Meghalaya Spice Trail: Food pop offers best of northeastern cuisine

An ongoing food pop-up, "Meghalaya Spice Trail", is giving a unique twist to local northeastern delicacies by transforming into gourmet delights.

The 10-day festival, being held at The Pullman Hotel here, is curated by Shillong-based food connoisseur Tanisha Phanbuh.

From sauted and pickled Mushrooms to 'Jadoh Risotto' (rice with meat) and 'Doh Neong' (pork in black sesame seed gravy), the special culinary treat promises to have a fair share of exotic regional dishes for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

"Being born amongst the vibrant flavours of Meghalaya, I intend to carry the essence of the Northeast and aim to spread the aroma to the metropolitan cities through these pop-ups.

"It is my conscious effort to start a conversation around the delicacies of Meghalaya, and I feel that by joining hands with Pullman, New Delhi Aerocity, I can bring them to the spotlight, making it a mainstream gourmet delight for its patrons," said Phanbuh, who was among the top 20 contestants of reality show 'Masterchef India' season six.

Shedding light on the northeastern cuisine, which is a mixture of mild and spicy, Phanbuh said she has used fresh local flavoursome ingredients like bamboo shoots, 'Bhut Jolokia' (ghost pepper), touted as one of the spiciest pepper across the world, along with various regional greens to create lip-smacking delectables.

The expansive menu also boasts of gastronomical delights like rice crackers with assortment of chutneys, smoked pork and bamboo shoot dumplings, pan fried chicken and much more.

It also serves a host of decadent treats for desserts, including Tea panna cotta and Cashew praline.

The festival goes off the table on May 14.