Menu at Maihang - Informative for a novice like me, could be pontificating for some
Considering that overwhelming majority of restaurants in Guwahati are nan-roti-paneer variety, sticking to Assamese food is not an easy task. But help was on hand. From Sneha Lata, Sharmin and Sonny Rao who responded to my SOS on Facebook. With their help my shortlist was ready – Delicacy in Ganeshguri, Khorika and Maihang near Bora service, and Paradise.
Clockwise from top left - Borali Fry, Bhangan and potato, Ari tenga, duck with bamboo shoots
A smiling lady in a traditional attire on the Delicacy hoarding may lead you to believe that there’s an Assamese silk shop inside. Don’t worry; step in, even if you are accompanied by a lady. It is well worth the risk 
If it is the right hoarding you will find the best Assamese food in town inside. We were welcomed with an herb flavoured vegetable stock – Delicacy’s answer to Paradise/Jakoi’s amla soup I thought. I ordered duck with bamboo shoots, borali (type of shark) fry, ari (from the cat fish family) tenga, bhangan (type of mackerel) curry with potatoes – all for one person! Central to meals in all Assamese restaurants is a vegetarian thali, with fairly standard ingredients – dal, aloo pitika (mashed potatoes – similar to chokha in Bihar and eastern UP), an aloo-parwal (potol/parimal) curry, khar (papaya with a natural alkali) etc. I realized by the end of my trip that Delicacy has the best thali. Borali fry was crisp, the ari tenga had a thin gravy with the mild tanginess due the tomatoes while bhangan with potatoes tasted a bit like fish added to the potato curry that you get served with poori, specially at most north Indian railway stations – I do not say this in a negative sense. I think duck with bamboo shoots is more of an acquired taste as it was very sour and has a strong smell of the fermented bamboo shoots which take more than half a dozen hand washes to go.
Delicacy thali - best thali amongst all that I had, all for Rs. 70 only
Even if you are full to the gills like we were, don’t miss out on a ‘Boil cake’ (like Odiya chhena poda), a mildly sweet cheesecake made with fresh chhena. I kept looking for ‘boil cake after every meal, but I was told that not many shops make it after winter and I would have to settle for more familiar kalakand instead. Not sure how similar the recipes of boil cake and kalakand are, but it was a worthy substitute in its Assamese form. The best one being at Laxmi Cabin, who also have a superb samosa (closer in taste to the Bengali singhara than the north Indian samosa)
Bhangan Khorika
Our subsequent meal at Khorika was good and we tried the bhangan khorika (smoked fish). The fish had mild seasoning and chewy texture, both of which I liked.
We visited Paradise but left as they were a bit inflexible about having a customized version of the thali for our six-year old, something that we were offered at Delicacy without even asking for it. Paradise’s loss was Maihang’s gain. Maihang is different from the rest as its menu reflects the diversity of the cuisine from the north east, in addition to its core of Assamese food. The thali, while acceptable, was no match for Delicacy’s but rohu sorsori (rohu fish in mustard sauce, similar to Bengali shorshe rehu) was good. Above all reading through the menu I got a perfect 101 class in north eastern food, something that I desperately needed.
I loved the simple flavours of Assamese food, use of methods like steaming and smoking, and above all conservative use of chilli. Since my tolerance to chilli-heat in food is less than that of a typical ten-year old in Delhi, I am hooked to this cuisine which I knew nothing about merely six months back.
Beautiful Mekhela Chador made of Assamese Silk - Everyone will find his/her own reasons to return to Assam!
I think what you have written is truly commendable. Which shows the research gone into it, cause even the TV Shows like Rocky /mayur, Gordon ramsey are littered with mistakes. One place where you should have gone but we sadly could not recommend was Deka Chang in sonapur slightly outside Ghy. Kul Goswami Rahman and Sneha Lata would vouch for it. Just a few points its not that restaurants do not have an a la carte menu, its just that people will end up ordering rice dal, veggies etc etc so they recommend a Veggie Thali plus add ons. If you see there is a saag in your photo thats dhekia or fern which the Assamese love. Dhekia is also cooked with fish etc. As for Khar its the start of an assamese meal and the papaya khar is the easiest to make you can also add fish to it. Khar can be made out of almost any veggie even with left overs like Lauki skin or cauliflower stems. One more thing you will notice that most thalis will give two dals one would be masur and the other will be “mati” dalor urad dal. Not to forget the pieces of long lime is also an intregral part of the assamese meal which they squeeze liberally on the food. Thats why there is khar in the stomach before hand to balance out the acidic nature of the Lime and tenga. The tenga is the integral part of the meal which is generally taken as the last dish .While Tenga is made with different kinds of fish , it is also made with Bor(plain pakoras of masur Dal) for vegetarians or if fish is not there.Ok Khorika means sticks or bamboo Skewers. So the Bhangan Khorika is Bhangan fish on a khorika as simple as that.
About Paradise it has been the pioneer in Assamese cusine in terms of a large restaurant this has been because earlier no one would venture out for food which was like a home cooked meal. People also go to Paradise for the reason that it serves Beer so if one wants to have a beer and then want to have food Paradise is the place for you.
Ok If you notice the traditional utensils used for serving food are made of “Kaah” or Bell metal. And mekhela Sadors they are made of Assamese Silk and Cotton too. Silks are “muga” and”pat”
excellent review of the food there, Sonny had also asked me to go to Korikha and even spoken to the chef there who is his friend. I had a veg thali and pork with banboo shoots and duck fried with it, liked it so much that carried it back for my family.
I have also started to love the Bhut Jaloka in oil. When ever at home & need something spicy , I just take a few drops and changes the taste, even an ordinary Punjabi yellow dal starts to taste different.
Sonny and Sneha have promised to take me to Gauhati one day , hope that happens soon, till then lets try the Assam bhavan here .
Great write up.Thanks for sharing your experience of Assamese Cuisine with the rest of the world.
Nice review! The quality of food at Jakoi, Assam Bhavan, however, has sadly deteriorated over the past few months. The ‘tenga’ wasn’t sour enough the last time we visited and worse, the fish smelled stale. The good thing is that redemption is only a kilometre away at the Assam House, neatly tucked away in corner on the Gopinath Bordoloi Marg. Delicacy has opened its branch here and the food is as good as the Guwahati branch’s. Lovers of pork should definitely try the ‘pork khorika’- superbly marinated and roasted! The other option is NE7 in Dayanand Colony, Lajpat Nagar. It’s a little difficult to find one’s way around here, so one should just ask for directions to Hero Meat Shop. The food is basic but good tasting. The pieces of fish in the ‘tenga’ are large (much to my liking) and the pork with bamboo shoots, a very good option here. Overall, some decent eating options in the Capital as far as Assamese cuisine is concerned.
Thanks for sharing with the readers about Assamese food
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