Editor’s Note: This weekend, whip up a five dish meal under the guidance of sisters Daphimanroi and Dakiwanri. They are founders of the Mumbai based Symbai pop-up.  Symbai means ‘seed’ in Khasi—marking the origins of food as well as their pride in their roots. These recipes offer a rare doorway into indigenous Khasi community in Meghalaya. This is seasonal cuisine that uses foraged ingredients and bursts the usual stereotypes about North-Eastern food. Don’t expect a lot of spice or even meat.

So you want to cook a Khasi meal?

A typical Khasi meal comprises a plateful of rice, meat and vegetables—including the humble potato. Seasonal dishes are built on an essential base of jingshoh—a fried mixture of turmeric, grated garlic and grated onion. The cuisine’s Southeast Asian roots lend a palette of fermented soybean (tungrymbai), perilla seeds and black sesame.  Below are seasonal recipes for you to recreate a lavish Khasi meal in your own kitchen.

Salad #1: Muli Khleh (Radish Salad)

Ingredients

• Radish - 2 pieces
• Onion - 1 medium, sliced thinly
• Green chilly - 1, chopped finely
• Perilla seed paste - 1 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste 

Method

1. Peel the radish and slice thinly or grate according to preference
2. In a small bowl mix the onions, green chilly, perilla seed paste, lemon juice and salt
3. Put the radish in a medium sized bowl and add the perilla seed mix and combine everything well

Salad #2: Sohsaw Phon (Boiled Tomato Salad)

Ingredients

• Tomatoes - 4 to 5 big
• Onions - 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Garlic - 2 small cloves, finely chopped
• Ginger - 1/8 tsp, crushed
• Green Chillies - 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Salt - To taste

Method

1. Wash the tomatoes well and cut them in half
2. Place them in a thick bottom cooker. Add salt and a little bit of water. cover and let whistle once. Then simmer and cook on low heat for 15 mins.
3. In the meantime prep the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies and place them in a bowl.
4. Once the tomatoes are cooked, peel off the skin and place the hot tomatoes on top of the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.
5. When cooled, mash the tomatoes with a fork or use your hands.
6. Refrigerate for a while and serve the tomato salad cold.

With liberal use of turmeric and pepper, Khasi cuisine doesn’t carry the element of heat as expected in other North-Eastern cuisines. The black sesame seasoning is the crowning glory of their food which lends indelible texture and flavourful goodness to the dishes. As lightly spiced food, it can be enjoyed with pickles and chutneys of your choice.

On to the rice: Ja Stem 

Ingredients

• Rice - 250g
• Lard - 3 tbsp
• Red onion - 2 big, grated
• Garlic - 1 clove, crushed
• Ginger - 1 thumb, grated
• Lakadong turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Wild pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Water - double the quantity of rice
• Salt - to taste

Method

1. Wash the rice and keep it aside
2. Heat the lard and add onions, garlic and turmeric once hot. Fry till slighty brown.
3. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add in the ginger and pepper and let it boil on simmer for 5 - 6 mins.
4. Add water and salt and bring to a boil again.
5. Add in the rice and bring to a boil then simmer for 15 - 18 mins. cook till the rice is tender.

Rice is the main grain of Meghalaya. If you have access to red rice, it is recommended you use that for the authentic Khasi experience, however a white or Basmati works as well.  Khasis believe that we should never serve ourselves just one spoon of rice, it should always be two or more. So keep that in mind when plating!

For meat eaters: Doh Sniang Nei-iong (Pork in Black Sesame Paste)

As we mentioned earlier, jingshoh is the pungent base for most Khasi main dishes. The dish below can also be vegetarian (Phan Rit Nei) and uses baby potatoes instead of pork. We have laid out both.

Ingredients

• Pork - 1 kg pork, with a bit of fat included, cubed
• Nei-iong (black sesame paste) - 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

1. In a heavy bottomed cooker, heat the mustard oil till it shimmers and smokes.
2. Add in the garlic and fry for a few seconds
3. Now add in the onions, and saute until soft and translucent
4. Add in the 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
5. Add in the ground sesame paste and fry it for a minute.
6. Now add in the pork and salt, and mix well. Let it cook on open flame for a minute, then add in 1/4 cup water
7. Fasten the lid. Cook on high flame for one whistle then simmer and pressure cook on low flame for 20 minutes

For vegetarians: Phan Rit Nei (Baby potatoes in a creamy perilla seed paste)

Ingredients

• Potatoes - 1 kg peeled
• Perilla seed paste - 1 1/2 tsp
• 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

1. In a heavy bottomed cooker, heat the mustard oil till it shimmers and smokes.
2. Add in the garlic and fry for a few seconds
3. Now add in the onions, and saute until soft and translucent
4. Add in the 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
5. Add in the ground sesame paste and fry it for a minute.
6. Now add in the baby potatoes and salt, and mix well. Let it cook on open flame for a minute, then add in 1/4 cup water
7. Fasten the lid. Cook on high flame for one whistle then simmer on low flame for 10 minutes.

Looking for dessert? To end your meal, you can savour a cup of black tea. The Khasi people do not make any exclusive sweetmeats or dessert. For options, you can try the snack of sticky rice with malai (cream) and sugar.