Rita Blah and how her popup at Tijouri inspires me!
I don’t think it’s a surprise that Rita Blah’s popup at Tijouri was a big success. I have always said that her food is wonderful and that’s not the opinion of a son and his comfort food. It’s an opinion that is held by some of India’s greatest chefs from Prateek Sadhu to Gautam Krishnankutty.
What I actually want to talk about is how inspiring she is. Just the act of doing your first popup at age 72. To continually challenge yourself, to grow, to have dreams and pursue them.That’s the part that blows me away.
This wasn’t a simple exercise. It’s one thing to cook at home. It’s a whole other thing to cook in a hotel kitchen for a paying audience with a team that has zero exposure to the dishes or cuisine you’re cooking.
The whole act of planning a menu. Thinking of progression and courses when that’s a concept alien to the cuisine. Sourcing ingredients. Planning quantities and estimating how scaling will impact flavours. Rethinking how recipes change with equipment, temperature and workflows you’ve never ever seen before. Training a small team on the dishes with limited time to ensure they are able to replicate authentic flavours at a quality you’re happy with.
And then the physical exertion. Standing for hours despite a dodgy back and arthiritis and the general tiredness that kicks in at age 70. Heat and sweat.
And then still have the grace and kindness to be nice to everyone. To talk to every guest. But more importantly to every member of the staff. The kitchen team, the girls from Nepal handling front of house, knowing their names and their stories and personalities…the hugs and photos and love at the end of event were testament to what a special human being Rita is.
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| Doh thad |
As for the food itself, it’s best that I let the guests speak for themselves and decide. But for me, it was wonderful to see the food we grew up with at home served in a a completely new context and be accepted and loved so much. This wasn’t just Khasi food but the good of our home in Shillong, influenced by the different communities my mother grew up with. From the addictive smoked pork with chilli to the funky “tungtap” of dried fish to the canonical Khasi “doh nei iong”, every dish seemed like people loved and appreciated it.
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| Doh syar shet kylla, tungtap, soh saw |
The best feedback wasn’t the sold out sittings at 3k a pop or the empty plates. It was the 11 year old who devoured everything from cold pork salad with pig brain to the spicy chutney served with the momos and then turned to his mother and said it was the best food experience of his life!
Thank you Sanithra, Swati and Kaushik for making this dream come to life. For both her and us, you’ve created a memory to last a lifetime.
The menu:
STARTERS:
1. DOH THAD | Dried Smoke Pork
2. MOMOS & SOHMYNKEN SAW | Pork Momos with Dried Red Chilly Chutney
- RITA’S LEGENDARY SMOKED BRINJAL AND EGG BHARTA
MAINS:
1. DOH SYIAR SHET KYLLA | Chicken curry and rice
Accompaniments
- TUNGTAP CHUTNEY | Dried fish chutney
- SOH SAW | Charred Tomato Chutney
2. JA STEM WITH DOH NEI IIONG | Rice cooked in Pork Broth with Black Sesame Pork
Accompaniments:
- DOH KHLIEH | Cold pork salad
- NEPALI CHUTNEY | Cold chickpea with Chayote Squash chutney
DESSERT
JA SHULIA with SOH IIONG | Sticky rice, black berry jam and icecream
Accompaniment:
SHA SAW | Khasi Black tea
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