New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- It's a happy table-we are busy using toothpicks to tease out the flesh of steamed snails paired with a spicy potato mash. Besides snails, our dinner spread at The Hungry Hornbill by Fat Panda at Candolim in Goa includes smoked pork ribs, beef cooked with michinga (Sichuan pepper) leaves, and smoked beef with yam.

My home state has awakened to the flavours of the North-East, offered in restaurants like Pots-N-Grillz, The Hungry Hornbill, Meiphung, Oya's Umami and (soon to relaunch) Soul Chef. Friends tell me about grocery stores and suppliers: Seven Sisters in Calangute and the Morung Market in St Inez. A peek at the menus of other restaurants and there are similar touches: a chicken bamboo shoot curry and Naga pork...