All posts filed under: FOOD

Naga Food, Nagaland – NorthEast of India

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Recipe | Indian Arrowroot Flower Chutney – Naga Style

Published by kesangunuo

We bet you are going to love this unique yet simple chutney recipe today at lunch, made with arrowroot flowers and raja mircha. INGREDIENTS: Two medium sized potatoes Axone (fermented soya bean) 8-11 cloves of garlic Indian arrow root flower 6-8 cherry tomatoes 2 king chillies Salt to taste DIRECTIONS TO COOK: Boil water in a pot and put all the ingredients except the arrowroot flower Clean the arrowroot flowers under running water, and shred them into thin strips and put it in the pot – along with the other ingredients Boil until the water dries up. Once the water is dried up, take out the ingredients and mash them together Add salt to taste, and mix well Chutney is ready to be served. Serve with Rice Contributed by Rokonuo

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Recipe | Pennywort Salad – Naga Style

Published by kesangunuo

Any fans of Pennywort leaves? It’s known to be a medicinal plant – native to India and China, and is consumed across Asia especially India, Burma, Thailand. In Nagaland as well, the local people make salads out of these leaves. So today, we are sharing a salad recipe made with Pennywort leaves mixed with peanuts. Ingredients you’ll need: 200 grams of Indian Pennywort leaves 100 grams of peanuts 5-10 Green chillies 2 medium sized onions. 6-8 Cherry tomatoes. Salt to taste. Directions: Wash the pennywort leaves in running water, and make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned. Heat the pan and put a little oil and fry the peanuts for a minute or two. Chop the leaves into small pieces (1”) and keep them aside Finely chop the onions, chilies and tomatoes Next, grind the peanuts. Do not make it too fine – keep it coarse Add all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix it well. Add salt (as per your taste) The salad is ready to be served.   Serve the fresh salad with any …

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Recipe | Sesame and Rice Cake (Til Pitha) from Assam

Published by Pooja Ghose

Rice Cake, also known as Til Pitha locally, is a household favorite in Assam. The combination of a soft, chewy outer shell and the sweet, sticky sesame filling makes it a perfect treat. They are traditionally made during Bihu, the chief festival of Assam, which celebrates the harvesting season. However, you can make pithas any time of the year with just three simple ingredients and indulge in these delicious cookies. Rice cookies filled with sesame and jaggery, locally known as ‘Til Pitha’ in Assam. Note: Preparation for cooking is quite simple. The key to perfecting the recipe is the technique and more importantly, ensuring the right temperature of the pan. Once you perfect these two key points, the delicious pithas will turn out perfect. Ingredients: 2 Kgs of Sticky Rice (Bora rice, Japanese sweet rice, or any glutinous rice available in your local area) 1/2 Kg Black sesame seeds (Til) 1 Kg Jaggery (Gur) Directions to cook A) Making the Rice Outer Layer Wash and soak the rice for an hour. Strain rice and spread …

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Naga Recipe | Smoked Pork Stew with Kidney Beans

Published by Vilme

Here’s another favorite from Vilme’s kitchen. It’s a thick stew made with smoked pork and local kidney beans, and is often had with rice. INGREDIENTS (Serves 2) ~300 gms of smoked pork meat 3-4 pieces of fresh bamboo shoot 3 dried red chillies 2-3 fresh green chillies 2″ ginger 5 cloves of garlic 1 cup kidney beans* sokaked overnight (*from local market in Nagaland) 500 ml of water Salt to taste PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS As pointed above, kidney beans to be soaked in water overnight Clean the smoked pork thoroughly with  lukewarm water, and then cut them into 2″ – 3″ cubes Make a paste out of the ginger and garlic DIRECTIONS TO COOK Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker, and cook for 6 whistles – or until the meat is tender and the beans are cooked well If the chillies are still whole, you can take out and mash them and put them back. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice

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Recipe | Mackerel Tin Fish in Bamboo Shoot

Published by Vilme

Hello! This recipe is for all the busy ones who need to fix a simple yet delicious meal in 15 minutes. So make sure you try this tin fish recipe for your dinner, next time. INGREDIENTS 1 tin / can of fish (we have used mackerel for this dish) 5 cloves of garlic 5 dried red chilly 1 medium sized onion 3 tablespoons of bamboo shoot 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 1 cup of water DIRECTION TO COOK Heat the oil in a pan. Saute the onions and chillies Mash the garlic and toss them into the pan and fry until light golden brown Pour the canned fish (along with the brine), into the pan. Add bamboo shoot and water Cook on low flame till the water dries up Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice.  

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ML 05 Cafe Shillong | A Biker’s Retreat Nestled in the Lap of Nature

Published by Pooja Ghose

Dear readers, are you ready to discover your next favorite hangout spot in Shillong? Well, we just discovered this cafe called ‘ML 05’ on 5th Mile, Upper Shillong. With its custom-themed decor and ambiance reflecting the owner’s love of sports, bikes, and travel, it is indeed the perfect retreat/haven for bikers and travelers alike. We spent a cozy evening at ML 05 Cafe on an evening stroll around Upper Shillong, and had some yummy comfort food like wai wai thukpa, onion bhajia – with our favorite cup of hot chai. Located right beside a pine forest, the outdoor view was just as pleasant as the ambiance inside. This new cafe has only begun operations in May last year (2016), but it comes as no surprise that it is already one of the favorite spots for locals and tourists around the region. We had a tete-a-tete with Vatsala Tibrewalla, who manages the cafe along with her brother Deval Tibrewalla, who also co-owns the Dylan’s Cafe with her. How did you come up with the idea for ML 05 …

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Dry Fish Chutney with King Chilli – Assamese Style

Published by Pooja Ghose

Have you ever tried Dry Fish? It’s smell might be a little too intense for most people, but give us a chance here. The chutney recipe that we are going to share today, might just change your taste buds and your opinion about the (smelly) dry fish! This chutney is made with king chilli preserved in mustard oil, dried fish and roasted tomato. It’s a very popular in the Northeast region, and is usually had as a side dish.  Photo courtesy: Ashapurna Phukan (@ashaphukan) Ingredients you’ll need: 20 gms of Dry Fish 1 medium-sized tomato 1 onion  1-inch of ginger  4-5 cloves of garlic 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder 1 tsp of King or Ghost chili – infused in mustard oil Salt to taste Note: Infused chilli oil is made my preserving oil (preferably mustard) and King/Ghost chillies together in a glass jar/container. Place the container in a warm and dry place for a couple of days, until it’s ready to be consumed. Directions to cook: Roast the dry fish in a frying pan for 5 minutes …

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Recipe | Crispy Pork with Bamboo Shoot Juice

Published by Vilme

Another easy recipe for the R&L readers from our in-house chef/recipe contributor : Mr Vilme. It’s a pork dish, which he made last evening for a bunch of his friends coming over for dinner. Vilme made this dish using very simple ingredients – which was a mix of Naga and oriental spices and sauces, and the result was delicious! Check out the full recipe below: INGREDIENTS 400 gms of fresh Pork (with good amount of fat) 1 large Onion 7 gloves of Garlic 1 medium Ginger 3 green chillies – cut into vertical slits 2 tbsp of Soya Sauce 2 tbsp of Bamboo shoot juice 500 ml of water 3-4 tablespoons of oil Salt to taste DIRECTIONS TO COOK A. Cooking the Pork Cut the pork into big 3-4 chunks; put the pork pieces into a deep vessel – along with water, bamboo shoot juice and salt to taste Cover and cook till the pork pieces are tender – but not fully cooked Open the lid and let it cool B. Preparing the Crispy Pork Slices Cut the …

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This Cafe in Shillong is Bringing Bob Dylan’s Music Back with a Twist

Published by Pooja Ghose

Shillong, a beautiful city unsurprisingly known as ‘Scotland of the East’, has also grown up to become India’s ‘Rock Capital’. As a city that hosts a line of international concerts and music festivals every year, Shillong is home to a lot of talented musicians (Tipriti Kharbangar and Rudy Wallang anyone?) and music lovers alike. Music runs in the heart of the city and love for rock music especially is shared passionately among both the young and old. So, in a city where musicians are worshipped as Gods and music seeps through all aspects of life, one is bound to encounter little nooks and corners that revel in good music alone. Today, at R&L, we introduce you to one such amazing local venture that pays special tribute to eminent musician & poet, Bob Dylan. Set in a quiet neighbourhood right next to St Edmund’s school, Dylan’s Cafe, is aiming to reinvigorate Dylan’s memory among local enthusiasts. Needless to say, we couldn’t help but find out what the buzz was all about. We spoke with Vatsala Tibrewalla, …

King Chilli Chutney – Naga Style

Published by Roots & Leisure

Recently we had a customer from Delhi, who bought dried king chilli (Raja mircha), from the R&L Shop. We got so excited that someone out there is adventurous enough to try one of the hottest chillies in the world! So we sent him a sampling set of our other spices as well – which are all available to purchase HERE.  And today, we are sharing a very simple recipe of one of the most popular chutneys in Nagaland – the raja mircha chutney. Dedicating this recipe to all those customers – who have dared to try the king chilly 🙂 Ingredients you’ll need: 1 king Chilly 1 large tomato 1 glove of garlic Salt to taste Directions to Make: Roast the tomatoes and chilies over a fireplace.   If you have a fireplace at home, then roast the tomato by placing it on top of the hot ash (from the firewood) facing the fire. Keep turning to cook it evenly. Same way, bury the chili inside the hot ash and keep it for about 8-10 mins …