Northeast on a Plate: Chef Gitika Saikia’s Culinary Journey

Excerpts from an interview with the visiting chef.

What was the moment that made you commit fully to Northeast Indian cuisine?

It was in August 2014 after spending 10+ years in marketing communications, when I decided to hang my boots and pursue my passion of creating an identity to the ‘less explored’ Northeast India cuisine.

How do you introduce first-time diners to fermented flavours without overwhelming them?

When I first started in 2014 and dabbling (rather burning) in different experiential dining events, I understood that not everyone will be open to the cuisine..a cuisine in which the vegetables are the King & Queen and the herbs play an integral part in bringing them all together. In other words, what jeera, dhania or garam masala is to mainland cuisine, herbs are to us. Therefore, educating and informing them, double checking on the intensity of the flavours became a crucial part of my events. For instance, careful designing / curating a menu. Incase of an extensive menu and mixed group, equal emphasis is given to their tastes and preferences.

Which ingredient from the Northeast do you feel is still misunderstood the most?

Axone still has to get its due. If added in the right amount and paired with the perfect meat / vegetables, the entire dish gets elevated to the next level.

How do stories and food intersect in the dining experiences you curate?

We all associate food with a memory or so, don’t we? A dish or ingredient which wasn’t our favourite in our childhood gradually, unknowingly becomes our go-to food. Be it cooked by our grandmothers or mothers or our neighbours, some meals get associated or known by a neighbour or an aunt’s name. Several of the dishes I’ve introduced have always a nice ring of story weaved around it. It takes us and guests back to those days.

Has cooking for global audiences changed the way you present traditional recipes?

Yes. I have started presenting some age-old dishes in a newer avatar with a new twist but without killing its authentic taste and flavours.

What does a culinary weekend like this at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace allow you to express as a chef?

As a chef, I enjoy meeting new people. Such curated food festivals allows me not only to meet and understand people’s tastes + preferences but also challenges me every time to explore the explored in myself.

What have you got for guests at Westin?

We have curated a menu for each of you showcasing seasonal flavours from each of the states of the North East. The region is vast and during this festival, we could only do a handful. The ingredients – rice, greens, spices, herbs etc. are brought from the NE and we are hopeful that you will enjoy them just the way we did while curating it.

Are these recipes passed on by family or is it universal?

Yes, some are our family favourites, some inspired by friends, family members, neighbours and some my own.