All posts filed under: RECIPES

RootsandLeisure_TilPithaAssam

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 …

RootsandLeisure_smokedporkrecipe

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

RootsandLeisure_TinFish

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.  

RootsandLeisure_DryFishChutney

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 …

RootsandLeisure_CrispyPork

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 …

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 …

rootsandleisure_recipe

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

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 …

rootsandleisure_akhuni-chutney

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 …

RootsandLeisure_Crab

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.