Northeast Indian Foods

Food across Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and the other northeastern states is simple, light on oil and full of greens, fish, pork, bamboo shoot and fermented flavours, eaten with rice: masor tenga, khar, eromba, aloo pitika, thukpa and momos, with joha and black rice and Bihu pithas. Fish, meat and vegetable dishes are low GI; rice, mashed potato, momos and pithas carry most of the carbohydrate.

10 Northeast Indian foods on GlycemicIndia

Northeast IndianSouth IndianNorth IndianPunjabiGujaratiBengaliMaharashtrianRajasthaniTelanganaKeralaTamilAndhraOdiaKarnatakaBihariGoanKashmiri

Best picks for blood sugar

  1. Khar (Assamese Raw Papaya Dal)GI 35
  2. Eromba (Manipuri Vegetable Mash)GI 40
  3. Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer)GI 55
  4. Pork with Bamboo Shoot (Naga Style)GI 30
  5. Masor Tenga (Assamese Sour Fish Curry)GI 35

Keep these small

  1. Aloo Pitika (Assamese Mashed Potato)GI 78
  2. Veg Momos (Steamed)GI 70
  3. Til PithaGI 68
  4. Joha Rice (Assam Aromatic Rice)GI 68
  5. Thukpa (Noodle Soup)GI 60

Easy swaps

The same kind of food, with a gentler effect on blood sugar.

Joha RiceGI 68→Brown RiceGI 50
ThukpaGI 60→DaliyaGI 48
Veg MomosGI 70→DhoklaGI 45
Til PithaGI 68→Peanut ChikkiGI 58
Aloo PitikaGI 78→Baingan BhartaGI 15

Northeast Indian foods ranked by glycemic index

Lowest GI first. Tap any food for its full nutrition, portion advice and swaps.

FoodGIGLServingCaloriesProteinFiber
Pork with Bamboo Shoot (Naga Style)3021 bowl350 kcal26g3g
Masor Tenga (Assamese Sour Fish Curry)3521 bowl (2 pieces with gravy)200 kcal22g2g
Khar (Assamese Raw Papaya Dal)3551 bowl110 kcal5g4g
Eromba (Manipuri Vegetable Mash)4041 small bowl70 kcal3g3.5g
Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer)55201 small bowl230 kcal6g1.5g
Thukpa (Noodle Soup)60271 bowl320 kcal18g4g
Joha Rice (Assam Aromatic Rice)68291 cup cooked195 kcal4g1g
Til Pitha68232 pithas210 kcal4g2g
Veg Momos (Steamed)70251 plate (6 momos)220 kcal6g2g
Aloo Pitika (Assamese Mashed Potato)78201 small bowl170 kcal3g2.5g

GL and nutrition are per serving. How these values are sourced

Low-GI Northeast Indian foods

GI 55 or below. These raise blood sugar slowly and make good everyday choices.

Pork with Bamboo Shoot (Naga Style) — 1 bowlGI 30· Low

Pork with Bamboo Shoot (Naga Style)

बांस की कोंपल के साथ पोर्क · వెదురు చిగురుతో పోర్క్

Nagaland's classic smoked or fresh pork cooked with fermented bamboo shoot, king chilli and ginger, with little oil. High in protein, and bamboo shoot adds fiber with very little carbohydrate.

Northeast Indian
GL 2350 kcal1 bowl
Masor Tenga (Assamese Sour Fish Curry) — 1 bowl (2 pieces with gravy)GI 35· Low

Masor Tenga (Assamese Sour Fish Curry)

मासोर टेंगा · మాసోర్ టెంగా

Light, tangy Assamese fish curry of rohu or other freshwater fish in a thin gravy soured with tomato, lemon or elephant apple, cooked with very little oil and spice. Mostly fish and vegetables, with very little carbohydrate.

Northeast Indian
GL 2200 kcal1 bowl (2 pieces with gravy)
Khar (Assamese Raw Papaya Dal) — 1 bowlGI 35· Low

Khar (Assamese Raw Papaya Dal)

खार · ఖార్

A traditional first course of an Assamese meal: raw papaya, pulses or vegetables cooked with 'khar', an alkaline liquid filtered from the ash of dried banana peel. Light, fibrous and low in carbohydrate.

Northeast Indian
GL 5110 kcal1 bowl
Eromba (Manipuri Vegetable Mash) — 1 small bowlGI 40· Low

Eromba (Manipuri Vegetable Mash)

एरोम्बा · ఎరోంబా

Fiery Manipuri side dish of boiled vegetables like potato, beans and bamboo shoot mashed with roasted king chilli and ngari (fermented fish). Mostly vegetables, eaten in small portions with rice.

Northeast Indian
GL 470 kcal1 small bowl
Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer) — 1 small bowlGI 55· Low

Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer)

चक-हाओ खीर · చక్-హావో ఖీర్

Purple-black kheer from Manipur made with chak-hao (black rice) slow cooked in milk with sugar and cardamom. Black rice keeps its bran and antioxidants, so it rises more slowly than kheer made with white rice.

Northeast Indian
GL 20230 kcal1 small bowl

Medium-GI Northeast Indian foods

GI 56 to 69. Fine in moderate portions, ideally with protein or fiber on the plate.

Thukpa (Noodle Soup) — 1 bowlGI 60· Medium

Thukpa (Noodle Soup)

थुकपा · తుక్పా

Tibetan-style noodle soup popular in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the hills: wheat noodles in a hot broth with vegetables and chicken, egg or mutton. The broth and vegetables are light; the noodles carry the carbohydrate.

Northeast Indian
GL 27320 kcal1 bowl
Joha Rice (Assam Aromatic Rice) — 1 cup cookedGI 68· Medium

Joha Rice (Assam Aromatic Rice)

जोहा चावल · జోహా బియ్యం

Small-grained, fragrant rice from Assam, with a GI-tag, eaten plain or in pulao and kheer. Some research suggests it is a little gentler on blood sugar than regular polished rice, but it is still white rice.

Northeast Indian
GL 29195 kcal1 cup cooked
Til Pitha — 2 pithasGI 68· Medium

Til Pitha

तिल पीठा · తిల్ పీఠా

Assamese Bihu sweet of thin rolls made from sticky rice flour, roasted on a pan and filled with black sesame and jaggery. Sesame adds healthy fat and fiber, but the rice flour and jaggery make it a sweet.

Northeast Indian
GL 23210 kcal2 pithas

High-GI Northeast Indian foods to keep small

GI 70 or above. These raise blood sugar fastest, so keep portions small and have them with a meal.

Veg Momos (Steamed) — 1 plate (6 momos)GI 70· High

Veg Momos (Steamed)

वेज मोमोज़ · వెజ్ మోమోస్

Steamed dumplings of thin maida dough stuffed with cabbage, carrot, onion and spices, now a street favourite across India. The refined-flour wrapper digests quickly, and one plate is usually eaten as a full snack meal.

North IndianBengaliPunjabi+1
GL 25220 kcal1 plate (6 momos)
Aloo Pitika (Assamese Mashed Potato) — 1 small bowlGI 78· High

Aloo Pitika (Assamese Mashed Potato)

आलू पिटिका · ఆలూ పిటికా

Assamese comfort food of boiled potatoes mashed with raw mustard oil, onion, green chilli and coriander, sometimes with a boiled egg, eaten with rice. Mashed potato is one of the fastest-acting starches.

Northeast Indian
GL 20170 kcal1 small bowl

Related guides

Complete List of Low-GI Indian FoodsThe complete list of low glycemic index Indian foods — dals, vegetables, fruits, grains, snacks, dairy and more — ranked from India's lowest GI upward.Indian Foods That Don't Spike Blood SugarIndian foods that don't spike blood sugar — the lowest glycemic index dals, vegetables, fruits and grains that release glucose slowly, ranked from lowest GI up.High-Protein, Low-GI Indian FoodsIndian foods that are high in protein and low on the glycemic index — paneer, soybean, dals, sprouts, eggs and more — ranked by protein for blood sugar control and weight loss.

Common questions

Is Northeast Indian food good for diabetes?

Largely, yes: 5 of the 10 Northeast Indian foods in our database are low GI. Foods like Khar (Assamese Raw Papaya Dal) (35), Eromba (Manipuri Vegetable Mash) (40), Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer) (55) raise blood sugar slowly, while Aloo Pitika (Assamese Mashed Potato) (78), Veg Momos (Steamed) (70), Til Pitha (68) raise it fastest and are best kept to small portions.

Which Northeast Indian foods have the lowest glycemic index?

The lowest-GI Northeast Indian foods in our database are Khar (Assamese Raw Papaya Dal) (35), Eromba (Manipuri Vegetable Mash) (40), Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer) (55), Pork with Bamboo Shoot (Naga Style) (30), Masor Tenga (Assamese Sour Fish Curry) (35).

Which Northeast Indian foods should diabetics limit?

The highest-GI Northeast Indian foods are Aloo Pitika (Assamese Mashed Potato) (78), Veg Momos (Steamed) (70), Til Pitha (68), Joha Rice (Assam Aromatic Rice) (68), Thukpa (Noodle Soup) (60). You don't have to avoid them entirely — keep portions small and pair them with protein, fiber or curd.

Sugar ke mareez ke liye kaun sa Northeast Indian khana sabse accha hai?

Khar, eromba, black rice kheer, bamboo shoot pork jaise options sabse behtar hain, kyunki inka GI kam hai aur yeh sugar dheere badhate hain. aloo pitika, momos, til pitha kam matra mein hi lein, aur dal, sabzi ya dahi ke saath khayein.

Is black rice good for diabetes?

Black rice (chak-hao) keeps its bran, so it's higher in fiber and antioxidants than polished white rice and raises blood sugar more slowly. Even as a sweet, black rice kheer has a GI of about 55 against 70 for regular rice kheer. Joha rice (GI about 68) is fragrant but still white rice, so keep portions moderate.

Building a full meal? Add foods to the meal calculator to see the glycemic load of the whole plate, or browse the complete list of low-GI Indian foods.