From Our Tables

Til Diya Kukura Mangxo is traditionally a home-style Assamese preparation where black sesame (til) lends warmth and depth to chicken. In this preparation, chicken is marinated with roasted black sesame, gentle spices, and aromatics, then grilled till smoky and tender.

Sesame is valued in Assamese kitchens not just for its nutty character but for its nourishing values, especially during the colder months.

In Eastern India, pithas arrive with the change of season, quietly marking moments of harvest, festivals, and family gatherings.

Made largely from rice flour, jaggery, coconut, and lentils, pithas are less about indulgence and more about rhythm. In Assam, tekeli pitha is gently steamed in kettles, while til pitha is rolled thin and filled with sesame and jaggery. In Odisha, arisa pitha is fried slow and crisp, often prepared weeks in advance, its flavour deepening with time.

What makes pithas special is not just how they taste, but how they are made. Recipes are rarely written down. They are learnt by watching, by doing, by standing beside someone older in the kitchen. Some families still use inherited moulds or cloths for shaping and steaming, carrying forward both technique and memory.

Glossy, heart-shaped, and deeply aromatic, the paan leaf has long been an inseparable part of India’s culinary and cultural landscape. Beyond being a post-meal indulgence, paan has ancient roots in Ayurveda, believed to aid digestion, freshen the breath, and cool the body after a heavy meal.

Across regions, it takes on many forms - from the meetha paan of Banaras, filled with gulkand and fennel, to the peppery, plain paan savoured in southern households. Its leaves also appear in savoury preparations and festive rituals, symbolising hospitality and freshness.