All posts tagged: Local Food

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Recipe | Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom and Bitter Eggplant (Likok)

“Are banana blossoms edible?” Absolutely yes – and they have some noteworthy benefits for your health too. Just look it up. Not only that, they are just as delectable, and a popular ingredient used in various North East Indian recipes. Today, we are making a banana blossom dish with another star ingredient: Smoked pork. An interesting add-on would be the ‘Likok’ aka Bitter Eggplant, which lends a balancing taste note to the overall dish. This non-fussy dish is simple to make but has a unique memorable taste. So let’s start cooking! Smoked Pork with Banana Blossom and Likok Eggplants Ingredients: 1 Kg Smoked pork (chopped into cubes) 1 banana blossom 3-4 potatoes Around 100 gms of whole Eggplant bitter (Likok) 2 medium-sized tomatoes 8-10 Green chilies  Salt to taste Main Ingredient 1: Smoked Pork Main Ingredient 2: Banana Blossoms Getting the Ingredients Ready: Banana blossoms: Remove the outer covers until you get the inner softer white portion. Now holding it vertically with the stalk on top, start slicing into small thin pieces with a sharp …

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A Chat With Temsuienla – the Owner of The Bambusa Restaurant in Mokokchung

A young and inspiring woman from Nagaland, Temsuienla is devoted to providing a good ambience and delectable food to anyone who comes at her restaurant called the Bambusa, located in Mokokchung. She is motivated by the idea of providing a memorable dining experience by keeping the quality of the food as well as the services consistently high. She spoke to us about how she started this restaurant as a part of the Bambusa franchisee in Mokokchung and her journey as an entrepreneur so far.  Hi Temsuienla! Lovely to have you here. Please introduce yourself to our readers.  Hello, thank you for this opportunity. My name is Temsuienla, and I live in Mokokchung, Nagaland. I am a working woman and belong to the Mokokchung family of Bambusa franchisee. I am currently running The Bambusa Restaurant here. Tell us about your restaurant! We have always believed in supporting local Nagaland-based businesses and ventures, and we are thankful to Bambusa and Co. for believing in us and partnering with us in opening a Bambusa franchise for our folks …

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Chat with Vika Yepthomi, the Owner of Asukhu Dhaba – The All-New Authentic Sumi Restaurant in Dimapur

We all love a cozy corner where we can relish delectable food, but how often do we see an authentic restaurant inspired that serves local Sumi food? Today, we have Vika Yepthomi with us, who started a family restaurant called Asukhu Dhaba. The place serves local traditional food cooked with organic ingredients brought straight from Zunheboto. He started the restaurant along with his wife. One of the specialties of the place is that each recipe that Asukhu Dhaba uses is a special recipe that only their family has mastered. We chatted with Vika to know more about the place.  Hi there! Please introduce yourself to our readers.  My name is Vika Yepthomi. I started Asukhu Dhaba with my wife. She is a doctor by profession and works in Eden hospital. It was our collective love for food which led us venture into this! We launched it in August this year. What was the idea behind launching this restaurant? My wife and I used to go for dinners whenever we’d get time, especially when we were …

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Nagaland’s First Food Bike, ‘Fusion Bytez’, is Capturing Our Taste Buds and Our Hearts

There’s something about street food that never fails to impress us! Whether it’s the mix of local taste in worldly dishes or a spicy treat on a budget, there’s nothing quite like a good street food stall! While hunting for our next food-joint in Dimapur, we stumbled upon a quirky little food stall called ‘Fusion Bytez’. We say ‘quirky’ because this stall isn’t like any other — it’s Nagaland’s very first food bike! Run by three brothers, the small place serves some amazing food. If you want to take a break from visiting fancy restaurants and enjoy some zingy street food, head to the stretch of City Tower area. Don’t forget to try out their Chicken Drumsticks and Twisted Potatoes!  We were thrilled to see three brothers busy catering to the customers. Despite the frenzy rush, we managed to have a quick conversation with one of them. He told us that some of the food stall workers and owners have completed their studies while others are still studying and doing this as a part time …

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#RECIPE | 5 Recipes from Famous Naga Chef and Owner of ‘Saucy Joes’, Joel Basumatari

With Saturday, comes the time for exclusive R&L recipes but today, we’ve made it a little more special by sharing 5 recipes with you , straight from the kitchen of the famous Naga chef, Joel Basumatari. Joel is a master of Naga cuisine and has his own line of organic sauces, ‘Saucy Joes’, which are largely made using indigenous items and use no artificial preservatives. These sauces were launched and became a hit at Hornbill Festival ’17.  Chef Joel hopes that through them, he can represent the Naga cuisine around the world. He believes that with local cuisines taking on the world, we will be able to create opportunities and jobs for farmers and youths. R&L got a chance to learn the recipes of his signature dishes, which use the unique sauces from Saucy Joes. We’ve got everything from salads to desserts on our blog. Keep scrolling! 1.Squash and Mango Salad Ingredients— 1 medium sized squash cut into julienne 1 small carrot cut into julienne 1 tablespoon of roasted perilla seeds (powdered) 1 tablespoon of …

Sweet Rush, A Cafe In Dimapur, Nagaland – The Perfect Place To Unwind And Have A Hearty Meal

The streets of Duncan Basti in Dimapur are sprawling with a variety of food joints – each of them bringing something new to the table. While exploring the place, we stumbled upon a quirky and cosy cafe, Sweet Rush, which instantly took our hearts away! The best time to head out to Duncan Basti is in the evenings when the streets are incredibly lively. There are two main streets that connect to Duncan, both of which are filled with a variety of intriguing restaurants, street food joints and comfy cafes. We were greeted with a wonderful weather, which is slowly getting cooler and all the more refreshing. Sweet Rush is located right opposite Fun Bowling. We got to try some delectable dishes and ice creams — they even sell homemade cookies! We truly recommend this eat-out to savour a good plate of shingju, relish a bowl of hot soup chow or simply sip on a cup of coffee. The options are endless. The cherry on the top is that all of this is quite reasonably priced, …

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#RECIPE | Spicy Manipuri Pork Dish with Culantro “Burma Dhania”

Today’s recipe is a simple pork dish contributed by food blogger Kupatia Keishing from Manipur, in the Northeast of India. It’s a dry spicy dish that is easy to cook, and incorporates the unique and beautiful flavor of culantro – also known locally as “Burma dhania” in Manipur. This dish is usually made using smoked pork, but in this version, Kupatia uses fresh pork that is prepared to taste as flavorsome like smoked pork. Let us find out how! Scroll down below for the full recipe. Manipuri Spicy Pork Dish cooked with chili powder and Culantro Ingredients : 1 Kg Fresh Pork 4-5 tbsps of Local chili powder Culantr0 (local name “Burma Dhania”) 3-5 cloves of garlic 1 1/2 cups of hot water Salt to taste Directions to Cook: Wash the pork thoroughly – changing water until its clean Boil the pork with salt for about an hour and leave it overnight Cut the pork into 2-3″ cubes Now heat a deep pot, and dry fry the chili powder and salt until this mixture turns dark brown in …

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Top Five Places You Need To Visit in Dimapur, Nagaland This December During Hornbill Festival, 2018.

One of the most exciting events of the Hornbill Festival Nagaland is the Hornbill International Music Festival, which is going to happen in Dimapur. The music festival is scheduled for December 1st to 10th with an interesting lineup of local bands, K-pop, EDM, Rock, Blues, and Christian Music.  If you’re in town for the music festival, we’ve compiled a list of our top five favorite hangout spots in Dimapur. It was a challenging task as there are always interesting eateries and hangout places opening up in this bustling town. We’ll continue to update our list as new places emerge. So, without further ado, here are our current top picks that you must check out during the Hornbill Festival this December! 1. ILI-AH restaurant Location: Aiko Greens, Purana Bazaar, near Zion Hospital, Dimapur. ILI-AH restaurant is the perfect place for leisure, a place for family and dear friends, a place where time slows down, and for overdue and long conversations. A place you’ll learn to call home. Known for its Indian food and mouth-watering pork sizzlers with mashed potato, …

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#Recipe | Quick and Easy Way To Make Manipur’s Favourite Salad Dish “Shingju”

“Shingju” is an all-time favorite salad dish/snack of Manipur. Made with a hearty variety of green vegetables and local spices, it makes for a delicious and healthy accompaniment to your meal, or as a refreshing afternoon or evening snack. Its unique taste is courtesy of the fermented fish which is the main flavor and texture component of this recipe. and of course, king chili, perilla seeds (thoiding in Manipuri), and chickpeas powder also adds their special touch. Shanmi from Imphal shares her version of the famous Manipuri “Shingju.” Our mouths are watering just looking at the photos! Let’s find out how we can whip up some in our kitchens right away! Full recipe below Shingju is a Manipuri salad dish made with easy-to-find ingredients from the kitchen garden – comprising of local vegetables and spices, and fermented fish. Today we learn how to make this popular dish from Manipur. Ingredients: Half a cabbage Green leafy vegetables. Here, we have used the chameleon plant and its roots, onion leaves, pea shoots, wild mint, coriander, etc. 1 cup of …

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Recipe of “Naga Pork with Anishi” Cooked Traditionally in a Clay Pot

Today we have an authentic Ao Naga dish cooked over a fireplace in a Naga kitchen. It’s a pork dish cooked with Anishi (dried Colocasia leaves), Sichuan pepper “Michinga leaves” and napa. Made in traditional style in a clay pot, it is a flavorsome dish to be relished with a hot plate of rice and some chutney – a typical Naga meal. Read on to get the full recipe [Video included – at the bottom]. Ao Naga Dish | Pork with Anishi Ingredients 1 Kg Fresh pork (cut into 1″ pieces)  1 big Tomato 5-6 dried red chilies 3-4 Anishi cakes (Dried cakes made of Colocasia leaves) A handful of Sichuan Pepper Leaves “Michinga Leaves” Napa Clay Pot ( if you don’t have a clay pot, you can use a regular deep vessel and cook over gas) Ingredients (Clockwise from Left): Sichuan pepper leaves, Tomato, Dried Red Chillies, Napa, and Anishi cakes This Ao Naga Pork Dish is Prepared in a Clay Pot Directions to Prepare the Pork: Cut the pork into 1” chunks and dry fry in a deep …