art-culture

Meghalaya

Meghalayan cuisine is the local cuisine of one of the Indian States. Meghalaya, also one of the seven sisters and home of three Mongoloid tribes, has a unique cuisine of its own, different from other states in the north east of India. The staple food of the people is rice with spicy meat and fish preparations. They rear goats, pigs, fowl, ducks and cows and relish their meat. The popular dishes are Jadoh, Ki Kpu, Tung-toh, and pickled bamboo shoots. Like the other tribes in the north-east, they ferment rice beer, which is consumed in religious rites and at major ceremonies and celebrations.

Jadoh

Ingredients:

2 cups of hill rice

400 gms of pork cut in cubes

1 medium size onion,chopped

1 tbsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of ground black pepper

salt-to taste

2-3 bay leaves

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

fresh cilantro for garnishing.

Procedure:

Heat oil in a flat bottomed pan. Add bay leaves, onions,ginger paste,turmeric and black pepper and fry till the oil separates.

Add the pork pieces and fry for sometime till light brown.

Add the washed rice and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add salt.

Add 4 cups of water and simmer till cooked.

Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Vegetarian Recipes - Tung Tong Recipe

Ingredients

18 spring roll wrappers, about 8cm/3 1/4in square, thawed if frozen

oil for deep-frying

plum sauce, to serve

For the filling:

4 baby corn cobs

130g/4 1/2oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 shallot, coarsely chopped

1 egg, separated

30ml/2 tbsp corn flour (cornstarch)

60ml/4 tbsp water

small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

salt and ground black pepper

Makes 18

Method:

Make the filling. Place the baby corn, water chestnuts, shallot and egg yolk in a food processor or blender. Process to a coarse paste. Place the egg white in a cup and whisk it lightly with a fork.

Put the corn flour in a small pan and stir in the water until smooth. Add the corn mixture and chopped coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Leave the filling to cool slightly, then place 5ml/1 tsp in the centre of a spring roll wrapper. Brush the edges with the beaten egg white, then gather up the points and press them firmly together to make a pouch or bag.

Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, keeping the finished bags and the wrappers covered until needed so they do not dry out.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or wok until a cube of bread, added to the oil, browns in about 45 seconds.

Fry the bags, in batches, for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, with the plum sauce.

Note: Popularly called "gold bags", these crisp pastry purses have a coriander-flavored filling based on water chestnuts and corn. They are the perfect vegetarian snack and look very impressive.