Spice up your life with these bold hilly recipes

Embark on a culinary adventure with these hilly delights. Unique ingredients straight from the heart of the hills give these dishes a burst of flavour. Each dish combines traditional ingredients with a touch of flair, making them perfect for those who love bold and distinctive tastes.

Hattol Biji Huro Aera (Chicken Curry with Jackfruit Seeds)
Ingredients

1kg hilly chicken pieces

1½ cup Jackfruit seeds, peeled

3 tsp ginger-garlic coarse paste

2-3 tsp hilly green chilli coarse paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

½ cup oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup sabarang or lemon basil

Salt
Method

Heat a cooking pan with oil on medium flame, add chopped onion and fry until colour changes to golden. Add ginger, garlic, chilli paste, turmeric, cumin and salt. Sauté until everything gets well fried. If necessary, add a small amount of water.

Add chicken and jackfruit seeds, and stir until everything gets well incorporated. When oil comes out, add water accordingly to cook the meat and the seeds. Cover with a lid and let it cook until meat and seeds get well cooked. Adjust the amount of salt and gravy. Add sabarang leaves, stir and cover the lid, and let it simmer for a few minutes on low flame.

Bacchcchuri Del (Bamboo shoots Lentil)
Ingredients

5 pieces bamboo shoots, processed and boiled

1 cup lentil

½ cup chopped onions

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

4-5 pieces green chilli, slit open

A pinch of turmeric powder

¼ cup oil

Salt to taste

A dash of Fuji leaves (wild jhum coriander leaves)

Water, as required

Method

Boil lentils on medium heat. Meanwhile, heat a pan with oil. Add chopped garlic and onion and sauté until it turns golden. Add turmeric and salt. Add pre-boiled diced bamboo shoots and fry for a few minutes.

Put the sautéed bamboo shoots into the lentil pan and cook until everything gets incorporated.

Transfer into a serving bowl and garnish with a dash of Fuji pata (hilly wild coriander leaves).

Oulod Phool Hurbo (Turmeric flower Salad)
Ingredients

4-5 pieces turmeric flower

½ cup Thai pea eggplant or teet begun

¼ cup dried shrimp, roasted

2 onions, sliced

10-15 pieces green chillies