Patisserie Operaa, Guwahati

About three weeks into my current stay in Guwahati, I discovered an absolute gem on GS Road, just two bus stops away from where I'm staying in Paltan Bazar. It's a little patisserie in Lachit Nagar (opposite the KFC) called "Patisserie Operaa". It's named for the famous 'opera cake'. I can only assume the double 'a' in Opera is to prevent any confusion as the pronunciation of the last vowel (since a single 'a' is often used in transliterations of Assamese for the vowel /ɔ/, similar to the vowel in English 'hot', not /a/.)



I'd seen the patisserie each time I'd gone down GS Road, and I was immediately attracted by the interior decor. It's one of the few places here I'd actually feel comfortable sitting around in for hours.




Of course, I've been to places here with nice interiors, but simply awful food (which I tend to put up with anyway just so I have somewhere to sit and read or do work). But the pastry chef at Patisserie Operaa trained at Le Cordon Bleu Institute in London, and it really shows in the cakes and pastries. I'm still blown away each time I go and try their cake - part of me can't believe that I'm in Guwahati!

So far, I've avoided the cakes with white cream on them, only because they remind me of the ubiquitous cakes with 'cream' toppings you find in bakeries all over this part of the world. But judging from the other cakes that I've tried, there's no reason to be worried.

Here's the eponymous Opera cake. The sponge had been soaked in coffee, and was moist without becoming soggy.



The fudge in the chocolate cake was rich and smooth, and not too sweet.



And the tiramisu had the right balance of coffee and cream. My friend L. from Germany agreed it was very good, but reckoned it could've had a bit more sponge in it.



I don't have any good photos of the rum balls, but they are simply amazing! Chocolate-y, rich, smooth. My friend L. bought about 9 to take with her to give to friends.

Also, the place does wonderful pastries (and quiche!) as well. I've only tried a few of them with my friend L., who left on the train the other day. When she was in town, we were at Patisserie Opera every day...



I'm really glad I waited 3 weeks before entering the patisserie, because I'd have put on a lot more weight during my first month in Guwahati! This is where I'm going to when I feel homesick (and not KFC across the street). Ironically, I don't think I'll be able to get cake as good as this when I move to Canberra next year.

Patisserie Operaa is located on GS Road, opposite the KFC in Lachit Nagar. The patisserie is open 7 days a week from 10.30am to 10.30pm.

Picnic in the rain

Last week I was invited to a family picnic at Khükiye Lukhai. I was looking forward to it. I didn't know whether it would be next to a stream, but I was told fish was on the menu. It turned out to be right next to my friend's uncle's akhabo 'fish pond' right next to their fields.





The only downer was that after weeks of sunshine, it rained the entire day. The remnants of Cyclone Thane which hit Tamil Nadu had made their way up to the Northeast.



Thankfully there was the field hut / house - a little resting shed next to the field where people can rest.


And prepare food if necessary.


Given that there were more than 10 of us, they also set up a tarpaulin shelter next to the house.


And my friends and their cousins all ate from a big banana leaf.

As promised, there was fish caught that morning from the akhabo.


Which my friends wrapped in banana leaves and grilled with a little bit of organic lemon.

Not the best weather for a picnic, but the food and company definitely made up for it!

Cute animals

(I was originally going to title this post "Cute animals that don't always end up on people's menus", but thought it was a bit too long and a little unappealing.)

Chinese people are often said to eat anything. I'm sure many people in India probably have a similar impression of the Nagas (if they've even heard about them). The thing is, most animals in Nagaland are eaten, but there're always a few creatures that don't quite make it to the menu.

One animal that doesn't typically feature in people's cooking here is cat meat (akhosa shi), although there are certainly people who do eat cat. Hutton (1921) noted that cats were not eaten among the Semas due to a number of superstitions associated with them.



Dog meat (atsü shi) is much more commonly eaten in Nagaland, as in many parts of China and SE Asia. However, even here, not all people will willingly consume dog. I have many friends here who steer clear of dog meat. There's also a common belief here that dogs will know if you're a 'dog eater' and will not like you. (That's why I tell people I'm waiting for my dog in Singapore to pass on before I try dog meat.)


Of course, chickens are eaten, but people wouldn't think to eat the cute little chicks. But I'm sure it's not because they're cute...


Alright, you got me. This post was just an excuse to post pictures I took of cute animals over Christmas.

Organic Nagaland

I was actually going to promote my friend Abokali's new business, but I ended up promoting her brother's art exhibition in Kohima first.

In any case, Abokali recently started her own business called Organic Nagaland. As you can guess, they specialise in organic produce from Nagaland - given that artificial fertilisers and pesticides are practically non-existent in most parts of the state, it's not hard to find quality 'organic' produce here. However, it is difficult to transport and store the produce given the lack of infrastructure (such as good roads and constant electricity). Yet somehow she's managed to source local produce like oranges and kiwi fruit (which don't require refrigeration) and market it at recent agriculture expos in Bangalore, Delhi and now Guwahati. In the process, she's also rallied together local farmers, particularly women, and given them a source of income.

The main shop (I'm calling it her flagship store) is in Project Colony, Zunheboto. (Incidentally, her brother also designed the logo for her company.)


It really stands out when compared with other fruit and veg shops in Zunheboto, in that it actually looks nice and the produce isn't covered in dust.




Most of the products are already neatly packaged. The shelves are lined with local soya beans (ayikhu in Sumi).


And the prices are quite reasonable compared to other fruit and veg shops in town. The store also sells local spices, including angothi 'Chinese peppercorns' that are related to Sichuan peppercorns (they also give that 麻辣 málà effect) - don't forget that Nagaland is closer to Southern China than it is to the Ganges floodplain.




And the store also sells axone the fermented soya bean dish that the Sumis are famous for. During the Hornbill Festival, I met a person from America who asked me what 'axe-on' was. I had to explain that it was pronounced 'ah-cho-nie', where the 'ch' is like the 'ch' in German ach or Scottish loch. Given that the sound (a velar fricative) isn't found in any other major Naga language, most people know the dish as akhuni.

What the store sells is the dried version, which lasts quite a bit longer.


All the best with the business Abokali! I'm definitely going to take some stuff with me when I go. Definitely some dried wild apple (soooo good) and a bit of dried axone to bring back to Singapore. I doubt Australian customs would let any of this stuff in.

(Also, if you want to contact her, she has a blog here. I'd put up her email address, but it'll just attract spam.)

Dilai Gate Sunday Market out of Dimapur

I'm meant to be going down to Dimapur at some point today, if my ride from Zunheboto actually comes to pick me up from Kohima. (We're meant to be picking up some people in Dimapur before heading back to Zunheboto tomorrow.) Anyway, to mark my potential arrival in Dimapur on a Sunday, I thought I'd share some pictures that I took 2 weeks ago when I was in Dimapur. (It's pretty photo-heavy, so apologies to people with a slow internet connection.)

The friend I was staying with in Dimapur brought me to the Sunday market just outside Dilai Gate on the road to Diphu, which technically means it's in Assam, not Nagaland. There's a sign that says 'A K Market' but most of my friends (even the ones in Kohima) know it as the Dilai Gate Market.



It's pretty much strewn next to the side of the road, which happens to be a national highway...


At the market, you can find your usual vegetables.


Gourds.


Local varieties of ginger and garlic.


And little chillis - these are more like bird's eye chillis, they aren't bhut jolokia / Naga King chillis.


Lots of spices


And other dried stuff. I noticed a lot of dried fish especially.




People were frying up sweets and selling them, alongside different kinds of bhujia.


They also had baskets for sale.


There was a somewhat carnival atmosphere, with one man selling balloons.


And another one selling cotton candy. (Note the massive truck on the right - did I mention this was on a national highway?)


Some ladies were making pithas (made from rice flour and coconut) as well. Maybe someone can tell me the name for this type of pitha.


Then of course, there were the more exotic 'meats'. My friend reckons these are silk worms, but they look slightly different to the ones I ate when I was in Diphu.


There were beecombs, filled with tasty grubs (I imagine).


And some jungle spiders - I have tried spider before, when I was in Zunheboto last year, but I don't know if they were the same variety as these. There were also grasshoppers, but I can't seem to find photos of those...


The less exotic meats were much more popular. There was fresh fish from the many rivers and lakes of Assam.


There were live chickens for sale.


As well as dead ones.


Almost all the butchery was done on site. I saw a few goats having their throats slit.


We had goat curry for lunch that day.


The most popular meat was (surprise, surprise) pork. Here, unlike with the chickens and goats, there were mini-barricades set up to keep customers out of the pig butchering area. I was told that the reason for this was that previously, people would rush in and grab the choicest parts so the barricades were set up to keep pushy (we'd say kiasu in Singapore) customers out.


So there you have it. A typical Sunday morning in Dimapur.

Except, well, without going to church...