Celebrate Assam’s New Year, Bohag Bihu With These Must-Try Dishes

Add a hint of modern flavour to the traditional Assamese recipes by Chef Ranjan Majumdar, Executive Chef, Mayfair Spring Valley Resort, Guwahati

It's that time of year when India shows its diversity at its best. Every state in the country celebrates the New Year in its own traditional way. Tamil Nadu celebrates Puthandu, Bengal is set for Poila Baisakh, and Assam gears up for Bohag Bihu, the celebration of music, dance, and food.
Bohag Bihu, also known as Rongali Bihu, marks the vibrant beginning of the Assamese New Year and celebrates spring, fertility, and fresh beginnings. The festival is rooted in agrarian traditions, and the week-long festival is a kaleidoscope of music, dance, and most importantly, food.
As you welcome your friends and relatives to celebrate, and expect to bring your kitchen alive with the comforting aromas of age-old recipes handed down through generations, here are some recipes that will surely win you brownie points and maybe even a second helping.

Assamese Pahadi Lai Ki Sabzi

Assamese Pahadi Lai Ki Sabzi (ETV Bharat)

Ingredients:

• Lai red mustard green 400gms
• Mustard oil 25ml
• Dry red chilies broken 4gms
• Hing 3gms
• Salt 5gms
• Red chili powder 5gms
• Turmeric powder 3gms

Method:

• Remove the tough stem from the base of greens. Wash the leafs in water twice or thrice to make sure they are absolutely clean.
• Chop the greens into very fine threads, finer they are cut tastier is the dish.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom wok over high heat.
• Once the oil reaches smoking point, reduce the heat to low.
• Add the dry red chilies. Fry for 10 second or so.
• Add asafetida and cook for few seconds.
• Now add the chopped greens, stir to mix. Add salt, turmeric and red chili powder.
• Mix nicely and cover the wok with a lid. Allow the vegetable to cook on low flame till the greens turn soft. It will take 10 -12 minutes. Stir the vegetable at regular intervals to avoid getting burnt.
• There should not remain any liquid of the greens in the wok. Do not cook the greens for too long.
• Serve Lai Ki Sabzi warm served with rice

Bhapa Pitha

Bhapa Pitha (ETV Bharat)

Ingredients:

• White rice 240gms
• Freshly scrapped coconut 100gms
• jiggery powder 40gms
• Cardamom powder 5gms
• Salt 5gms

Method:

• Wash cup rice nicely, drain and spread to a tray to dry. Then grind to make powder and sieve
• Dry roast the sieved powder in medium heat until a sweet fragrant emits from the powder. Don't over roast to make the powder brown in colour
• Transfer to a big mixing bowl. Add salt
• Boil sufficient water to and with the help of boiling water make a semi-soft dough. Note that you have to use boiling water only to make the dough
• Cover and set aside for 15 minutes
• In the meantime make the stuffing. For that dry roast scrapped coconut in medium low heat for a couple of minutes. This will enhance the taste and flavour of coconut
• Next add in jiggery, cardamom powder and mix well until jaggery melts completely
• Mix well again Stuffing is done. Remove from heat
• Now from the prepared dough, take a lemon size portion
• Make a patty first and then make a cavity and stuff 1 tablespoon of coconut mixture. Fold and give the size of a gujiya. This is the traditional size. But I made the pithas with my cookie mold just to give them a new style
• You can make the pithas without stuffing also like the following pictures
• Place them in a steamer
• Cover and steam them for about 20 minutes
• Transfer the steamed pithas to a colander and pour some cold water over the pithas. This will prevent the pithas to stick each other.

Kaas Kolor Pitika

Kaas Kolar Pitika (ETV Bhrat)

Ingredients:

• Raw green banana 3 Number
• Onion chopped 80gms
• Green chilies chopped 15gms
• Coriander leaves chopped 20gms
• Salt 5gms
• Mustard oil 15ml
• Red chili flakes 4gms

Method:

• Boil the raw banana along with the peel till it is fork-tender. You can pressure cook for one whistle. Set aside to cool. Then peel the skin off and mash well.
• Transfer to a bowl and add all the above-mentioned ingredients. Mix well. You may drizzle some more mustard oil while serving.
• Serve with steamed rice or chapatti.

Assamese Chicken Curry

Assamese Chicken Curry (ETV Bharat)

Ingredients:

• Chicken curry cut 500gms
• Potatoes cut 250gms
• Mustard oil 50ml
• Turmeric powder 5 Gms
• Onion 100gms
• Ginger 50gms
• Cloves garlic 30gms
• Dried chillies 10gms
• Salt 10 Gms
• Black pepper powder 5gms
• Lemon juice 5ml
• Coriander leaves 40gms

Method:

• Chicken should be washed well and drained extra water. Onion, ginger, garlic, dried chilli paste together.
• Now fry the potato pieces in mustard oil and added salt and turmeric powder with potato.
• Mix onion, ginger, garlic and dry red chilli paste in the oil, add salt to taste, add water, chicken, fried potatoes, add lemon juice and cover with hot water over medium heat.
• Serve with hot rice.

Masor Tenga (Fish Curry)

Masor Tenga (Assamese Fish Curry) (ETV Bharat)

Ingredients:

• Rohu Fish pieces 500mgs
• Mustard oil 50gms
• Fenugreek seeds 4gms
• Onion chopped 50gms
• Ginger-garlic paste 20gms
• Tomatoes 60gms
• Salt 10gms
• Green chilies slit 15gms
• Turmeric powder 5gms
• Lime juice 10ml
• Coriander leaves chopped 20gms

Cooking Instructions:

• Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish till golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.
• Temper the same oil with fenugreek seeds. Saute for a few seconds and then add the onion. Stir fry till light brown.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and green chilies. Saute for a minute.
• Then add the tomato puree and salt. Cover and simmer for a minute more.
• Add 1 cup water and bring it to a boil. Add the fried fish and simmer, covered on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes.
• When done, add the coriander leaves and lime juice. Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish.
• Serve this Assamese delicacy with hot steamed rice.