The Monk's Kitchen

19/09/2025

09/04/2025

I had been trying to create a post which would include my lunch platter. I have been clicking for some time now but was never satisfied with the composition of the plate nor the photo until today. With only a few days to go, feels like Bihu is already on my plate.

Sengmora (spiny arum) with Chicken
Fried Silk Worm Pupae
Fiddlehead Fern Stir Fried
My daily compulsory salad
Dal and rice

28/03/2025

When you get the rarest of the rarest ingredients in the local market it's a treasure found. Got hold of a few bunch of Asparagus (Xotmul, in Assamese) in the Thursday weekly market yesterday.

I tried growing asparagus couple of years back on my own. With the help of a friend who works in the tea garden we sowed a plot of Asparagus seeds in his backyard garden. The plants grew well and tall but we didn't see any Asparagus stems growing from the ground like I have seen in the pictures. The cycle took around half a year still no asparagus were growing. We were patient but no asparagus ever grew. Upon searching in details over the internet, we got to know that asparagus grow not from the plant but from the root system of the plant called crowns. After knowing this we started digging for the crowns and yes we did get find them and planted them again in another plot as per instructions. But to yield the harvest from the crown it takes around 3 to 4 years to reach maturity. That's where our excitement level sank and my friend too had to move away from that place due to transfer orders. And the experiment was never completed.

This is the second time I got hold of this in the market. The last time was more than 5 years back I guess. That's rare is Asparagus.

28/02/2025

When you got napa cabbage in town, why not try this. The crunch of this salad will just blow your mind.

What you'll need

Napa Cabbage
Baby Spinach
Onion

For dressing

Hung curd or mayonnaise
Honey
Kasundi or mustard sauce
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Chilli flakes
Crushed peanuts
Toasted sesame oil, if available

Mix all the ingredients of the dressing in a bowl.

Add to the salad and enjoy.

27/02/2025

I was always fascinated by the pickle bottles displayed on the shops along the Guwahati - Shillong Road. Those colorful racks of bottles filled with variety of pickles always tempted me to buy a bottle of each variety showcased. I remember during my school days, we were gifted a bottle of cauliflower pickle by one of my mother's colleague. That taste still lingers in my taste buds. Upon asking my friends from Shillong what spices do they use to prepare these pickles. They mentioned a special spice mix called "Modi Musla Bhaba" as written on the packet, has its own long history. Few days back on my way to Shillong I saw those colorful racks of pickles again and upon reaching home I was craving for that bottle of pickle gifted by Mr. and Mrs. Suting. And thus, I tried my hands on making my version of the cauliflower pickle but without Modi Masala. It's still bottled and placed in the sun about to be ready in a week. 🤞

06/02/2025

Looking for a hassle free stay in the heart of Guwahati? Located at a distance of just 1 km from Paltan bazar railway station, RUACH HOMESTAY is your solution. Please call 9531414366 for any queries.

30/12/2024

The Monk's Kitchen will stay open till 8:30 PM today so that your partying doesn't stop. And you can place your orders till 4 PM tomorrow. Thank you and enjoy.