Outlier 2: Sneha Lata Saikia - Preserving Culture Deliciously

The outlier in this feature, Sneha Lata Saikia (lovingly known as Sneha)  is unique as she is mostly found around something we all love “good food”. She however has walked a mile further into preserving and spreading love for her land “the north east”, a comparatively lesser known part of our country with some of the most unique dishes and cooking styles. Sneha leads a one woman army to tell you about it tastefully, by actually making you taste it to remember it and her excellent cooking skills ensure you want more. Her food for now is only for the fortunate few in Delhi who are able to make it to her showcase pop-up events in association with a few restaurants. However if you approach her in her popular facebook group The Kitchen Affair or in person and ask her about any dish she will answer you in detail about it with delight. 

So allow us to educate you and ignite the hunger for the north eastern food with Sneha...

Q: Sneha tell us a little bit about yourself and your life so far?

A:  I belong to an Assamese family with a Army background and raised with equal rights along with my brothers. As my dad was in Indian Army, I have got the privilege to travel various places and learn different cultures. I am professionally a fashion designer but a food lover by soul which is slowly leading me to the food world to research and establish myself related to food. 

Q: What is the definition of “food” for you?

A:  Definition of food for me is simply to satisfy the soul "Atma tripti" in hindi. 

Q: When did you learn to cook and what was the first dish you made?

A:  Although I was never encouraged to learn cooking but a food lover inside me used to compel me to learn cooking and try new dishes. I haven’t got any formal training in cooking, I have just learned by watching people and Television shows . My first cooking was when i was in class 7, I had baked a cake on a stove . My dad who never liked me to enter in kitchen, was most proud at that moment. That was my first cooking dish, but I never cooked after that till the age of 17. At 17 I cooked a complete meal for 30 people and that too on my own birthday. 

Q: You are active on various food events and also run a food-centric group. So tell us how it all began?

A:  After joining social media, I joined many food groups and I always got attracted to people who loved food. Fashion or other discussions never attracted me. But I felt people were ignorant with entire Northeastern region. For some Assam means some other country. So I thought why not organizing food events showcasing my cuisine. Instead of arguing with people, I found this is best way to convey or educate people about cuisines of Northeast India.

Q: When and how did the idea of preserving culture with cuisine come to you?

A: Same reason, gave me a thought to showcase our culture. I do not want to show any fusion food of my region,as people are still ignorant of our cuisine, so better to show them authentic food of our region .

Q: How has the journey been so far? (Would love you to elaborate on the good and bad both here)

 A: My journey in this food world is very interesting. I got mix people, some of them are now my very close friends who are always ready to help me to showcase or talk about my cuisine. Some tried to pull me down as I do not reside in Assam and their verdict is how can i showcase an authentic cuisine living outside the region. My word for such criticism is "you can live outside Assam but you cannot leave Assam from your soul.” Whenever I go back home, I travel to village to village to learn different tribe's cuisine. 

Q: What are the peculiarities for the north eastern food that you love the most?

A: I won’t use the word peculiarity for my food. Northeastern food is fresh, healthy and flavorful. We add flavors with herbs which is healthy. Even WHO has declared our cuisine as most healthy food of India. I love the flavor of fresh bamboo shoots in curries. The tanginess of roselle leaves in meat or any veg curry, the bitter vegetables which purifies blood. 

Q: What are the dishes you love to cook?

A:  It is very difficult for me to pinpoint one dish which is my favorite to cook. But I find Masor tenga (tangy fish curry) very quick to cook.  

Q: Where can one find your recipes and taste your food next?

A: I post my recipes in my food group - The Kitchen Affair and you can relish my food on my pop up events. I had recently organized a Bihu special menu pop up on 24th of April '2016. I am planning to organize another one as soon as I get my ingredients from home, as I get my ingredients from back home. 

Q: Do you plan to go full-fledged into having your own restaurant or doing these events in other cities?

A:  I have no plans for opening up a restaurant but I am planning to go to different cities showcasing my cuisine. I have got an offer from Bangalore. I am working on it.  Sometimes people ask me where can they order my food, so this is encouraging me to start catering on demand. I still want to maintain it as my hobby.

Q: Five dishes from the north east one must try in their life time?

A: Oh I cannot limit my list to five, but here are the dishes one shouldn’t miss out on in life:

a) Sunga t diya Mangxo ( any kind of meat cooked in hollow bamboo ) .  Assam 
b) Eromba - Manipur 
c) Pork chutney- Tripura 
d) Jadoh - Meghalaya 
e) Bai - Mizoram ( Boiled veg, meat and rice ) 
f) Dry fish chutney ( Arunachal ) 
g) Pork with Anishi ( Nagaland ) 
h) Gya Thuk ( Sikkim)

Q: What are your other interests and hobbies?

A: My other interest is to make interesting concoctions with spirits and Northeast ingredients. I love listening to music and travelling. 

Q: What is Sneha’s philosophy in life?

A:  My philosophy in life is to respect human beings. No one is superior. You learn every day and on every step. 

Thanks a lot Sneha for your time and educating us about food. I am sure after reading this article we would be successful in breaking atleast the barrier of "unknown" when it coes to cuisine of North east. 

Sneha: It was a pleasure. 

If you are a foodie I am sure this is just the beginning of your journey in exploring the North east through the delicious route.

Note: Pictures courtesy - Snehalata Saikia. All the dishes in this article are cooked and clicked by her.