Whether eaten hot and steaming as part of every meal, or made into cakes and crepes and eaten with sweet red tea, rice occupies a central place in Khasi cuisine and indeed the cuisine of all tribes in Meghalaya. But the unique thing about rice dishes in Meghalaya is how their taste varies across different regions of the state, deriving as much from the innumerable indigenous varieties of rice grown here as from a particular recipe.

Almost a decade ago, Balje N. Sangma was a home maker, who occasionally tended to paddy and vegetable farming mainly for self-consumption. Today, this woman in her thirties has beautifully grown into an entrepreneur who is successfully running a tea stall at the block office of Betasing Block in South West Garo Hills District and dreams of owning a piggery farm one day. Her husband still works as a Chowkidar at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, but is no longer burdened by the responsibility of being the sole bread earner for the family of seven.