Country: India (Assam Province)
Price: N/A
Must-try Dish: Pork Belly Curry with Black Sesame
Dinner Guest: Curly Guy & Darth-Sid (AKA Darth Sidious)

Mandrea Bike had the great honour to be invited to our new friend Darth-Sid’s home along with Curly-Guy for an authentic dinner from the Assam region of India. This country has long been on our travel radar, and our night at the Assam Indian Pop-Up solidified a trip to Assam on the bucket list. 

This style of cuisine would be very difficult to find in the restaurants of Toronto and we’re thrilled that we could get a glimpse into the flavours of this corner of the country that differs heavily from what we would often find in the city’s Indian eateries. 

The night  turned into an experience that would be hard to parallel. We learned about the customs of the area in comparison to other parts of the country, we were enlightened on the history, and we were given a much needed cooking class in the art of Indian cuisine. 

With some Indian music as a backdrop, we immediately dived into some raita with mint, which is a whipped yogurt dip that’s served as both an appetizer with crackers and a vehicle for managing spice throughout the meal. It took a lot of strength to slow down from devouring the whole bowl between us. 

The first course were onion fritters called pakoras. They were served crispy off the grill, and there was likely some insides of mouths being burned because they were irresistible, especially with the raita slathered on top. 

On to the mains, we had pork belly curry with black sesame. You can’t really go wrong with the moistness of pork belly, especially when it’s been marinated for nine hours, followed by a slow cook. The black sesame isn’t a flavour that we’re familiar with, and it added exciting new layers to our taste buds. The chanadal is a lentil dish that was cooked with raisins, that gave it a sweetness. As a huge fan of lentils, it was nice to see some on the dinner table 

As a part of the spread, we had basmati rice that was cooked in cinnamon and cardamom, kachumber salad, and aaloo poshto with black sesame. 

Although some of the flavours are familiar and some new to our palates, it all worked well together. Serving rice with cinnamon and cardamom adds sophistication to the rest of the dishes, which pair well with their notes of garlic, ginger and black sesame, which is a unique but delicious taste .  

We had to keep room for dessert, even though it was hard to put our forks down and keep eating these amazing dishes. We were served bhapa doi, which is a steamed yogurt dessert that was a softer texture to a cheesecake. 

The base of all Indian cuisine is to cook with onions, garlic and ginger. We learned that mustard oil is essential in Indian kitchens because it can carry extremely high heat, and is unfortunately nearly impossible to find in Canada – please let us in on the secret if you know where to acquire it in the Toronto region. In addition, it’s crucial to look to cumin, chilies and tumeric instead of the store bought curry powders from the grocery stores when making Indian food in your own kitchen. 

Our most valuable lesson of the evening was the importance of eating good food in good company across the Indian culture. This resonates with us because it’s how we’ve fashioned our blog: to spend time with our favourite people eating delightful foods. Within Indian homes, it’s something that people enjoy doing together and the recipes are passed down from generations as people share their cooking tips in kitchens. The entire process, down to the last bite is meant to be enjoyed together. Not to mention, it’s a hospitable space. 

Thank you Darth-Sid for an unforgettable dinner!  

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat and Andrea) 

***The majority of the spices and ingredients were sourced in Kensington Market. The spices were purchased from House of Spice on Augusta Avenue in the heart of the market, and an essential place to get your hands on spices of the world in Toronto. Mandrea Bike was also introduced to the existence of green mango powder and the uses in Indian food – we’ll be sure to try it out in our own future recipes!