#RECIPE | Traditional Naga Delicacy, Pork Innards, by Lilia Jimomi

Pork innards hold a cherished place in Naga cuisine, enjoyed for their rich flavors and unique cooking methods worldwide. Today, we’re excited to bring you an authentic Naga-style preparation of this local favorite. Join us as Lilia Jimomi, hailing from Dimapur, generously shares her family’s treasured recipe for pork innards. It’s a delectable choice for those special weekend dinners!

Lilia reminisces, “In our childhood, the anticipation of special occasions meant one thing: the arrival of freshly reared pork for our family. It became a cherished ritual to prepare the pork innards or pork blood as a prelude to the main feast. This moment was truly exceptional as we relished our favorite part of the pig—the innards, never sourced from the market.”

Now we have all grown up, are married, and have our own families. So many things have changed except our love for pork innards— the special family meal before the main feast at home. There are many ways to cook the innards. And I’m glad to be sharing one of my favorite recipes with you all.”

Pork Innards (heart, liver, small intestine, spleen)cooked Naga style infused with Szechuan peppercorns and king chili.

Pork Innards

Let’s start cooking!

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 5

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork innards (heart, liver, small intestine, spleen)
Few chunks of pork
Local red chilly or King chilly
5 cloves of garlic
1 large ginger
Szechuan peppercorns
Chilly powder
Guava leaves (this helps remove the intense smell of the innards)
Salt

Herbs and spices (from top left to right)— Szechuan peppercorns, salt, dry red chilies, guava leaves, garlic, ginger, and King chilly

Herbs and spices to make ‘pork innards’

Tip: The secret ingredient in Lilia’s recipe—pork chunks!

Prepping the innards

Directions to cook:

The innards, especially the intestines have to be cleaned properly, so I recommend boiling them with water, salt, and guava leaves (or vinegar/lemongrass/lime leaves) for 5 minutes to remove the smell.
Take them out, place them on a strainer, and run cold water over it.
Cut them into bite-sized pieces
Tip: The secret to this amazing dish is throwing in some pork chunks to enhance the flavor.
Now put the chunks of innards and meat into a pot, add salt, and cook without water on high heat till it starts to produce its own lard.
After the innards are partially cooked, add mashed ginger, garlic, red chilly, king chilly (optional), chilly powder, and one cup of water.
Slow cook till the innards are well cooked, then add water little by little as required.
Once the meat is tender and fully cooked, increase the flame, and cook for a few more minutes until dry.
Finally, add more freshly sliced ginger, and roasted Szechuan peppercorns.
After the flavor has been incorporated, remove the pot from the flame and garnish with fresh green chilly.