Sungat bonua literally translates to cooking in bamboo tubes in Assamese .

Bamboo is a very common plant in the equatorial region of the earth . Due to its high strength and fast growth rate , this member of the grass family is very popular in the construction and paper industry . But this post is about something completely different  , using bamboo as a utensil to cook your food !

Picture courtesy : Buddha Saikia

Eating is a necessity but cooking is an art .

The first step is to choose an edible type of bamboo ( if you do not want to have allergic reactions!! ) . For this you can ask your elders or you can check this list .

Select a thick raw piece . The thickness and the water content in the stem wall prevents it from catching fire easily , thus enabling cooking in bamboo tubes . Try to  use the end towards the roots for making these tubes as they are thicker and stronger .

Next comes the cutting . Cut about two inches from the node in such a way that each piece has an intact node at one end . Use a saw or hack-saw blade to cut so that there are no cracks while making the tubes .

Do not forget to rinse well before you use it  . It takes from about fifteen minutes to about one hour for cooking in bamboo tubes depending on what you put inside . A wide range of food like rice , fish , meat  and vegetables can be cooked in these tubes . Try to use small pieces when cooking meat . Cover it with a tender banana or leaf after putting the contents and tie it with piece of string or straw .

This type of cooking is even more fun when you are on an outing with your family or friends . Set up the sungas to cook on your campfire while everyone is enjoying . The nice aroma of the bamboo to your food is what makes cooking in bamboo tubes ever so special .

Click here for more information and recipes on Sungat bonua – cooking in bamboo tubes .