Month: April 2018

Rootsandkeisure_elika_recipe

#Recipe | Naga Smoked Meat Cooked with Kholar Beans

Today we have yet another simple-to-make and super yummy dish from Nagaland. A traditionally cooked meat dish – made of smoked meat* with kholar (local kidney beans) to be relished with cooked rice and vegetables and chutney on the side. Recipe was contributed by food lover Elika Awomi from Nagaland. *Smoked meat used in this dish is a combination of both pork and beef – which is a common way of cooking smoked meat dishes. The smoked pork lard adds a distinct flavor and texture to the whole dish.  Cooking time : 45 – 60 minutes Ingredients: 1.5 kilo of mixed smoked meat (cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces) 5-6 greens chilies 4-5 cloves of garlic Handful of dry fermented bamboo shoot (BUY  ON OUR SHOP) 1 cup fresh or dried kholar (local kidney beans) 1 small pice (~2 inches) Naga ginger (more zestier than regular ginger) Salt to taste Directions to Cook: Wash the kholar if it is fresh, or soak it overnight if it’s dry Cut the smoked meat into 2 inch pieces …

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Faces | Students in Nagaland Busy Studying for Their Mid Term Exams

“My name is Ayudangla, and right now I am busy studying for my mid term exams; we have our Science paper tomorrow. I am a 10th standard student at Christian High School Dimapur.  Our exams started  from 9th March onwards, and will end only on 21st March. So my daily routine right now is study, go write my exams, come back home, change my clothes, get some rest – and back to my books with tea and snacks. I can’t wait for my exams to get over and meet my friends for a street food outing in the evening. Planning to go out on 21st itself right after the exam ends.”

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Recreating Nostalgia and Happy Corners using Small Things | Maya Talks about Her Hobby “Knick Knacks”

We have often heard the say which goes like “Small things matter the most.” Maya Kumar shares her story with our Roots and Leisure Team about her love affair with arranging small things perfectly – in the most surprising nooks and corners. Here’s a quick chat about Maya’s love interest called Knick Knacks “I’m a mom of two boys, twelve and eight, married to a globetrotting Robotic Engineer. I have always been interested in design, having my Master’s Degree in Communication and having worked as a Copywriter with a couple of leading advertising agencies, before quitting just before my older son was born, enjoying the joys of both motherhood and travel. I still freelance when possible. We’ve travelled and lived around the world – Taiwan for a short spell, then Bangalore; Singapore was home for about five years and now Michigan is our base.” Tell us about “Knick Knacks” and how have your roots and upbringing inspired this hobby of yours? It’s just a happy little hobby that I indulge in whenever I get the time or …

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A Chat With Utchi, Founder of Little Sunshine Cafe in Thailand

As we continue to explore local cultures around the world to grow this community, one of our friends from Chiang Mai introduced us to this charming cafe in Bangkok and recommended it as a must-visit on a trip to Thailand. This cafe called ‘Little Sunshine Cafe’ and managed by its founder Utchima Sriprachya or Utchi, is known among the locals for its menu full of Healthy and Delectable dishes. And not just the food, this cafe is also loved for its warm homely environment – an important USP of ‘Little Sunshine’ Cafe. “We want our customers to feel like they are at their friend’s place, having home-cooked food – creating a familiar warm ambiance that is hard to find in a restaurant.” ~Utchi, Founder, Sunshine Cafe We chat with the founder Utchi to know more about her journey, her food philosophy, inspiration behind her cafe, and more. Hi Utchi, so nice to be having this chat with you! Please introduce yourself. I’m Utchi, founder of Little Sunshine Café. I’m actually a dietitian, graduated from the …

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Top 5 Indie Artists From Nagaland – by Owen Jungio

We stumbled upon an interesting Quora post by Ovung Jungio, a young student hailing from Nagaland, in which he shared his personal list of the “Top 5 Indie Artists from Nagaland.” We loved his list which featured some of our own favorites as well. So we reached out to him and he graciously re-edited his original write-up to be shared with our R&L readers.  So here it is—an exclusive account by Ovung Jungio, revealing his favorite indie artists from his homestate of #Nagaland. *Note by contributor: “This is a personal list and in no way meant to disregard the sheer musical talents of all the other artists not included in the list. The list is in no particular order.” ~ Ovung Jungio ARTIST #1 – Jonathan Yhome With glorious introspective acoustic songs like ‘Send Me Away’, ‘Before We Knew’ and ‘Something New’, this young man from the capital is a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Personally, his sonic timber draws a strong parallel with that of Gregory Alan Isakov. He also has a sister Pelenuo Yhome who is …

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Recipe | Naga Fish Dish Made of Fresh River Fish and Prawns

Who remembers those family picnics to the river side, where everyone  – young and old gets busy catching fish? The day ends with cooking a hearty meal with a huge vessel of rice (to match the big appetite!) – and the fishes caught , with fresh local ingredients and herbs – over an open fire. Absolute bliss! We may not be able to go on such picnics often, but at least we can try to recreate the mood and the appetite in our kitchens. Thanks to our passionate cook – Sochonphy Lunghar, who sends across her very own Naga recipe of rivercatch fresh fish and prawns – cooked with a local ingredient “Tree Tomato or Tamarillo”   Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes Ingredients: 1 kilogram fresh river fish and prawns Local ginger leaves 4 chopped Naga onions 5 hooker chives 1 dry king chilli 3-5 cloves of garlic 2 chopped tree tomatoes 1 tsp turmeric powder Salt to taste Directions to Cook: Clean the fresh river fish and prawns thoroughly; remove the bitter innards from the fish if needed. Put all the ingredients …

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“My Art Helps Me Explore the Unventured Territories” Meet the Miniaturist Shirali Patel from Ahmedabad

Miniature is a thing that is much smaller than normal, especially a small replica of a particular thing. Introducing the Miniature Artist Shirali Patel from Ahmedabad, who is amazingly fascinated and bitten by the miniature art bug, since she was a child. A self-taught and a self-mastered artist, Shirali shares her story with Roots and Leisure on how the culture of India has become her inspiration towards the creation of her artwork Small Idea.   Share a little details about yourself and what you have been up to? Hi I’m Shirali, a Bio-Chemist turned Fashion Designer turned Miniaturist. After working for over a decade in Retail Industry, I left my corporate job and pursued my passion for creating miniature. I am a self-taught and I have mastered this art after many years of mistakes and experimentation. “It’s been 8 years now that I’m sculpting miniatures and my quirky little utility and collectable products bring smile on many faces.” What initially sparked your interest in this field? I just love miniatures. Miniatures fascinated me as a child …

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A Chat With A Designer Cake Artist of Culinart – Shwethaprajwala from Bangalore

They say, “If you have creativity in you and haven’t realized it yet, no matter wherever you are, whatever you are doing, creativity is bound to hit you.” Being a Commerce student and an MBA in Human Resources, she found her calling for baking cakes with utmost creativity and love after experimenting on being a Graphic Designer. Today, we got a chance to strike up a conversation with a Designer Cake Artist Shwethaprajwala from Bangalore who shares on how she got hooked onto baking fondant cakes with her Designer Cake Boutique – Culinart. Hey Shwetha, share a brief about yourself I’m Swethaprajwala, the Chief Designer of Culinart. Like most modern Indian women wear many hats, I’m a proud Bengalurean, a Homemaker and a Cake Artist working out of home. Tell us about your venture – Culinart. What’s so special about it? Culinart is a Designer Cake Boutique, started in 2012, specializing in creating designer cakes. Our cakes are usually ordered for special ceremonies, occasions for family, friends and significant others.  My creations are homemade, customized, and based …

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“The Essence of Travel is to Experience a Destination in its Organic Form” – Meet The Founders of Madventures From Bangalore

Today, we have Pranav Mutalik and Shreyas Bhat, the busy young entrepreneurs with us who have come up with their Eco Tourism Agency – Madventures on nothing but one of their college trips. Aged around 26, the founders believe that experiencing the place and its people is devoid of the distraction the modern tourism industry offers. To be able to see, feel and experience a destination in its most organic form, is the essence of travel; same goes for hikes. Here’s a conversation with Shreyas, one of the Founders, who tell us how Madventures was born. Share a brief about the Founder of the venture We, Pranav (Mutalik) and I (Shreyas Bhat), have ardent love for traveling and hiking. We have always enjoyed being outdoors and amidst nature and this drove us to get into the hiking and trekking business. In fact, the idea of starting Madventures took shape on one of our trips in college; however, the company means much more to us now. Tell us something about Madventures. What is it all about? Madventures …

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#Recipe | Masor Tenga – An Assamese Style Cooked Tangy Tomato Fish Curry

Today we present to you a delicately flavored & light fish curry from Assam by one of our Recipe Contributors – Puravee Bordoloi (@puraveebordoloi). Tenga, as it means sour, is added by using different souring agents like, elephant apple, mangosteen, lemon, tomato, jujube, fermented bamboo shoot, different leafy veggies, etc. Other seasonal veggies like gourds, yam, taro root, cauliflower, potatoes etc. go along with it and make a perfect dish. Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes Ingredients: 6-8 pcs of Rohu fish 3 large cut ripe tomatoes 1 medium sized chopped onion 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds or five spices 3 chopped green chilies 1 tbsp of Turmeric powder 4 tbsp of Mustard oil 1 glass of lukewarm water Salt to taste Fresh coriander leaves for garnish Method: Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan; fry both sides of the fish and keep them aside. Do not over fry Set the flame on medium. Add fenugreek or the five spices in that hot oil and let it splutter Now add the …