutton, duck meat, pork etc. are served together with different dals or lentils.  I am going to share a series of posts about what an Assamese people eat for lunch or dinner, or how an everyday Assamese meal looks like? I begin with a simple rice plat...

 Today I'm going to share a simple and rustic recipe called namsing pitika . This recipe is very popular among the mishing tribe of Assam as well as some other Assamese  communities. Namsing is also known as hukoti among few other communities of Assam. Namsing is dry and grounded fish. Few herbs are also added in making namsing powder.  To know more about namsing read my previous post on namsing : click  "Namsing : A Mishing Delicacy" . Namsing Pitika : Assamese Style Dry Fish Chutney   Namsing pitika is an Assamese style dry fish chutney which is served as a side dish with rice at lunch or dinner.  📎 Course :  Side dish 📎Cuisine :  Assamese Cuisine  🔪Preparation Time :  2 minute ♨Cooking Time :  5 minutes 🕞Total :  7 minutes 🍴Servings :  1 INGREDIENTS : 2 tbsp of namsing  1 green chilli  1 small red onion  1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves  Banana leaf  Salt to taste  METHOD : Wash a smal...

 Mishing are an ethnic community living in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Unlike other Assamese cuisines, Mishing cuisine is also unique of its kind. Mishing people are mainly non-vegetarian and rice is their main food. They eat different greens and herbs as vegetable together with fish, pork, chicken, duck meat etc. Namsing is a very popular dish among Mishing people. Namsing is nothing but dry and grounded fish . Dry and grounded fish is equally popular among other ethnic groups of Assam also but they call it hukoti .  The method of preparation of namsing is little different from hukoti. In preparing namsing Mishing people also add few herbs like colocasia leaves, long coriander etc. Small river fishes are used to make namsing. At first they clean the fishes and then dry them under sun or on smoke over stove top. After that they grounded the dry fishes together with different herbs in husking pedal (dhaki). They use bamboo tubes and filled the tubes with the grounde...

Pork with mustard greens  is a very popular recipe many of you may have tried but  have you tried chicken with mustard greens . Mustard greens in Assamese is called Lai xaak and chicken in Assamese is called Kukurar mankho . So the recipe in Assamese is called lai xaakor logot kukurar mankho   The recipe is actually very simple. Use fully grown and mature mustard green leaves for better taste. It will be more delicious if you use chicken pieces with its skin and fat. So let's directly go to the recipe.  Chicken with Mustard Greens  📎 Course :  Main course  📎Cuisine :  Indian (Assamese)  🔪Preparation Time :  15 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  25 minutes 🕞Total :  40 minutes 🍴Servings :  2 INGREDIENTS: 500 gms chicken cut into small pieces  6-7 big mature leaves of mustard greens 2-3 green chillies, chopped  1 tomato roughly chopped  1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 onion, chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric 2 tbsp mustard ...

 Food and travel go hand in hand. I always like to try new food, specially the local food whenever I travel. My recent visit to Tipam was not an amazing one in terms of testing food, as we didn't  find a good  eatery. But the most amazing thing happened was that we found a vegetable vendor who was selling water hyacinth (meteka) in his bicycle. I once tasted a water hyacinth dish in my mom's place but haven't cooked it myself. So I bought two bunches of water hyacinth's leaves with stems from him. As he was also selling water hyacinth's blossoms, I bought it too which was a new vegetable for me.  Water hyacinth  Water hyacinth's blossoms  Tipam is located in the Naharkatia Tehsil of Dibrugarh district of Assam. Tipam was the first capital of Ahom dynasty. The first Ahom king Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha is said to have set his first foot hear after he entered Assam.  The main attraction of Tipam is the Deosali hill which is a beautiful hill surrounded b...