Meghalaya , also known as 'The abode of clouds' is one of the seven NE states.This is one of the wettest region in the country and the place that receives the most rainfall- Cherapunji is located in this state.
This state was carved out of Assam and the majority of the inhabitants are the tribal folks. Meghalaya is an important tourist destination and is known for its fauna and flora.There are several ricers that flow through this state and most of the regions are forest regions.
The cuisine of Meghalaya is ingenious to their culture and have several popular non vegetarian recipes to boast.The cuisine can be broadly classified into the Khasi / Garo / Jaintia cuisine.Each of these types have have their own distinct and popular recipes. Jodah is a popular pork preparation and I saw this in all the sites while I was browsing for Meghalayan recipes.
Shillong is said to be the Mecca of authentic Chinese cuisine!Even then looking for recipes that I could post was a tough job!
Today's recipe is a simple rice and a curry that uses the Panch poran seeds, Though this recipe was mentioned under all the 7 sister states, I am posting it under this state...
Behind the scene :
When I made it the first time[yes, I made it twice!], I was in a hurry to get all the cooking for this Mega marathon done so that I could start drafting the posts. In my haste, I forgot where I saved it, a very ,very rare thing! Then the post was written and scheduled to be posted on the due date. But as I was writing, Lil dude clambered up and hit a few buttons and Poof!! The post was gone! I really did not know what to do. And with a trip for the week end, I thought I will worry about it later.
Back home after the vacation, I searched for those pics in the laptop and the cam but could not find it.It was like it just disappeared!So here I am again, preparing this dish again and writing it all over again!
What is more interesting is that this is the only state that make me search high and low for recipes , one of the best accepted NE recipes and I made them twice!
Let us go to the first recipe, Corn rice...
I used:
Adapted from here
Rice- 1/4 cup
Fresh corn - 1/8 cup
Salt to taste
Soak the rice in water and keep aside for 15 minutes. In a pan cook corn with a little water. When the pressure releases and it cools down, blend it roughly.I used a motor and pestle. You can use an electric blender too..
Now,in a pressure cooker, take rice[water drained out], corn ,salt and a little more than 3/4 cup of water and cook for 3 hisses or till rice is done.
Serve with a vegetable dish of your choice.
The Panch poran tharkari was seen relating to almost all the North Eastern states and since I wanted something to go with the corn rice, I am posting it under this state. This vegetable curry makes use of Panch poran spice mix[A mix of fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, Nigella seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds]. The taste that these seeds impart makes the curry very flavorful. I have used only potato ,peas and cauliflower for this recipe.You can also add eggplants, pumpkin etc.
I used:
Potato-1,large, peeped and cubed
Cauliflower-3 large florets, cut into small pieces
Frozen peas- a handful
Panch poran spice mix- 1 teaspoon[A mix of fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, Nigella seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds mixed in equal ratios]
Red chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1/8 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil-2 teaspoons
Coriander leaves to garnish
Heat oil in a pan and add the Panch poran seeds and when it splutters, add the vegetables, salt and chili powder,turmeric powder.Mix well to coat, add a splash of water and cook covered on low flame till done. Keep stirring gently once in a while to avoid burning and sticking to the bottom. Also do not add too much water to cook the veggies.
Serve as a side dish with rice....
Let me finish off with this..
Kamai laka Hok - Earn your bread by the sweat of your brow - A khasi proverb....
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 39
