With Saturday, comes the time for exclusive R&L recipes but today, we’ve made it a little more special by sharing 5 recipes with you , straight from the kitchen of the famous Naga chef, Joel Basumatari.

Joel is a master of Naga cuisine and has his own line of organic sauces, ‘Saucy Joes’, which are largely made using indigenous items and use no artificial preservatives. These sauces were launched and became a hit at Hornbill Festival ’17.  Chef Joel hopes that through them, he can represent the Naga cuisine around the world.

He believes that with local cuisines taking on the world, we will be able to create opportunities and jobs for farmers and youths. R&L got a chance to learn the recipes of his signature dishes, which use the unique sauces from Saucy Joes. We’ve got everything from salads to desserts on our blog. Keep scrolling!

1.Squash and Mango Salad

Ingredients—

• 1 medium sized squash cut into julienne
• 1 small carrot cut into julienne
• 1 tablespoon of roasted perilla seeds (powdered)
• 1 tablespoon of Saucy Joe’s Sweet Chilli Sauce (Buy ingredients here)
• 3 sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 Mango
• Salt to Taste
• Slice of lemon wedge
• Few sprigs of mint leaves

Directions—

• In a large bowl, add the squash and carrots
• Add the perilla seeds
• Add salt to taste
• Squeeze in the lemon wedge
• Add the cherry tomatoes
• Add Saucy Joe’s Sweet Chilli Sauce
• Mix all the ingredients
• To garnish, add scoops of the mango and mint leaves
• Ready to serve!

2. Cooking fish kebab with Saucy Joe’s Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients—

• 250 gms of minced fish
• 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of chilli powder
• 2 tablespoon of Saucy Joe’s Smoked Chilli Sauce (Buy ingredient here)
• Salt to taste
• Slice of lemon wedge

Marinate (1 hour)

• Squeeze a slice of lemon wedge on the fish.
• Add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder and salt to taste.
• Add Saucy Joe’s Sweet Chilli Sauce

Directions— Cooking Time : 6 mins

• On a skewer, add the marinated fish
• On a grill pan, add a few drops of vegetable oil on low flame
• Add the marinated fish kebab skewers on the pan
• Cook for about 6 mins. Make sure to rotate the skewer from time to time
• Ready to serve!

3. Cooking grilled fish with Saucy Joe’s Naga Spice Blend

Ingredients—

• 250gms of fish fillet
• 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of Saucy Joe’s Naga Spice Blend (Buy ingredient here)
• Salt to taste
• Slice of lemon wedge
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Marinate (1 hour)

• In a bowl, add ginger garlic paste, Saucy Joe’s Naga Spice Blend, salt to taste on the fish.
• Squeeze a slice of lemon wedge
• Finally add 4 table spoons of vegetable oil

Directions— Cooking Time : 6 mins

• On a grill pan, add few drops of vegetable oil on low flame
• Add the marinated fish fillet on the pan
• Cook for about 3 mins on each side
• Continue until all the fish has been grilled
• Ready to serve!

4. Cooking chicken with Saucy Joe’s Smoked Chilli Sauce

Ingredients—

• 250 gms of chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of chilli powder
• 4 tablespoons of Saucy Joe’s Smoked Chilli Sauce (Buy ingredient here)
• Salt to taste
• Slice of lemon wedge
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• 1 medium sliced squash (chayote)
• 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

Marinate (1 hour)

• In a bowl, add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, salt to taste on the chicken.
• Squeeze a slice of lemon wedge
• Finally add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Sauce Mix

• Mix the smoked chilli sauce and tomato sauce
• Keep aside
• This will be used during cooking

Directions—

Fried Pepper Squash – Garnish for the chicken – Cooking Time: 6 mins

• In a non-stick pan, fry the squash over low flame in vegetable oil
• Add the pepper and salt to taste
• Keep aside

Grilled Chicken – Cooking Time: 15 mins

• On a grill pan, add a few drops of vegetable oil on medium flame
• Add the marinated chicken on the pan (skin side first)
• Cook for about 5 mins on each side
• Brush the sauce mix on both sides
• Cook for another 3 mins on each side
• Continue until all the chicken pieces have been grilled
• On a plate, add the chicken and squash
• Add sliced lemon wedges
• Ready to serve!

5. Pineapple and Millet Delight Dessert

Ingredients—

• 1/2 cup of cooked millet (cooked with butter, water and sugar)
• 3 slices of pineapple
• Roselle Sauce
• 3 tablespoons of cream
• 3 tablespoons of Saucy Joe’s Local Honey (Buy ingredient here)
• Whipped Cream

Directions—

• On a grill pan, roast the pineapples on low heat
• Add the honey on both sides 
• Grill until it is golden brown
• Take it out from the pan and keep aside
• On a plate, add the cream
• Add a few drops of roselle sauce
• Add the millet with the help of a shape mould
• Add a slice of roasted pineapple 
• Add whipped cream
• Ready to serve!

For further directions to put this lovely meal together, here is a cooking video on our YouTube channel.