Seven Sisters, Seven Stories: A Culinary Journey Through Northeast India

For much of India, Northeastern cuisine remains an umbrella term, a convenient label for foods that, in reality, have little in common beyond geography. The fermented flavours of Nagaland are distinct from the light broths of Assam. Mizoram’s fondness for smoked ingredients differs from Meghalaya’s use of black sesame. Arunachal Pradesh’s high-altitude food traditions bear little resemblance to the kitchens of Tripura or Manipur. To call it one cuisine is to overlook hundreds of communities, each with its own ingredients, techniques, and food memories. 

It is this diversity that Lore at Radisson Hotel Delhi MG Road seeks to showcase through 7 Sisters, a seven-course tasting menu running from July 1 to 21, with each course representing one of the seven Northeastern states.  

Executive Chef Kush Koli, who says he learnt much of the cuisine from home cooks and sources ingredients directly from the region, isn’t interested in softening these flavours for Delhi. Fermentation happens in-house, smoked ingredients are prepared in the restaurant, and products such as anishi (fermented yam leaves) are procured directly from Nagaland to preserve authenticity. 

As someone who is partly Assamese from my mother’s side, I walked into dinner with equal measures of anticipation and scepticism. Northeastern food isn’t unfamiliar to me. It has been part of family meals, and over the years, I’ve also eaten with the Memba and Galo families in Arunachal Pradesh, where mountain herbs, freshwater fish, and restrained seasoning allow ingredients to speak for themselves. That familiarity made me curious to see whether this menu would feel like a performance or a genuine attempt to represent the region. 

The answer came almost immediately. 

Beyond One ‘Northeast Cuisine’ 

The opening course from Nagaland, Smoked Duck Dhokli with Raja Mircha Jhol, was the evening’s finest plate. Thin ravioli dhokli arrived with slices of stewed duck resting in a broth sharpened by fermented bamboo shoot and king chilli. Before the first bite, it was the aroma that stopped me. Smoke can often become an easy flourish in restaurant cooking, but this carried the unmistakable smell of slow cooking over fire, allowing the duck to remain the centrepiece rather than overwhelming it. It was the course that felt closest to the kitchens it drew inspiration from. 

The meal then moved to Manipur, where fried chicken scones were paired with homemade scones with scattered chicken liver, Manipuri spices and chives. It was less rooted in tradition than the opening course, leaning into Chef Koli’s “Lore twist,” but retained enough of its regional character to remain recognisable.  

Those opting for the vegetarian version won’t feel short-changed. The Marai Bora and Mushroom Scones, filled with mushroom ragout and finished with chives, are just as satisfying. 

Mizoram followed with Misa-Robatayaki, where machh poora met grilled U-5 king prawns, orange chilli glaze and truffle chips. Tripura’s Wahan Mosdeng brought seared pork with white onion, a carom seed crisp, and flavours borrowed from the state’s community kitchens.  

Meghalaya’s contribution was perhaps the most restrained of the savoury courses: black sesame-crusted lamb chops served with lemon rice cakes. The black sesame lent the lamb a pleasant nuttiness without overpowering it. The lemon rice cakes, though, had a texture and taste reminiscent of dhokla and didn’t quite sit comfortably with the rest of the plate. 

A Drink For Every Destination 

Every course was paired with a drink that echoed the flavours on the plate. I opted for the non-alcoholic pairing, starting with the bright Pineapple Hill Fizz. It was followed by Khasi Cloud, made with Khasi mandarin, peach syrup, and kaji limbu juice; Eastern Inferno, with Sichuan pepper and passion fruit; Hills Cooler, featuring Thai basil and mango; Assam Blossom, with green tea and apple juice; and Banana Mist.  

Chilli Trail rounded off the mocktail journey before the meal concluded with Kamaiti, a herbal tea from Nagaland. Made from the Kamaiti herb, it is locally referred to as the “sleeping pill.” 

Those opting for the alcoholic pairing have an equally thoughtful selection. Cocktails include the Assam Collins with Earl Grey tea and kaffir lime, Wine & Brine with Burmese grapes, the fiery Naga Fire made with bird’s eye chilli tincture, Palace Garden Punch, Jewel of India and the Eastern Sunrise Martini. 

The Assam Perspective 

The Assam course was naturally the one I was most eager to try. Grilled Chilean sea bass was served over a cool Assamese naga chilli broth alongside brown rice gyapa khazi. It was an accomplished dish, the buttery fish taking on the smokiness from the robata grill while holding its own against the broth. 

Yet this was also the one course where I found myself disagreeing with the menu’s interpretation. Freshwater fish sits at the heart of Assamese cooking, and I would have preferred a carp, catfish, or trout over sea bass. When I asked Chef Koli about the choice, he explained that sea bass was selected for its buttery flavour, nutritional profile and, more importantly, its ability to absorb the smokiness of the robata while developing crisp skin. From a chef’s perspective, the reasoning makes sense. From the perspective of someone who associates Assamese food with river fish, freshwater catch would have felt more rooted in the region’s culinary identity. 

The meal concluded in Arunachal Pradesh with Yak Cheese Gulgule, served alongside candy floss, cinnamon, litchi relish, and custard honey dew. The dessert brought back memories of Mechukha in Arunachal Pradesh, where I first tasted yak cheese as mithun churpi. Prepared from the milk of the mithun, the state’s iconic mountain bovine, the smoked cheese is famously hard and usually chewed for several minutes before it softens. 

The use of yak cheese acknowledged a part of Arunachal’s food culture that rarely finds space on restaurant menus elsewhere in India

There are moments when 7 Sisters steps away from strict tradition in favour of contemporary technique, and not every course lands with the same conviction. But it succeeds where many regional pop-ups do not. Rather than treating the Northeast as a single culinary identity, it gives each state its own chapter, allowing distinct ingredients, cooking methods, and stories to emerge. 

In a city where Northeastern food is still too often viewed through the narrow lens of momo and a handful of familiar dishes, 7 Sisters broadens the conversation. Lore has given each of them a seat at the same table. 

Read more: Meet The Sisters From Meghalaya Putting Khasi Cuisine On India’s Food Map

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