The Chakma tribe of Tripura live in close harmony with nature, which is evident in their culture, including their culinary traditions. They primarily live in the Chittagong Hills Tracts of Bangladesh, the Chin and Arakan provinces of Myanmar, the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, and in small groups in West Bengal.
In today's episode, we are introducing you to a slice of this unique ethnic cuisine, presented by a husband-wife duo from the community who run an exclusive Chakma kitchen in Durgacherra named Tongh Ghar. This cherished initiative by Chaman Chakma and Tulana Chakma aims to promote their cuisine and culture to the world.
To reach Durgacherra, we took a train from Jogendranagar to Manu. After alighting at Manu, we boarded an auto-rickshaw and reached our destination. Tongh Ghar stands in the backdrop of verdant paddy fields and faraway hills but is right on the road. The genial owner Chaman Chakma gave us a warm welcome. Over a cup of tea and two kinds of traditional rice-based snacks called pidhe (similar to pithe in Bengali), he shared a brief overview of the Chakma community. Made with simple ingredients, the pidhe were quite tasty.
We then joined Tulana Ji, the head chef in the kitchen, to witness the lunch preparation. The mise en place was ready. most of the ingredients sourced from their backyard garden. She started with the making of a pork dish called Sugor Erah Goram. Fatty chunks of pork were slow cooked with chilies, ginger, garlic, onion, and seasonings. As it was left to simmer, we proceeded to make Amleh Guloh Tohn. For this, she cleaned a bunch of freshly plucked roselle fruits and tossed them into boiling water that had onions, suguni, salt, and turmeric. This dish introduced us to one of the two key ingredients of Chakma cuisine: dried fish, known as suguni.
After the glistening red-colored stew was ready, she began preparing Hattol Tohn. It is raw jackfruit cooked with suguni and shidol, a fermented shrimp paste-the second key ingredient in Chakma cuisine. This dish used very little oil. When the pork was ready, she added a bunch of native basil called sbrang, which infused a unique flavor into the dish. Next was the turn of Maajh Hebaang, one of the most famous traditional dishes of the Chakma. Freshly caught carplets are mixed with some spices and then cooked on a low flame inside a banana leaf parcel. She then blanched some Reh Saak, as boiled greens are important to the daily meal. The last dish we prepared was a lightly spiced red lentil dish. We learned that lentils aren't typically part of Chakma cuisine, but Tongh Ghar offers a couple of simple and unique dal preparations for the variety of visitors, especially Bengalis.
When the food was ready, we joined Chaman Ji, Sivangi, and her friend Rina for lunch, sitting on the floor. Chaman drew our attention to the dainty-looking individual mini dining tables made of bamboo called mejaang. We started with Reh Saak and rice. To enhance the flavor of this subtly flavored spread, there was a famous chili and pork-based hand-pounded condiment called murich guddhiyeh. The pork with basil was tender and flavorsome. The jackfruit curry stole our hearts with its distinct umami and piquant taste. Roselle with suguni was tangy and piquant. Infused with the flavors of onion, ginger, garlic, and chilies, the Maajh Hebaang had a distinctively delicious taste. The food is characterized by its simplicity, with minimal use of spices, relying instead on the natural flavors of local ingredients. It reflects their deep connection with nature and resourcefulness.
After this hearty meal, we gulped down some roselle tea and finally bid the lovely family goodbye. It was a great opportunity to experience and learn about Chakma cuisine and culture.
TONGH GHAR
Durgacherra, Chawmanu Road, LTV
Dist. Dhalai, Tripura
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Texts by Swetaleena Nayak