All posts filed under: FOOD

Naga Food, Nagaland – NorthEast of India

Recipe | Fried Spider with Curry Leaves

Published by Vilme

Are you feeling adventurous? Have you ever tried eating spiders? We recently tried it and added an Indian twist by incorporating curry leaves into the recipe. Despite some initial hesitation, we found the taste to be surprisingly delicious! Ingredients: (From top left – clockwise): Fresh king chili, bamboo shoot juice, garlic, ginger, curry leaves Ingredients: 3-4 cloves of garlic 3 tablespoons of bamboo shoot juice 1 king chili (bhut jolokia) 250 gms of Spider (here we have used edible spider from the local market) Fresh curry leaves 500 ml water Salt to taste Directions: Add the spiders, the bamboo-shoot juice, and crushed garlic into a saucepan and keep stirring for 3-5 mins Add water and salt, and let it come to a boil. Cook for 20-25 mins When the water is drying out, put in the curry leaves and cook for another 2 mins

Meet Anen | ‘The Little Baker’ from Nagaland

Published by Roots & Leisure

Today we chat up with Anen Imti – the baker behind ‘The Little Baker‘ in Dimapur, which is quite the talk of the town with its assortment of cakes, breads and doughnuts. Tell us something about ‘The Little Baker‘ The Little Baker (TLB) was started in the summer of 2016 and is based out of Dimapur. TLB is all about baking. Every item in the menu is baked with love. It is also the perfect creative outlet for someone like me, as I have been passionate about the culinary arts and baking for as long as I can remember! We serve all kinds of freshly-baked comfort food like breads, cakes, doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, pies, desserts, etc. How did it all start? Did you get any formal training? Well yes, I got a formal training in culinary arts from New Delhi, post which I completed an industrial training from one of the top hotels. Then I got the opportunity to work full time in a 5-star resort in Goa – which sort of helped me kick off my career in baking. “After having …

Recipe | Dried Yam leaf Gravy

Published by Vilme

Hello everyone! It’s time for another recipe – and today we are sharing an authentic gravy dish of the Ao Nagas, which goes by the name ‘Mi-ya-sü En-chu’. This dish is generally had with rice as a curry (just like dal). Ingredients 1 cake of dried yam (Anishe: cooked yam stems and leaves, dried in the sun) 4 green chillies 1 large potato – peeled and cut into 4 pieces 1 medium tomato Some dried local spring onions (We call it Khuve in Nagaland) 500 ml of water Salt to taste Preparation Before you start cooking, make sure you soak the yam leaves in hot water for about 5 minutes to soften and clean. Directions to cook: Put all the ingredients in a deep pot. Break the anishe (yam cake) into 2 or 3 pieces with your hands, and add them to the pot. Add water and salt. Cover and let it cook till the ingredients are soft enough to be mashed. Mash the chillies, tomatoes, potato an the anishe with a masher. Put it back to the pot, and add more …

Recipe | Nagaland’s ‘Axone’ (Akhuni) Chutney

Published by Roots & Leisure

Today’s recipe is a special one that showcases one of the most popular Naga spices – ‘axone’ (pronounced aakhuni). This fermented soybean paste has a very strong and pungent smell that can fill an entire house with its unique aroma. It’s no wonder that young people from Nagaland always carry a packet of axone with them wherever they go, to try and recreate their very own ‘Naga kitchen’ – a home away from home. While the smell of axone may be intense for first-timers, it’s addictive once you get used to the taste. Nagas use this spice in a variety of dishes ranging from chutneys and pickles to various local dishes like smoked pork with axone, nula (snails) with axone, and a host of stew dishes. To get you started, let’s learn how to make the most popular Naga chutney. Get ready to explore the unique flavors of Nagaland! Fresh axone is made by boiling soybeans and draining the excess water. Then wrapped in banana leaves and left to ferment for 3-7 days over a …

Recipe | Naga Style Crab Dish

Published by Vilme

During the rainy season, we get a lot crabs – fresh from the small streams and river we have around us [in Nagaland] . So today we would like to share a simple crab recipe. So next time you catch hold some fresh crabs, do try this out. Before you start the preparation, make sure you soak the crab (especially if you buy them alive) in hot boiling water for about 10 minutes. After this, wash them with cold water 2 to 3 times. Ingredients you’ll need: Fresh river crabs ( 15-20 crabs) 8 red dry chillies 4 tablespoons of fresh bamboo shoot juice 5 gloves of garlic 1 small ginger 1 handful of spring onion finely chopped 750 ml of water Salt to taste Directions to Cook: After the crabs are washed thoroughly, place them in a deep saucepan /wok. Put all the ingredients together and cook till all the water has been absorbed. Usually 30-35 minutes. Serve with rice, Naga style.

Meet Aunty Sinju and her Mouthwatering Local Snack

Published by Roots & Leisure

“About 10 years ago my daughter suggested that I open a small shop. So I started selling Sinju* and I am happy that I have many customers today. I’m known here by the name ‘Aunty Sinju’ *laughs* Editor’s note: Aunty Sinju sits at Pakai College entrance gate , and her Sinju is so popular that people come all the way from Dimapur (about 15Kms away) to buy the snack. *Sinju is a local snack, which is a mix of shredded cabbage, nokna leaves (water crest), meat , crispy (uncooked) wai wai noodles , papad, chilli sauce and the special sinju masala. It is the perfect afternoon snack on a cold rainy day!

Recipe | Let’s Cook Pomfret Naga Style

Published by Vilme

Who likes fish? Pomfrets anyone? That is what we are cooking today. We generally bake it or pan fry the whole fish but today we are going to show you a slightly different version – a healthy, simple and very easy one. Just make sure that you buy a fresh pomfret from the local market. Ingredients you need: 1 large Tomato 4 tablespoon of fresh bamboo shoot juice 5 gloves of garlic (crushed) 6 green chillies – chopped 3-4 leaves of basil 1 medium sized pomfret fish 250 ml of water Salt to taste How to prepare the fish Remove all the scales with the help of a sharp knife. The areas to look for particularly are the belly, the edges and the fins. Clean thoroughly by rinsing with water and finally Slice it up into equal sizes. Directions to cook Put all the ingredients together in a medium sized pot, and cook until the water dry out. Usually takes 30-35 mins Sprinkle roughly chopped basil leaves on top, and let it simmer and cool Serve with steamed rice. Tip: Best to have …

Recipe | Simple Snail and Pork Dish

Published by Vilme

Today we have one very simple recipe for you to try. Here we go! Ingredients you will need : 1 large Tomato 6-8 Green Chilly (Depends on how spicy you want) 1/2 kilo of fresh pork 1/2 kilo of snail 750 ml of water 5 cloves of garlic 3-4″ ginger Cleaning the Snails: After buying the fresh snails from the market, make sure you keep them in a bucket of clean water for about 2-3 days. Keep changing the water every day. This way, the snail will be clean enough to be cooked Later, clean the shells with a brush (if necessary) Rinse thoroughly with water before cooking Directions to Cook: Put all the ingredients together in a deep pot and cook until the meat is tender which would take about 30-45 minutes. Add more water in case you want some light gravy. How to eat the Snails? Tap the pointed edge with a spoon to crack it slightly..and suck in. Enjoy the gravy flavors! Now turn to the wide open end (opposite side) and …

Recipe| Lemon Honey Chicken in Fresh Bamboo Shoot

Published by Sungdi

Lately the weather here in Nagaland hasn’t been that good for most people. The alternating cycle of the humidity and the rain is very unpleasant and can ruin our appetite too. But again, we need to eat adequately (and healthily) to keep ourselves from falling ill. So keeping these things in mind, we came out with an original recipe of our own, which is really simple – that is tasty and super healthy as well. We’re calling it the ‘Leho Chicken‘. Do try making it and share your feedback 🙂 We used Chicken – with bones and skin. They are tastier that way and really helps in maximizing the flavour. But feel free to use boneless or skinless chicken if you want a low fat dish. You’ll need: 1 whole Chicken (curry cut ) 6 green chillies 6 gloves of garlic 1 stem of fresh bamboo shoot 3 table spoons of Oyster Sauce 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 2 medium sized onion 1 small Lemon/ 1 big slice of lime 2 tablespoons of honey 750 ml water Salt to …

Naga Food in Belgium | Lulu’s Tribal Kitchen

Published by David Sangma

Say hello to Lulu Pheiga who has taken her roots across continents – to Genk, Belgium. When we came across her story and her lovely food truck that says “Back to the roots“, we had to write about her. After all, Roots and Leisure is all about staying connected to your roots – no matter where you are and how far you are from home. Thanks to Lulu, people can now literally taste the diversity of India! And yes, Indian food is more than just Samosas and butter chicken 🙂 You can get in touch with Lulu on her Facebook Page on through her website. All Images Courtesy : Lulu’s Tribal Kitchen