My incredible first day in northeast India continued with more exploration of the city of Guwahati! My new friend took me to one of the city’s most notable attractions, the Brahmaputra River, and then we enjoyed an authentic Upper Assamese Mughlai thali! Come along with me as I continue exploring Guwahati!
On the way to the riverfront, I stopped to get some sugarcane water, which is such a nice and refreshing drink that’s perfect on a hot day in India. Best of all, it only costs 10 rupees!
From there, we took a rickshaw to Sati Radhika Prashanti Udyan River Front Park. It usually only costs 10 rupees per person to get into the park, but since I had a camera, I had to pay an extra 40.
I learned that the park is a popular date spot for couples. As we walked along the Brahmaputra River, I could see ferries floating on the water. The Brahmaputra is the widest river in all of India and runs through parts of Tibet, China, and Bangladesh. From our lookout spot, I could see the smallest river island in the world. The river also contains the largest river island in the world, and I’d be visiting it later in my trip.
Then, it was time to eat an Upper Assamese Mughlai thali! We walked 5 or 10 minutes to Michinga Ethnic Cuisine to have lunch, an incredible upper Assamese Mughlai thali (450 rupees)! On the way, I got to see a beautiful local house.
This restaurant sells Assamese, Naga, Khasi, and Asian foods and I couldn’t wait to try this thali! It’s sort of a mix of southern thalis (which primarily contain rice) and northern thalis, which are more bread-heavy. This Upper Assamese Mughlai thali contained nine different dishes, including pulao with eggplant, paneer kofta, chicken korma, chicken cutlet, paneer, and mutton in an Assamese gravy.
I started with the paneer, which was bathed in a super rich curry. It was like butter and disintegrated in my mouth! I tried it with the pulao, which was pretty grainy, almost like couscous. It was made of Johar rice, which is only found in Assam! It was amazing and very similar to couscous.
Next, I tried a chutney made of yellow mustard and green chilies. It was really spicy and had me reaching for my friend’s water when I tried it alone. It was much better with the pulao.
Next was the paneer kofta. It was crunchy and crispy and almost tasted like it could have been some type of animal meat like chicken! It was bathing in a delicious curry and had absorbed its flavors. I loved it!
Then I went with the chicken cutlet, which didn’t really taste like chicken and reminded me of a croquette. The cutlet was soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside. It wasn’t my favorite, so I moved on to the chicken korma, which was also in a curry. It was super soft and I pulled it right off the bone.
Next, it was time for the mutton (lamb or goat meat), which was so juicy and tender. It was so good I had to suck the marrow out of the bone. The curry it came with was also super flavorful and tasty. It was my favorite dish so far!
Then I dug into the fried eggplant, which was coated in gram flour. I loved the spice in it!
I added the rich mutton curry to some of the pulao. It contained tons of spices, including cardamom. It’s kind of sweet and is so delicious! Then I went with one of the other curries. They say eating with your hands changes the flavor of the food and I think they’re right! It was even more incredible when I dug in with my fingers and got dirty!
The mustard and green chili chutney with the pulao was really hot, so I took a palate cleanser to help me get rid of the heat in my mouth! My tongue was on fire!
Our total with the water came to 470 rupees/roughly $6.78 USD.
I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Brahmaputra River and joining us for our authentic upper Assamese Mughlai thali! If you did, please give it a thumbs up and leave me a comment. And please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travel/food adventures!
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