The Seven Sisters: Kitchen Tales from the North East
takes us on a journey through the villages, sleepy
towns and burgeoning cities of Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and
Tripura, culminating in the kitchens where families
gather around the stove to cook, eat and celebrate life.
As North Easterners from across India and around
the world disclose both family lore and the secrets of
cuisine passed down generations, we meet a daughterin-
law who preserves the recipes she learnt as a bride
in the house of her new family, a son who keeps alive
the memory of his mother through the dishes that
enchanted his childhood, a grandson on distant shores
who sees the sunset of his hometown in the aromatic
haze rising from his kitchen stove–and much more.
Here we are led on a discovery of culinary delights and
cultural revelations of an unsung region. There is more
to food from the land of the Seven Sisters than momos,
and, no, dogs do not vanish from their streets only to
appear in kitchens, and frogs don’t leap onto the dining
table! In fact, while much of the world has woken not
so long ago to the wonders of slow cooking, seasonal
products and a no-oil, no-sugar diet, in the North East,
that flavour is a time-tested one. The smorgasbord has
something of everywhere–from the killer Raja Mirchi
of Nagaland to the simple delicacy of Pork Bharta from
Tripura (cover image), to the mildly flavoured Chahou
Kheer (purple rice porridge) from Manipur...
Pick up this passport and newly discovered kitchen turf
in the hills, plains and valleys of this colourful region.

About the Author

PURABI SHRIDAR (nee Thapa) has been a journalist for over two decades, working with publications like Indian Express, Sunday Mail and Femina reporting on diverse subjects from secessionist movements to politics to developmental stories and above all, women and women related issues. She hails from Shillong and has grown up on the diverse food flavours of the North East, from tungrymbai to Iromba, khar to axhonne, shootki to bai. SANGHITA SINGH currently works as the Associate Editor of Hello! Magazine. In a career spanning 13 years, she has covered a vast array of subjects – interviewed celebrities, written on art, culture and fashion and also dabbled in television briefly. She has been a columnist for Current newspaper, writing on the softer aspect of Indian politics. Apart from her love for writing and journalism, she likes to indulge in food and feasting.