When I was a child, our visits to my uncle’s home were invariably accompanied by picnics in the forests of Deomali in Arunachal Pradesh. My cousins, siblings and I, along with my maternal uncle, would trek into the dense, gorgeous forest to spend the day by the river that ran through it. We would catch fish or hunt, stuff the day’s catch or game into bamboo cylinders, and cook it on an open fire – just like the local tribes did. It was my uncle who bequeathed me this heirloom recipe for bamboo-smoked meat. At Arth, we serve it with Alpinia Leaf Wrapped Jasmine Rice, a dish I discovered on my travels across India. Before launching Arth, I had happened to meet members of the Fakiyal tribe in Naharkatia and the Mishing tribe in Majuli, who cook rice this way. The Alpinia leaves impart the rice a delicate flavour.

  • Serves

    2

  • Cook Time

    00 h 45 m

Ingredients

For Rice

  • Jasmine rice
  • Alpinia leaf (can be substituted with turmeric leaf)

For Bamboo-Smoked Mutton

  • 200 gm mutton boti (boneless)
  • 50 gm yogurt
  • 50 gm finely chopped onions
  • 1 tbsp chopped green coriander
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 4 dried whole red chilies
  • 2-3 whole garlic cloves
  • 1 allspice leaf
  • Salt to taste
  • Hollow bamboo cylinder, 8 inches in height with a mouth 2.5 inches in diameter, soaked in water
  • Bamboo skewers

Preparation

For Rice

  1. Soak the rice in water for 20 minutes.
  2. Place the rice, about 3 tbsp, at the centre of each leaf and make small parcels. Tie the parcels with trussing thread.
  3. Fill a pot with water up to 4 inches high. Place the parcels in the water.
  4. Simmer slowly for 20 minutes, covered. (Pressure cooker can also be used without whistle.)
  5. Remove the parcels.

For Bamboo-Smoked Mutton

  1. Skewer the boneless mutton boti using bamboo skewers, alternating the mutton pieces with whole garlic cloves and whole red chillies.
  2. Take the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to make a marinade-like masala.
  3. Place the skewered meat into the pre-soaked bamboo cylinder and pour in the masala.
  4. Seal the bamboo cylinders with aluminium foil.
  5. Cook for 20 minutes on slow, simmering charcoal or wood fire.
  6. Remove the foil and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, ensuring the bamboo is upright, until the meat is cooked through.
  7. Serve the bamboo-smoked mutton with parcels of rice to complete the dish.

Written by

Amninder Sandhu

Amninder Sandhu is the Chef at Arth, the first gas-free restaurant in India that embraces ethnic Indian methods of slow cooking over wood fire and charcoal. She is a winner of the national award, presented by the Ministry of Tourism, for Best Lady Chef. She was the only Indian chef chosen to compete on the Netflix series ‘The Final Table’. She was adjudged the Chef Of The Year at the Times Food Awards 2019, and Outstanding Entrepreneur-Culinary at the prestigious Guide Awards 2019.

See more by Amninder Sandhu