Don your chef’s hat and cook this exotic Khasi dish

From the abode of the clouds, Meghalaya, sisters Dakiwanri and Daphimanroi Warjri are cooking up a storm by taking the local Khasi cuisine and culture all across India via their traveling pop-up Symbai. They aim to introduce and educate people about the Khasi cuisine.

We recently caught up with the sisters and they told us about the cuisine in details and also shared an exotic recipe that can be easily cooked at home with a few ingredients. The USP of the recipe includes the reflection of a meat-eating community with the use of pork or chicken as well as the presence of the  Lakadong turmeric which is said to have the highest curcumin content in the world.

If you want to try your hands at preparing this wholesome recipe called Doh Sniang / Doh Syiar Nei-iong which translates to Pork/ chicken in black sesame paste, then take a cue from the chef sisters and get down to making it.  

Ingredients:

·        Pork or Chicken - 1 kg cubed (with a bit of fat included for Pork)

·        Black sesame paste (Nei-iong) - 2 tbsp

·        Onion - 2 large, chopped fine or grated

·        Garlic pods - 8 to 10, chopped fine or crushed

·        Mustard oil - 2 tbsp

·        Lakadong turmeric - 1/4 tsp

·        Wild pepper - 2 tsp 

Method:

·        In a heavy-bottomed cooker, heat the mustard oil till it shimmers and smokes

·        Add the garlic to the heated mustard oil and fry for a few seconds

·        Now add in the onions, and saute until soft and translucent

·        Add in the Lakadong turmeric and pepper and stir so the onions are well coated.

·        Saute again for 5 minutes. If it gets too dry, add in a quarter cup of water

·        Add in the ground sesame paste and fry it for a minute.

·        Now add in the pork/chicken and salt, and mix well.

·        Let it cook on an open flame for a minute, then add 1/4 cup of water

·        Fasten the lid. Cook on high flame for one whistle then simmer and pressure cook on low flame for 20 minutes

·        Serve hot