The best local food usually isn’t served in posh, fancy restaurants; instead, Meghalaya is dotted with small jadoh stalls where locals drop in for sha (tea), jingbam (snacks) and full meals at all hours of the day.
During weddings and festivals, the food is usually the same, with a few additions like ja snam (brown rice cooked with chicken’s blood) and dai iong (lentils made with black sesame paste). The people are also fond of fish fried to a crisp in mustard oil, local wild mushroom, banana flower (usually made into a chutney), muli khleh (grated radish with white sesame paste), and smoked pork cooked with sweet red pumpkin.
Boil the minced beef with water (just above the level of the meat), until almost completely dry. Let it cool. Heat the oil. Grind ginger to a paste and mix well with the meat. Add ground chilli, cloves and salt. Roll the mixture into balls the size of golf balls. Deep-fry until dark golden brown.
Recipe courtesy Kong Bih.
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