What are the things that come to your mind when you think about Assam. Bihu, Pitha, Tea and the One Horned Rhino, right ? If Aloo Pitika has not come to your mind yet, then you have been missing out on something big. Every Assamese kitchen has prepared some version of this dish at some point. Be it a family under a thatched roof or one who has a fully air-conditioned dining room, they relish its taste.
Aloo Pitika is nothing but boiled or smoked potato mashed with salt and mustard oil. People add chopped onions, chilies, ginger or coriander as per their taste preferences. It’s the favorite comfort food in the state as it requires minimum time, effort and ingredients. Also, in a time like this, it can come extremely handy when we have to survive with limited stocks.
It’s difficult to trace the history of Aloo pitika as it has always been there in the Assamese cuisine. Most probably it came from the farming families who used to cook on the earthen stoves heated by burning wood. And after the main course was done, the mother would toss a few potatoes in the dying charcoals. The result would be a beautifully smoked potato with a hard crust.
Till around five years back, this dish was not much talked about. It was taken as a condiment just like green chilies and lemons. However, the dish got its recognition with the booming of the social media, food and tourism industry. Many restaurants in Assam added ethnic Assamese Thalis to their menus which obviously included this item. And soon, several restaurants outside the state also started serving this Assamese delicacy.
Types of Aloo Pitika
There are several variants of of this cuisine. You can smash a hard-boiled with it and transform it into Aloo-Koni Pitika. Mixing smoked tomato with it will make it Aloo-Bilahi pitika . It gives a tangy flavor to the smash. Some, also prefer to add roasted dry chilies to it for the extra heat. One of the most preferred mix is however the one with brinjal, the Aloo-Bengena Pitika.
The beauty of this dish is that you can sever it at any time in any season. Be it with a hot plate of dal-rice or a soothing bowl of poita bhaat, Aloo Pitika fits in perfectly. So, when you have nothing to eat, this pitika will be there to comfort you.
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