All posts tagged: Food

Rootsandleisure_ café

Meet Gilbert Lotha Owner Of “Café Serrano” Nagaland ,Who Dares To Do More Than Just Dream Away

Published by Ovung Jungio

On one of his trips to Wokha, Nagaland , our R&L member Jungio made a visit to one of the earliest café around the vicinity -Café Serrano . He describes the cafe as an excellent backdrop for a Hollywood-esque dining setting with the orange tint of the dusk dancing off the porcelain plates and the stainless cutleries. R & L contributor sat down with Gilbert Lotha, chef and proprietor of the cafe talking about his journey , challenges , kitchen misadventures and more. What led you to become a chef and how was the journey? While doing my Advance Course in Continental Cuisine from Indus Institute of Culinary Arts & Hotel Management, Bangalore I was surprised to witness the level of insane dedication and undiluted passion for the culinary arts shown by the visiting foreign staffs which both challenged and nudged me into emulating the same level of professionalism and love for the culinary art. The journey from a student of the art to a business owner has been a long winding road for me personally- from …

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Marketing Strategist by Day and Baker By Night | Meet Divya Nair from Delhi

Published by Vilina

It’s hard to say no to desserts – even after a heavy meal. Divya Nair from Delhi agrees that it can’t be any truer – except in her case, she cannot resist baking desserts, even after a long day of the usual 9-to-5 grind. This 24-year old graduate from SRCC, Delhi University and a post graduate from IIMC, Delhi is serving some serious inspirations with her post-work baking stories, and her heavenly bakes! R&L had a quick chat with Divya to know more about this self- taught baker and her food blogging journey, how she manages a 9 to 5 job and her passion for baking and more. Hi Divya, please introduce yourself. I am Divya Nair, a 24-year-old girl, born and brought up in Delhi but a native of Kerala. I have always been a proud Delhite. I did my B Com (H) from SRCC, M Com from DU, and then PGD Advertising and PR from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi (IIMC). Apart from being a nerd, I love to bake, draw, dance and click …

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Recipe | Fresh Pork with Bamboo Shoot and Szechuan Leaves

Published by Lidang

“Pork with bamboo shoot” is almost synonymous with Naga pork dish – as bamboo shoot is the most favored spice to cook meat dishes in Nagaland. Another spice that compliments this particular dish is the szechuan pepper (the Aos call it “mong mong”), which is usually roasted and sprinkled on top as a finishing add on for a zingy taste. Today Lidang cooks her famous pork-bambooshoot dish with szechuan leaves (Michinga pata in Nagamese). Here she uses the leaves as one of the main ingredients, along with the pork. This way, the dish is green and healthy while also maintaining that zingy flavor of the szechuan. Here’s the full recipe – which is super simple, and is done in four simple steps! Ingredients (Clockwise from Left) : Bamboo shoot, Dry red chilies, salt and szechuan leaves Cooking time: 40minutes-1 hour Ingredients : 500 grams of fresh pork, cleaned and chopped. Some dried chilies as per taste A handful of szechuan leaves leaves A handful of fresh bamboo shoot 500 ml of water Salt to taste  Directions to cook : …

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Inspirational Baker from Assam, Pari Hazarika Shares Her Experience of Picking Stinging Nettles from the Himalayan Foothills.

Published by Vilina

A foodie with a passion for baking desserts and experimenting with local dishes, Pari Hazarika from Assam has been cooking and baking since her childhood days, “I have always loved cooking as a kid, but it was only after I moved to Pune, that I recognized this passion of mine as a calling. I was going through trying times and I found solace in cooking for myself and my friends 🙂 I’ve always been very interested in learning about local ingredients and culinary techniques, but it took a while and some travelling before I could manifest my curiosity in that area.” As an inspirational figure for all those who follow her food journey, Pari also enjoys traveling and exploring the beauty of nature – which in turn fuels her food experiments. Here she shares an adventure of picking “stinging nettle leaves” (a medicinal plant often taken to detox, improve metabolism and immunity etc.) on a recent trip with her friends to Jibhi, a village in the Banjar Valley of Kullu in Himachal. “During my recent visit to Jibhi, a village in …

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Recipe | Naga Traditional Method to Make Steamed Sticky Rice and Axone Chutney

Published by Lidang

If you are travelling to Nagaland in the Northeast of India, and trying out local cuisine is your top priority, do not forget to taste the traditionally cooked “Sticky rice.” Sometimes eaten as a substitute for regular rice, it is also quite popular in Nagaland as an afternoon snack/mid-day meal. With the relatively earlier sunrise and super early breakfasts in this part of the country, a plate of sticky rice with some axone (akhuni) chutney on the side and a hot cup of tea is indeed a delightful treat. Sticky rice puris are also very popular as noonday snacks with hot tea [Recipe here] Our R&L contributor Lidang takes us to her kitchen to show us how their family cooks sticky rice and the very popular axone chutney (fermented soybean chutney). Full recipe and video below: Ingredients for Steamed Sticky Rice 1 kg of Sticky rice soaked overnight 2 types of pots: earthen pot with small holes at the bottom (like a momo steamer) and an aluminum pot (both medium sized) 2-3 banana leaves Some newspapers (to connect the two vessels together – one top of …

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A Chat with the Owners of Forage Cafe in Manipur – Your Destination for Local Food and Mediterranean Cuisine

Published by Kumti

“We chose these cuisines out of our own preference as well as with the consideration that we can make healthful hearty food using fresh ingredients and traditional techniques avoiding artificial flavors and condiments.” The hunt for delectable cuisines never stops; even better when it doesn’t compromise with our health. True to its name, Forage, here’s this lovely couple, Korou Khundrakpam and Kundo Yumnam, from Imphal that after much quest and research, came up with this aesthetically pleasant restaurant that not only serves different kinds of food with a local twist, but also teaches the benefits of healthy and sustainable living through the items and things used in their restaurant. Hi, would you like to tell us a bit about yourselves? We are a couple, Korou Khundrakpam and Kundo Yumnam, from Imphal. We were professionally trained in Fine Arts and we saw our creative pursuits lead us from Delhi to Imphal and from paintings to food! Tell us a bit about the restaurant and when was it launched? After trading our arts practice in Delhi for …

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A Chat With A Designer Cake Artist of Culinart – Shwethaprajwala from Bangalore

Published by Asmita Das

They say, “If you have creativity in you and haven’t realized it yet, no matter wherever you are, whatever you are doing, creativity is bound to hit you.” Being a Commerce student and an MBA in Human Resources, she found her calling for baking cakes with utmost creativity and love after experimenting on being a Graphic Designer. Today, we got a chance to strike up a conversation with a Designer Cake Artist Shwethaprajwala from Bangalore who shares on how she got hooked onto baking fondant cakes with her Designer Cake Boutique – Culinart. Hey Shwetha, share a brief about yourself I’m Swethaprajwala, the Chief Designer of Culinart. Like most modern Indian women wear many hats, I’m a proud Bengalurean, a Homemaker and a Cake Artist working out of home. Tell us about your venture – Culinart. What’s so special about it? Culinart is a Designer Cake Boutique, started in 2012, specializing in creating designer cakes. Our cakes are usually ordered for special ceremonies, occasions for family, friends and significant others.  My creations are homemade, customized, and based …

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#Recipe | Masor Tenga – An Assamese Style Cooked Tangy Tomato Fish Curry

Published by Puravee Bordoloi Pari

Today we present to you a delicately flavored & light fish curry from Assam by one of our Recipe Contributors – Puravee Bordoloi (@puraveebordoloi). Tenga, as it means sour, is added by using different souring agents like, elephant apple, mangosteen, lemon, tomato, jujube, fermented bamboo shoot, different leafy veggies, etc. Other seasonal veggies like gourds, yam, taro root, cauliflower, potatoes etc. go along with it and make a perfect dish. Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes Ingredients: 6-8 pcs of Rohu fish 3 large cut ripe tomatoes 1 medium sized chopped onion 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds or five spices 3 chopped green chilies 1 tbsp of Turmeric powder 4 tbsp of Mustard oil 1 glass of lukewarm water Salt to taste Fresh coriander leaves for garnish Method: Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan; fry both sides of the fish and keep them aside. Do not over fry Set the flame on medium. Add fenugreek or the five spices in that hot oil and let it splutter Now add the …

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#Recipe | Boroila Fish Cooked With Khutora Xaak And Cherry Tomatoes

Published by Asmita Das

Today we have a refreshing and light fish curry from one of our favorite Recipe Contributors Geeta. The small fresh water Boroila fish when cooked with khutora xaak, a variety of Amaranthus and tangy cherry tomatoes, tastes the best when the weather becomes all dry. Cooking time: 20-25 minutes Ingredients: 250 grams of Boroila fish 250 grams of khutora xaak or green amaranthus 1 cup of cherry tomatoes 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds 6 garlic pods 1 tsp of mustard oil 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder 2 cups of water Salt to taste Method: Roughly chop the khutora leaves and keep it aside Heat a tsp of mustard oil in a wok, add half tsp of fenugreek seeds or methi seeds to it and let it splutter Add a few pods of garlic, add the khutora leaves and sauté it Add turmeric and salt to taste Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for around 5 minutes. Smash the tomatoes with a spatula during this process Now add 2 cups of water and let it boil Lastly, add Boroila fish to the …

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Malinggo Homestay – A Home Away From Home in Sikkim

Published by Lisa

We have become much dependent on our environment but we have turned ignorant to them. Paul helps in bringing awareness and closeness to the nature with the concept of homestay. Here’s a quick conversation with the Founder of Malinggo Homestay in Sikkim who is in love with nature and its beauty of Gangtok. Tell us something about yourself My name is Paul Karna Rai and I live in the valley of Pastanga (East Sikkim). I used to be a Government Contractor and also worked with Voluntary Health Association of Sikkim (VHAS). Perhaps because I live in this valley, I have always felt close to nature, to the environment – the sound of the running river, the chirping of the birds, the cry of the crickets, the flowers of spring, the dew of the winter morning and mostly the first fall of sun’s rays on the mighty Mt. Kanchenjunga. Home is right here in the mountains amidst nature. How did you come up with an idea of a homestay? The concept of homestay first started in …