What's Cooking? Dr Geeta Dutta answers

When we talk about Masor tenga (a sour preparation of fish made with tomatoes, lemon or thekera the people like to mix in a lot of red chilli powder which gives the dish a very good appearance but takes away from the taste of a masor tenga made in the traditional method. Likewise, our chicken curry that is the Murgi jalukia, is made only with black pepper but it is seen that nowadays a lot of other spices from packets are added. These are not the taste of Assam.

She swears by the simplicity of Assam's ethnic cuisines and its health value. A doctor by profession, Geeta Dutta has made it her sole endeavour to bring out from the core of Assam's villages the variety of unique indigenous fare on offer, and take these onto the global arena with the aim of promoting cuisine tourism. And as a doctor, health is factored in as the most important ingredient in whatever she cooks or writes about. Excerpts from an interview:

Tell us something about your family and educational background

I was born and brought up at Namrup, an industrial town in Dibrugarh district. My mother, Arati Dutta, was principal of Namrup High School and my father, Arun Chandra Dutta, worked in Namrup Fertilizers. Both of them have now retired and are settled in Jorhat. My sister stays in Canada and my brother in Hyderabad. My family, husband and daughter, reside in Pub Sarania, Guwahati and my husbamd's family have their roots in Pub Sarania. I studied in HFC Model High School, Namrup from where I passed class 10 and then studied higher secondary from Cotton College, It was back to Dibrugarh from where I passed my MBBS from Assam medical College and Hospital before joining the Assam Oil Division of Indian Oil Corporation Limited where I worked from 2003 to 2007. At present I am based in Guwahati as additional CMO of IOCL,

As a doctor I would like to say that during the pandemic I initiated an online service along with other doctors to treat people free of cost.

Tell us what first piqued your interest in food

From a young age I was always interested in how food was cooked, learning the basics of good and healthy cooking from my grandmother, then experimenting later.

But my real journey began in the early 2000s when I joined AOD IOCL in Digboi. My free time was taken up visiting Singpho villages in the neighbourhood and Arunachal and finding out everything that went into their dishes in detail. My husband on seeing my interest and love for cooking suggested one fine day that I document everything that I knew and was learning about regards the dishes made in the region and thus began A Foodies' Diary page on Facebook about seven years ago where I started writing about our local cuisine different herbs and other ingredients which were exclusive to north east India. This page grew and I opened another page by the same name in Instagram. All the people from outside the state and abroad who have wanted to know about recipes and the food cooked in the region, contacted me through A Foodies' Diary where I write extensively on our dishes. Earlier, I also used to write but the column and content grew in A Foodies' Diary. I have also written in a few travel magazines.

Have you been involved with other projects?

Yes, I have been involved with the Rangoli Fest held in Guwahati where I presented the dishes from all the seven sister states of Assam. Likewise in the North East Festival held in Radisson Blu I also presented the cuisine of the seven states in the region – Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya et al. I have also been a judge at the Guwahati Food Awards.

But the project which has been the closest to my heart was for Raja Rasoi, a TV series for which I was approached by master chef Amar Gupta, who was the mastermind behind the show. I took him to interior places and recorded how our dishes were cooked in the rustic way. We went from place to place and discovered the traditional and original ways in which the ethnic cuisines were prepared by different tribes. This project gave me a lot of insight about the way our dishes had evolved from the hinterland.

Another project which I enjoyed doing was the Chandubi Jungle Camp one which had for its objective the uplift of tourism which had cuisine tourism as a component and entailed presenting our dishes in an eco-friendly manner,

An eco-friendly ambience was created by placing a table under a tree and food being served on banana leaves and a few dishes in bamboo soongas. Even the water was served in bamboo glasses, the bamboo having been cut in that shape. The cuisine served was, of course, all local made with original recipes.

The Chandubi Jungle Camp, however, does not have to do with cuisine alone but promotes hiking, sight seeing and several other activities in the lap of nature with ethnic cuisine being a major part of the eco-tourism package.

Apart from going to the villages to gain knowledge about the herbs and spices which go into our dishes where else do you foray for such information?

Another favourite place of mine where I go is the Beltola market in Guwahati. I go there on Sundays where men and women of different tribes and ethnicities of the state, especially the Bodos and Karbis, come to sell herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits which make up our delicacies. I not only ask them how these are cooked, but also find out their local names, their medicinal properties if any, whether it is used in any other part of the world and what taste they lend to a recipe or how they add to the taste of the major ingredient be it duck or pork or any other thing else. I sit with them for hours whenever I get the time and, in this way, I learn the exact way in which these ingredients are mixed in a recipe.

Do you believe that cuisine tourism has potential in the region?

Definitely. I do believe that cuisine tourism has tremendous potential. This place is rich in many vegetation which is used in our food. People from other places come here, visit the Kaziranga and Manas National Parks and seek to have a totally ethnic food experience. In fact, several people from outside have asked me about the best places where local cuisine can be had and I have directed many of them, who have visited Assam, to food outlets serving ethnic fare. Moreover, there are many products – spices, herbs and other fruits and vegetables -- which are specific to this region. Take for example the thekera which has a huge market potential. It is packaged and sent outside and it is seen that it is not only bought by Assamese people but also by non-Assamese. There is a lot to learn about what this region has to offer be it tourism, eco-tourism, cuisine tourism or anything else.

Would you like to start an enterprise or organisation in this regard?

Yes, I would like to do so and this will only have to do with our local food prepared in the authentic way, our drinks and our spices. I will also promote the local herbs and spices. We have such things as the mejenga guti which is closely related to pepper corns, We also very fine quality black pepper which grows in Majuli and then we have our Bhoot jolokia, the King of Chillies, all of which originate here but nobody knows about.

Despite this it is seen that many restaurants prefer to use packaged spices while making local cuisine. Why is this?

Nowadays people prefer everything fancy. When we talk about Masor tenga (a sour preparation of fish made with tomatoes, lemon or thekera, (a sour fruit which is dried and stored in small pieces) the people like to mix in a lot of red chilli powder which gives the dish a very good appearance but takes away from the taste of a masor tenga made in the traditional method and which also looks bland. Likewise, our chicken curry that is the Murgi jalukia is made only with black pepper but it is seen that nowadays a lot of other spices from packets are added. These are not the taste of Assam. These are also not healthy. We have grown up with our own food habits and cuisines which are very healthy as they are in sync with our climate and our eco-system. Our food rules are also made in consonance with our climate. We take khaar twice or thrice a week to clean our system and tenga (a sour preparation) which is good for health during the hot summer days. The packeted masalas are a big no, no for us. I will never curate recipes which are not original nor promote the use of spices from these packets.

What are the problems that you have faced in this field of work?

The biggest problem is getting the raw materials, that is the basic ingredients which lend that piquant taste to dishes These have to be sourced from the villages as they are not found in Guwahati. These also cannot be brought in large quantities as they have low shelf life and there are no means of preservation. Moreover, these days people in the interiors are cutting down many plants and trees and everything is not always available. Another problem I have faced is convincing the cooks that our local cuisine prepared in the original methods are the best. They do not have the confidence that this could be the case and it takes days to make them understand that they should not prepare fancy items. Another thing is that we might have 12 to 13 chutneys and in laying out the food it has to be taught as to what comes after which sauce or chutney and with which main ingredients they should be served so that there is no mismatch. Another thing is making the chefs understand what to prepare the day before and what to prepare fresh in the morning.

When you go for projects or to fests do you go alone or with some one?

I always do it alone but promote our people, For example in the Rangoli Food Fests which are continuing I once promoted a Manipuri group which had begun a start up. The group was were selling food in a cloud kitchen. I brought them out. I curated the menu and presentation but they made the food. In the Radisson Blu North East Fest also I promoted our home chefs. Here too I curated the menu, and told them how to lay the table, the design and presentation were all mine but I gave them confidence on how best to project the food we make and talk to people while speaking about our own cuisine, In this way I tried to help them so that in future they take pride in presenting the food they make.

I have heard about `State in a Plate'. What is this concept?

State in a Plate and Farm to Table are two concepts which I have helped to develop. In the former I worked with Chandubi Eco-Campwhere I curated recipes from tribes of the North East Indian States and these were served on a plate. In the latter I worked with saraighat Farm in which whatever was grown on the farm was made into a variety of dishes and served on the table. Kaushik Das is associated with this for promoting tourism.

Have you found that women in villages can develop a business from food?

Yes, definitely. Initially they have to be prodded to go for it but once they are praised for their culinary skills many have tried their hand at making pickles from mangoes and olives which are abundantly available in villages, The government is also giving them many facilities these days and they have tied up directly with Assam Tourism.

Tell us something memorable in terms of your project that you would like to share with our readers.

Most of the times I get messages on my WhatsApp or Instagram account from readers of my column in Foodies Diary asking for recipes. One day I got a message on Instagram, which I almost overlooked, from Kaveri Ponnapa, the highly acclaimed writer of food and wines. She had most humbly written asking me whether I could spare some time to meet her and show her around. I consider meeting her and showing her around our local Bazar my most memorable time. I think I am very lucky to have met such a great writer who is also so humble. I loved the way she respected our people – the lady selling herbs. The man selling ducks. What touched me most and left an indelible imprint on my heart was when she said. "See Geeta I can understand your love for food. When I talk about my food, my cuisine my eyes get moist and I can see your moistness in your life when you talk about your cuisine: this is one line which I will remember forever.

What is the thing that you enjoy the most?

Everyday is a learning experience. There is nothing like our food is better than yours. At present I am in Haryana and I can see the emotions attached to their sarson da saag. I would like to learn more about Haryanvi cuisine. I also like to cook dishes of other states like Punjab, Kashmir and Bengali – especially their traditional recipes passed down from one generation to the other. I enjoy exploring not only what our region has to offer but also the culinary delights of other places.

Will you be using A Foodies' Diary as a brand in future? What are your plans?

Yes, I might do so. A Foodies' Diary is my signature mark. People identify me with it. Many times, I have seen photos of dishes I have uploaded here being shared by people without my permission and this is not ethical, But others somehow come to know that these are my photos. That is what I mean that I have a signature style.

Regarding my future plans I would like to write a book on the herbs and spices of Assam. This would enable people to not only know about our indigenous herbs and spices but also their value addition and the way to use them in recipes.

At present I am very busy balancing my home, my daughter is very young, my work as an additional chief medical officer at Guwahati and my passion which is curating recipes and writing on food as well as cooking. But writing this book is uppermost in my mind.

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