Month: January 2018

RootsandLeisure_FishStew

Recipe | Fish Stew in mustard leaves

Ingredients: 4 pieces of fresh water fish ( Rohu has been used for this recipe) 1 bunch of mustard leaves 1 medium sized tomato 5 green chillies or 1 king chilli 1 inch of ginger 10 cloves of garlic 1/2 cup of bamboo shoot water Salt to taste Direction to cook: Chop the mustard greens roughly . Chop the tomato into 4 pieces . Heat a wok . Add the mustard greens and tomato to it . Cover for a minute . The green leaves and tomato will begin to water, forming a kind of puree . At this point ,add the roughly grinded ginger ,garlic and chopped chillies . Sauté for 5 minutes . Add 1/ 2 cup of water to the wok . Add salt to taste . Close the lid and let it simmer for 5 minutes .  Add the fish pieces and the bamboo shoot water . Stir with a ladle but be cautious so that the fish pieces don’t break. Close the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes …

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Drawing the Lines: Debia Sarojini | Arunachal Pradesh

  An engineering student who believes that lines and structures can be drawn both in the technical and as well as the artistic world and who adds a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘Drawing the line.’– Meet the artist from Arunachal Pradesh, Debia Sarojini. Could you give a brief introduction about yourself? My name is Debia Sarojini and I am twenty-one years old. I am pursuing my Bachelor degree in Engineering in Bangalore, Karnataka.  21, living in Bangalore. I’m from Arunachal Pradesh.  What got you started? From the time that I was a child, I sketched and painted all the time. I probably started it as a hobby and as the years went by, I continued doing it not realising that my hobby had transformed into this passion. “It’s important to be passionate about what you do. It keeps you going..” What initially sparked your interest in this field? My mother has been my pillar of support and strength. Like I mentioned earlier, I started sketching at an early age and my mother encouraged …

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Faces | A gossip over a cup of tea

This picture was taken in Teinem Village, Ukhrul. I was there for my friend’s wedding. Just before I left the village I was having tea at the bride’s resident and I saw these two children. They are the nieces of the bride and were sitting by the door having tea and giggling to themselves. I thought it would make a great picture  ~ Kahorpam Horam (@kahorpamhoram)

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Ambrosia , Japanese Anime Theme Cafe | Nagaland

A new cafe/food joint is now a common sight in Dimapur. It sprouts up  almost every season, each with their own unique ideas and themes that we can’t help but keep an observant eye. Today, we introduce you to this adorable café by the name Ambrosia, a Japanese anime themed café which has become the talk of town not only because of the ambiance but also because of the delectable food served. This café is dedicated to all the anime lovers. Holohoto K Yepthomi, currently pursuing L.L.B from City Law College, Dimapur is the owner who has perfectly incorporated his love for Greek myth and Japanese anime into a space of aesthetically amazing café. As soon as you walk into the café, you will see characters from famous Japanese anime hung up on walls, drawn on boards and the transition moves from objects around to your food and right into your being! It is the perfect escape to anime-gination. Cafe culture is one of the current trends in Dimapur. “I am extremely delighted about the …

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Recipe | Fox Nut and Bitter Tomato Chutney

Ingredients: A small bowl of Fox Nut 3 Sliced bitter tomato 2 Roasted fermented fish 1 medium sized sliced King chilli 4 sliced Naga onion 2 garlic cloves Salt to taste A handful of coriander A handful of chameleon roots Direction to cook: Mash garlic gloves using a mortar and pestle Add roasted fermented fish and mash Mix fox nut, bitter tomato, naga garlic, chilli and chameleon roots in a bowl Add the mashed garlic and fermented fish Add salt Mix it well Garnish it with coriander leaves

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Nishant Sinha – Founder of ChaloHoppo Shares His Travelling Stories to North East India

“To travel is to live” – Hans Christian Anderson Travelling is something that most of us want to experience but not many may be ready for the real adventure. Hence, only a few experience the thrill and the challenges that fall in the travel trails. Today, we introduce you to a wanderlust and his wonders of wanderings.   Meet Nishant Sinha, whose Instagram profile says ‘”I am one of the cliches of our generation who have quit their jobs to travel and live for today” Nishant is a travelling enthusiast and the founder of ChaloHoppo, a travel company that offers tours to the North East region of India. Today, he chats with us about his travel stories, and the people of the region have given him wonderful memories. Hi, Nishant. It is a pleasure to have you on board. You seem to be exploring North East India a lot, looking at your instagram feeds. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your profession? Currently I would call myself a tourism entrepreneur who is focussed on …

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Faces | Kids Playing Badminton on a Cold Snowy Morning in Lachen Village, North Sikkim

  “This photograph was shot in Lachen*, North Sikkim. It was captured around 6:30 am on a cold January morning – just after Lachen had received its first snowfall (this winter). The Lachenpas woke up to see their village blanketed with snow. The two children in the photograph are little Lachenpa girls playing badminton early morning. Snowfall to these kids mean snowball fights, building snowman, running around and throwing snow at passers-by … fun times.I attempted to capture images of these raw expressions that a snowfall in Lachen usually brings. This was also a festive occasion because the community was engaged in celebrating cham dance at the gompa. So the general mood of the village was that of celebration and playfulness” ~ Mayalu Mesh (@thesikkimese) *Lachen is a picturesque tourist location in North Sikkim with just about 100-150 households. Temperatures in Winter months (Jan-Mar;Oct-Dec) fall below zero degrees, and the entire pine-clad village gets covered in snow. Lachen serves as the base for some wonderful treks in North Sikkim.

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Recipe of Exotic Naga Dish | Pork Cooked with Hornet’s Larvae

  Naga Cuisine is known for it’s bold ingredients and hot spices (yes, we mean Raja Mircha/ Bhut Jolokia) Well today, we have a dish that has both these elements : a local dish made out of Hornet’s larvae, cooked with pork and raja mircha. Pelevotuo Solo, Owner of  “Mom and I” Cafe, Kohima contributes this recipe, which is one of the most popular dishes in his cafe. Full recipe below:   Prep Time: 15 mins; Cook Time: 1 hour Ingredients : 1kg diced pork meat 250 gms of hornet’s larvae 2 Raja marches or 10-12 dry red chillies 1 tbsp. minced ginger 20 gms fresh bamboo shoot Salt to taste Spices Used – Clockwise from Left (Photo below) : Fresh Bamboo Shoot, Ginger and Raja Mircha   Directions to Cook: Cook the pork in 500ml of water and add salt to taste Add the larvae after 20 mins and let it cook for another 15 mins. Rinse the bambooshoot with hot water ( to decrease heavy sourness) Put the bambooshoot and dried chilly together and cook for about …

RootsandLeisure_Tekalong

“We Can Be As Free As We Want To be – Through Our Imagination” | Meet Artist & Illustrator, Tekalong Longkumer

Don’t we all agree that art is such a beautiful medium of reading into the minds of people? All you need to do is spend some time going over an artist’s work, and you can get a good idea about the thoughts and the mood of the creator – spend some more time, and sometimes you can even see a piece of their life story; even the way an onlooker interprets an artwork can be pretty revealing. Given the fact that we are endlessly fascinated by people and their stories, an artist’s portfolio is gold! From the experienced to the newbie, there is an ocean of emotions and stories to be uncovered. We live for such discoveries. So once again, over a weekend catchup over tea, we came across some refreshing artwork on Facebook that somehow brightened our day with it’s pure energy and calmness. We reached out to the artist to know more about him and his art, and it was indeed a refreshing chat. Meet Tekalong Longkumer from Nagaland – a 20 year old …

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“My Mom’s Galho Restaurant Inspired Me to Open This Cafe” Pelevotuo Solo, Owner of “Mom and I” Cafe in Kohima

Growing up in Nagaland, dining out meant visiting the local “Chow & Momo” restaurants or being invited to a friend’s or relative’s house for dinner or tea. However, the food scene has significantly evolved over time, with new cafes, restaurants, lounges, and bakeries popping up every month. Today, one can be spoiled for choice with the abundance of options available. What’s interesting to note is that most of these places have been founded and managed by passionate youngsters in Nagaland. It’s pretty fascinating and cool, isn’t it? The best part is that these founders often have interesting personal stories behind their food ventures. Today, we meet with Pelevotuo Solo, who runs a Galho restaurant in Kohima called ‘Mom and I’ Cafe.  We chat with Pelevotuo Solo, owner of “Mom & I” cafe in Kohima Nagaland, to find out why all love this humble cafe. R&L: Hi Pelevotuo, tell us the story behind your cafe “Mom and I” in Kohima. Pelevotuo: I was born and brought up in Kohima, Nagaland and I have a Master’s Degree in …