If there was one state that stumped me, it is Meghlaya! My search went on and on and on for a long time and obviously this was the state that got done the last!
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:
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
Wow, drooling over that rice with tarkari, both looks a prefect pair. I can finish that plate easily for lunch.
Very beautifully presented PJ..even I had hard time selecting one for this..
looks tempting , especially the white corn rice , the pictures are turning out spectacular offlate
Simple yet flavorful combo.
Simple yet flavorful combo.
Lovely simple and healthy dishes that go well together- I'll try these soon, thanks 🙂
oh that is tempting!!! should try this soon!! yellow corn in the beautiful white rice… so perfect..
simple and earthy flavours. love this combination
Both the dishes must have made a delicious combo. Even I made this tarkari…
That sounds like a delicious combo — simple rice with panch phoron spiced veggies.
Same pinch on the rice PJ. I loved the rice. Love the combo you have made.
love that simple corn rice
Beautiful presentation PJ.
Sounds like a delicious and healthy combo..corn rice looks colorful and simply superb…
I am sorry you had to cook it again because you lost the photos and the post. Corn rice looks very nice and even the curry must have tasted good with the rice.
Love the way you presented the dish! So tempting…We also fell in love with the panch phoran spice 🙂
wow such an tempting corn rice and very well paired with panch poran tarkari 🙂 very tempting dishes from meghalaya 🙂
This was one of the toughest states for me too..but surely you worked hard and found a wonderful recipe. .loved the combo.