Skip to main content

No Khuwa

No Khuwa

Aghun is one of the most important month of Assamese culture. The golden paddy fields give immense pleasure and happiness to the farmers. The months of  hard work turns into reward in terms of good crops and thereafter the time for celebration comes. 

In Assam, rice is considered as the principal crop and is also the main food.  During the Assamese aghun month which fall during November  and December of English calendar month, the ripen rice crops are harvested. During this harvesting season, the people of Assam, specially on rural areas prepare a feast from newly harvested rice crops. The people of a neighborhood gather in an open field or sometimes at the farmer's house and celebrate the feast which is an extensive meal prepared in traditional ways to celebrate the first  meal of the fresh new harvest. As the feast is about new harvest crops, it is therefore called the no-khuwa feast. 

 No-khuwa is combination of two Assamese words no and khuwa. No means 'new' and khuwa means the 'act of eating'. No-khuwa is basically a feast (bhooj), a thanksgiving ceremony, celebrated at every farmer's house in rural Assam during or after the end of harvesting season. 

In some areas no-khuwa is celebrated in Namghar, the Assamese community prayer hall. People of a community gather at a Namghar and offer prayers for good crops and thereafter prepare an extensive meal and enjoy it together. Some ethnic communities of Assam do have some rites and rituals of celebrating no-khuwa feast but the main attraction of the  no-khuwa feast is all about eating a hearty meal together with all the family members, relatives and neighbours. 

No-khuwa  is a community feast celebrated during the month of aghun during night time or sometimes at day time as per convenient. If someone could not celebrate the feast during aghun month then there is no ritual of celebrating it on puh month. But they can celebrate it the next month which is called the magh month of Assamese calendar.  The dishes prepared for the no-khuwa feast are very elaborate. Food items and dishes of no-khuwa may vary from community to community. Few such items in the menu of no-khuwa bhooj are like kumurar logot haah (duck meat with ash gourd), mati mahor dali (black gram curry), masor torkari (fish curry), kol posola (banana blossom curry), lai xaak aru gahori (pork with mustard greens), kukurar mankho (chicken curry), sunga bhat (sticky rice in bamboo hollow), sewa diya bhat (steamed rice) etc. 

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(ভে...

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 ...

List of Spices(মচলা) with their English and Assamese names

 Here is a list of 25 spices (মচলা) with their English and Assamese names.  Assamese name = English name  Ada (আদা) = Ginger (Scientific name : Zingiber officinale)  Nohoru (নহৰু) = Garlic (Scientific name : Allium sativum)  Piyaj (পিয়াজ) = Onion ( Scientific name : Allium cepa)  Dhania (ধনিয়া) = Coriander ( Scientific name : Coriandrum sativum)  Jeera (জিৰা) = Cumin (Scientific name : Cuminum cyminum)  Ronga guri jolokia (ৰঙা গুৰি জলকীয়া) = Red chilli powder  Hukan jolokia (শুকান জলকীয়া) = Dry chilli  Kola nimokh (কলা নিমখ) = Black salt  Long (লং) = Clove ( Scientific name : Syzygium aromaticum)  Dalsini (দালচিনি) = Cinnamon  Elaichi (ইলাচী) = Cardamom  Kala jeera (ক'লা জিৰা) = Black cumin  Saunf (চ'ফ) = Fennel seeds ( Scientific name : Foeniculum vulgare)  Methi (মিথি) = Fenugreek ( Scientific name : Trigonella foenum-graecum ) Haldhi (হালধী) = Turmeric  Tejpat (তেজপাত) = Bay leaf  Jaluk (জালুক) ...

Product Review : Saffola Fittify Gourmet - Green Coffee

Your daily health booster in carefully crafted exotic flavors for a healthy gourmet experience. - Chef Kunal kapur   Green coffee is unroasted coffee which contains 3X more antioxidant power than regular coffee. Saffola Fittify Gourmet - Green Coffee is an instant beverage mix created by nutritionists and curated by famous Indian celebrity chef Kunal Kapur is a health booster, high in antioxidants.  I received 2 parcels from Saffola Fittify Gourmet, containing green coffee packets of three different varients two weeks ago. After trying all the three different flavors for two weeks I am sharing my views below.  Below are the information which are written in the packets : Benefits of Saffola Fittify Gourmet - Green Coffee : Aids weight management. Helps regulate metabolism. Ingredients : Green coffee extract (35%) Inulin (Chicory root extract) Maltodextrin Anticaking agent (IND 551) Added flavour :nature identical flavouring substance  Nutritional Information : In...

Alpine Retreat : Best Homestay In Guwahati : A Review

 If you are looking for a best homestay in Guwahati, then I will highly recommend to check out the  Alpine retreat homestay, a lovely urban apartment at the right of the  heart of the area.  During our last visit to Guwahati, we had decided to stay at a homestay instead of staying in a hotel. The reason of choosing a homestay over a hotel is that we wanted a homely atmosphere and a homestay is a kind of accommodation where tourists are treated like guests, not clients and they are given rooms to stay together with the host family in the same house. A homestay is after all someone's home. In homestay we don't have to confined in a single room just like in a hotel. As the American novelist Edgar Watson Howe beautifully quoted  "To be an ideal guest, stay at home. ".  Alpine retreat is a lovely urban apartment that provides homestay with patio. Just 4.5 km from Paltan Bazar railway station, located on the G.S road,  Alpine retreat is easily accessible an...

Kochur Loti Recipe :Taro Stolons with Bamboo shoots

  Hello everyone ! I am back after a long time. As I was tested Covid-19 positive last October, so this break was much needed. But as I am back now, I will try to write new blog posts every week on different interesting and amazing food and recipe topics of Assamese cuisine.  As the second phrase of Covid has begun in many countries, we need to be more careful now and should follow strictly the guidances provided by World Health Organisation to protect ourselves and the people around us from caronavirus.  Here is a quick look at the precautions we need to follow strictly to prevent the spread of Covid-19: Keep physical distancing and wear a mask in public  where physical distancing is not possible.  Clean your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer and carry a hand sanitizer with you while going out.  Maintain a safe distance from person who is sneezing and coughing.  Don't touch your eyes, nose and mouth.  Seek medical attention if y...

Pork with mustard greens (Lai xaak)

Mustard green is a green leafy vegetable. I love its taste.  Its little bitter but it taste good once cooked.  Many recipes can be made with this beautiful green leafy vegetable. Fish with mustard greens , mustard greens stir fry, mustard green raw chutney,  boiled mustard greens are some of the mustard greens recipes.    Pork with mustard greens is a very special recipe of  Assam . Use full grown mature and soft mustard green leaves only. This recipe is very simple and very less spices are used. Assamese cuisine  is in fact less spicy compared to other Indian cuisines.  Pork with mustard greens is served as a side dish with rice. Assam is a rice eating state and Assamese generally eat rice at lunch and dinner.  So this pork  recipe can be served at lunch and dinner with steamed rice. But some people don't like to have leafy vegetables at night.  So for them serve at lunch only. Pork with mustard greens (Lai xaak) ...

Pork with elephant apple

  Here I am back after a long time. Today I am going to share a simple recipe of Pork Curry . Its an Assamese style pork curry where I cooked it with elephant apple . Serve this tasty pork curry with rice in lunch or dinner. Dillenia Indica   commonly known as Elephant  Apple   or Ou tenga   is a fruit ,  sour in taste and very native to Assamese cuisine. Ou tenga contains vitamins C and E along with vitamin B complex and potassium. It also contains antioxidants. Elephant apple is generally used in Assamese cuisine to make fish curries. Pork with Ou Tenga or Elephant Apple: 📎 Course :  Main course 📎Cuisine :  Assamese  🔪Preparation Time :  10 minutes ♨Cooking Time :  30 minutes 🕞Total :  40 minutes 🍴Servings : 4 INGREDIENTS: 500 gms pork 1 elephant apple or ou tenga  1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 onion, chopped Chopped green chillies (3-4) or bhoot jolokia * amount of chillies according to your taste...

Fish Curry with Dry Elephant Apple (Ou Tenga)

Hey there!  I'm back again, after a long time. It's more than six months now, that I haven't written a single word in my blog. Sometimes staying motivated  to keep posting new posts everyday isn't so easy. But, I am back with a new recipe now. It's a simple Assamese style fish curry recipe or masor tenga cooked with dry elephant apple ( ou tenga ).  Dillenia indica, commonly known as elephant apple (ou tenga in Assamese) is used as a souring agent in Assamese cuisine.  We can eat both raw (by making a chutney) and cooked elephant apple. Assamese people eat ou tenga by adding it in lentil curry (dail) and by making sour fish curry (masor tenga). We can also preserve elephant apple by just sun drying it. At first let me share the recipe of Sun dried elephant apple.  Sun Dried Elephant Apple : INGREDIENTS: 1 elephant apple  METHOD: STEP 1  Remove the petals of the elephant apple with the help of a sharp knife.  STEP 2 Cut the soft petals into small ...

Puroi Xaak Bhaji | Stir Fried Malabar Spinach

  Malabar spinach is known as puroi xaak in Assamese and pui shaak in Bengali. Malabar spinach is also known as basella alba, which is a vine with sort stems and thick heart shaped leaves. There are two varieties of malabar spinach - green and red. Malabar spinach is rich in vitamin A and C, iron and calcium.  The one that I am using in this recipe has green leaves with reddish purple stems. The stems of Malabar spinach is soft and hence are used as a vegetable together with its leaves. Puroi Xaak Bhaji | Stir Fried Malabar Spinach  INGREDIENTS : 1 bunch of malabar spinach  1 potato  1 eggplant or brinjal   2 green chillies, chopped 1 onion, chopped  1/2 tsp turmeric powder   2 tbsp mustard oil salt to taste METHOD: Wash malabar spinach leaves with stems under running water. With the help of a sharp knife gently remove the thorns. Roughly chop the leaves and cut the stems in 2" long. Peel potato and cut into pieces. Keep aside  Wa...