Skip to content
India in Nutshell
Sign in
Suggest a correction

Sunga saul (rice cooked in bamboo)

AI-drafted · awaiting admin review

Sticky rice packed into green bamboo tubes and cooked over a fire, then sliced and eaten with curd, jaggery or meat.

Region: AssamOccasion: Magh Bihu feasts (uruka) and community picnicsTime: 1 hour (plus soaking)Serves: 4Vegan

Ingredients

  • 2 cups bora saul (sticky rice), soaked 2–3 hours
  • 2–3 fresh green bamboo tubes (sunga), each closed at one end
  • Banana leaf or straw to plug the tubes
  • Water as needed

Method

  1. Drain the rice and pack it loosely into the bamboo tubes, leaving a little space at the top.
  2. Add water to just cover the rice and plug the open end with banana leaf or straw.
  3. Lean the tubes over a wood fire or bonfire and turn them now and then so they cook evenly.
  4. Cook for 30–40 minutes, until the outside is charred and the rice is set.
  5. Split the bamboo and take out the cylinder of rice. Slice and serve with curd and jaggery, or with meat curry.

History

Cooking rice in bamboo is an old practice among many communities of Assam and the North East, where bamboo grows everywhere.

Significance

Sunga saul is often cooked on the night of uruka, the eve of Magh Bihu, when people gather by the meji bonfire.

Sources