Every time someone says “Northeast food? Oh, momos!”, a grandmother somewhere in the hills sighs. Momos are delicious, sure, but the region’s kitchens go far deeper: smoke, fermentation, bamboo shoot, herbs you will not find anywhere else, and chillies that should come with a legal warning. Here are ten to start with.
1. Jadoh · Meghalaya
The Khasi comfort classic: rice cooked with pork and turmeric, often with a little blood or offal for depth. Best eaten at a busy roadside jadoh stall at lunchtime.
2. Doh khlieh · Meghalaya
A fresh, punchy pork salad with onion, ginger and green chilli. Light, sharp and dangerously easy to keep eating.
3. Masor tenga · Assam
A tangy fish curry soured with tomato, lemon or elephant apple. Light and bright, ideal after a big meal (or before one).
4. Pitha · Assam
Rice cakes, sweet or savoury, the stars of every Bihu. Til pitha, filled with sesame and jaggery, is the crowd favourite.
5. Eromba · Manipur
A mash of boiled vegetables, chilli and ngari, fermented fish. Smoky, spicy, funky and the definition of an acquired taste that you then cannot live without.
6. Smoked pork with bamboo shoot · Nagaland
Pork smoked over the kitchen fire, cooked with fermented bamboo shoot or axone and Naga king chilli. Rich and smoky, it is the dish that ruins all other pork for you.
7. Bai · Mizoram
A gentle, brothy stew of greens and vegetables, often with bamboo shoot and sometimes pork. Mizo home cooking in a bowl.
8. Berma dishes · Tripura
Berma is the dried, fermented fish at the heart of Tripuri cooking. It goes into chutneys and stews like mui borok-style dishes, adding a deep savoury kick.
9. Pika pila · Arunachal Pradesh
An Apatani pickle of bamboo shoot, pork fat and chilli. Sharp, rich, and best with plain rice.
10. Gundruk and phagshapa · Sikkim
Gundruk is fermented leafy greens, often made into soup. Phagshapa is strips of pork fat stewed with radish and dried chilli. Perfect on a cold Gangtok evening.
Rule of the hills: if a local tells you it is “not spicy”, it is spicy.
Got a dish we missed? Of course we did. Send your list to contact@lifeinnortheast.com and we will happily eat our way through it for part two.
Quick answers
What is the most famous food of Northeast India?
There is no single dish, but well-known favourites include Khasi jadoh, Assamese masor tenga, Manipuri eromba and Naga smoked pork with bamboo shoot.
What is jadoh?
Jadoh is a Khasi dish from Meghalaya of rice cooked with pork and turmeric, often with a little blood or offal for depth.
Is Northeast Indian food spicy?
Much of it is, thanks to chillies like the Naga king chilli, but many dishes such as Mizo bai and Assamese masor tenga are gentle. Rule of thumb: if a local says it is not spicy, it is spicy.