Skip to main content

How to make KHAR of Assamese Cuisine

Khar is an alkali prepared from sun dried skin of some varieties of banana. It is prepared by filtering the water from the burn ashes of the skin of the banana. Therefore it is also called kolkhar (kol means banana). It is preserved in bottles and can be used for months. It sounds bizarre but Assamese people are using khar as a cooking ingredient since time immemorial when salt was not discovered. It is believed that khar cleanses the stomach.

 A traditional Assamese meal begin with khar recipe.  A khar recipe can be prepared with raw papaya, bottle gourd, dry Jasmin flower,  doron bon xaak, fish head etc. In a khar recipe khar is the key ingredient.  One or two tablespoons is enough to prepare khar recipe.  Khar can also be consumed as raw by just adding chopped garlic,  few drops of mustard oil and salt.

• Doron Bon Khar
• Papaya Khar

Khar 

Recipe of making khar from banana peels :


Ingredients :

• Dry peels of 2 banana
• 2 cups of water.

Method :

  1. Khar is generally prepared from bheem kol  (Botanical name : Musa bulbasiana)
  2. Peel off the skin of two bheem kol . Let the peels sundry for few days.
  3. In a large bowl take 2 cups of water .
  4. Burn the banana peels. Immediately add the burn ashes of banana peels in the water of the bowl. Mix well. Let the liquid cool itself. 
  5. With the help of a strainer, filter the liquid in a bottle. Discard the remaining. 
  6. Khar is ready now.  You can store it now and use it wherever you want.  Only a few drops or one or two tablespoons is enough to prepare khar recipe. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

List of Vegetables used in Assamese Cuisine with their English name.

Here is a list of 50 leafy and non-leafy vegetables used in Assamese cuisine with their English name.         Assamese name = English name  Lai xaak(লাই শাক)= Mustard green  Paleng xaak(পালেং শাক)= Spinach  Horiyoh xaak(সৰিয়হ শাক)= Mustard plant  Dhekia(ঢেকিয়া)= Fiddlehead ferns  Meethi xaak(মিথি শাক)= Fenugreek greens Mati kaduri(মাটি কাডুৰি)= Sessile joyweed  Lofa xaak(লফা শাক)= Chinese mellow   Bor-manimuni(বৰ-মানিমুনি)= Asiatic pennywort  Sofguti(চফগুটি)= Fennel  Dangbodi(ডাংবদি)= Yard long been  Kolmou(কলমৌ)= Water spinach  Titamora(তিতামৰা)= Jute plant  Tengamora(টেঙামৰা)= Roselle  Bhekuri(ভেকুৰী)= Indian nightshade  Squash(স্কচ্)= Chayote squash  Bahgaj(বাহঁগাজ)= Bamboo shoots  Betgaj(বেতগাজ)= Rattan shoots  Sojina(চজিনা)= Drumstick  Maan-dhania(মান ধনিয়া)= Long coriander  Mosondori(মচন্দৰি)= Heart leaf  Bhedai lota(ভেদাইলতা)= Skunk vine  Zilmil(জিলমিল)= White goosefoot  Moricha(মৰিচা)= Amaranth  Khutura(খুতুৰা)= Green amaranth  Oolkobi(ওলকব

List of Fruits found in Assam with their English Names

Here is a list of fruits found in Assam with their English names.  Assamese Name = English Name  Kordoi (কৰদৈ) = Starfruit (Scientific name : Averrhoa carambola) Lichu (লিচু) = Litchi (Scientific name : Litchi chinensis) Matikothal (মাটিকঠাল) = Pineapple (Scientific name : Ananas comosus) Komola (কমলা) = Orange  Noga Tenga (নগা টেঙা) = Rhus srmialata Ahom Bogori = Peach (Scientific name : Prunus persica) Kothal (কঠাল) = Jackfruit (Scientific name : Artocarpus heterophyllus) Siral (চিৰাল) = Mouse Melon (Scientific name : Melothria scabra) Torbuj (তৰবুজ) = Watermelon (Scientific name : Citrullus lanatus) Bogori (বগৰী) = Jujube ( Scientific name :  Zizyphus jujuba) Modhuri (মধুৰী) = Guava  Jamuk (জামুক) = Malabar Plum, Java Plum or Black Plum (Scientific name : Syzygium cumini) Aam (আম) = Mango   Mouchumi (মৌচুমি) = Sweet Lime (Scientific name : Citrus limetta) Lataku (লেতেকু) = Baccurea (Scientific name : Baccurea sapida) Dalim (ডালিম) = Pomegranate (Scientific

Water Hyacinth : The Most Amazing Vegetable I Found During My Visit To Tipam

 Food and travel go hand in hand. I always like to try new food, specially the local food whenever I travel. My recent visit to Tipam was not an amazing one in terms of testing food, as we didn't  find a good  eatery. But the most amazing thing happened was that we found a vegetable vendor who was selling water hyacinth (meteka) in his bicycle. I once tasted a water hyacinth dish in my mom's place but haven't cooked it myself. So I bought two bunches of water hyacinth's leaves with stems from him. As he was also selling water hyacinth's blossoms, I bought it too which was a new vegetable for me.  Water hyacinth  Water hyacinth's blossoms  Tipam is located in the Naharkatia Tehsil of Dibrugarh district of Assam. Tipam was the first capital of Ahom dynasty. The first Ahom king Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha is said to have set his first foot hear after he entered Assam.  The main attraction of Tipam is the Deosali hill which is a beautiful hill surrounded by beautifu