The black magic of sesame

Pushpesh Pant

Our friend Sneha Saikia recently did an Assamese pop-up for food-loving friends at her house. We got to savour some rarely encountered culinary gems from the Northeast. Foods from Assam’s different regions have one thing in common — hardly any oil is used and the distinctive spicing is khar, an alkaline substance obtained by burning banana stem.

She laid out a lavish spread that included pork with ash gourd and duck, besides the signature Masho Tenga. The vegetarian guests had a fancy fare too. Mustard greens rubbed shoulders with green chillies crested mashed potatoes laced with pungent mustard oil, daal with just a hint of sweetness and chutneys of bhang and tomato. Steaming amla and adrak soup in clay cups whetted the appetite and cleansed the palate.

At the sumptuous lunch, we were won over by baby potatoes clad in black sesame seeds. After popping the first one in the mouth, we just couldn’t stop! Tilwale achari aloo are also made in Nepal, but that recipe uses white sesame seeds. This dish recalls the kale til ke laddu that make their appearance with the first lot of rewari and gachak with the advent of winter. Great dish for winter season. Do try it ASAP.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes (boiled and pealed) 500g

Black sesame seeds 2Tbsp

Salt to taste

Green chillies (optional) 2-3 (ground to paste)

Mustard oil 1 tbsp

Method

Heat oil in a non-stick pan till it reaches smoking point. Then lower the flame to medium. Put in the sesame seeds and stir briskly. Add potatoes along with salt and stir gently to evenly coat with sesame seeds. Add green chilli paste if you like and stir for about another 30 seconds. Serve as a starter or a perfect foil for any gravy dish, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Can be served and enjoyed at room temperature.