All posts tagged: Local Food

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

Published by Shanmi

“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; a small amount of chili, perilla seeds (thoiding in Manipuri), and chickpeas powder also add to the flavor. 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 chameleon plant and its roots, onion leaves, pea shoots, wild mint, coriander, etc. 1 cup of …

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

Published by Vilina

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 …

Spicy Korean Hot Pot Cooked Naga Style With Leftover Rice and Smoked Pork

Published by Miss Aier

Hot pots are a super popular dish all over Asia. Meat, fish, vegetables, tofu and noodles or rice are generally put into a pot of hot and simmering broth and cooked right at the table. Our contributor Miss Aier from Nagaland has a soft spot for Korean and Japanese cuisines and this particular ‘Spicy Hot Pot’ dish, inspired by the same, is great for a homecooked lunch for yourself, or with friends or a family dinner party. Whether you’re experiencing the hot summer heat or living up in the hills in the cold and rainy monsoons, this hot and spicy dish is perfect for you! Read on to browse through this recipe by Aier and fill your tummy with this comforting and steaming bowl of smoked pork, rice balls and veggies. Cooking time: 30 minutes; Serves: 2 Ingredients: 3 large pieces of smoked pork 2 pieces of dried anchovies A small bowl of cooked rice 2 half boiled eggs 1 red and green chill each (or to taste) 1 medium sized tomato 1 teaspoon of …

#Recipe | Naga Style Crab with Garlic Chives

Published by Inali Jane Ayemi

Today our contributor Inali from Nagaland shares a secret recipe from her kitchen. It’s a crab dish cooked Naga style with an Asian twist using fish sauce and oyster sauce. With an interesting blend of Asian flavors along with local garlic chives, this recipe is a must try for all seafood – and crab lovers! Read on to know how to cook crab in Inali’s local Naga style. Ingredients (clockwise from left): Green chilies, ginger, garlic, Sichuan pepper, dark soya sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, red chili sauce, corn flour, tomatoes and garlic chives (bottom) Ingredients : Fresh local crabs – 14 to 16 (depends on your serving) Big red tomatoes – 3 Green chilies – 6 to 8 Fresh ginger and garlic paste 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 1 tablespoon of red chili sauce 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce 1 tablespoon of cornflour Szechuan pepper – 8 to 10 pieces Green herb of your choice (used Asian chives here) Salt Directions to cook: Clean the crabs thoroughly. Add the crabs, sliced tomatoes …

Recipe | Pork Innards Cooked Naga Style with King Chilli

Published by Inali Jane Ayemi

Today we have a special dish from Nagaland with a taste that is hard to beat: Pork Innards! Made with simple ingredients and easy to follow steps, it is sure to give a kick to your taste buds – with the strong flavor of Naga spices, and the many textures of the innards meat. Recipe contributed by our friend Inali Jane. Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 kg of pork innards consisting of heart, portion of liver, intestines, gut, and spleen with fats attached. Sichuan pepper (slightly toasted and grounded) Handful of organic cherry tomatoes (you can use regular tomatoes as well) 1 fresh King Chili 4 chopped Lemongrass stems (1 used for garnishing) Fresh Ginger Garlic paste Salt to taste Spice Ingredients (L-R clockwise): Fresh lemongrass, Sichuan pepper, fresh ginger, cherry tomatoes, garlic Directions to Cook (Cooking time: 60 – 80 mins) Clean the innards thoroughly with hot water, and chop them into pieces – of similar size Add the king chili, a small portion of the ginger garlic paste and salt to the innards, and cook over medium flame. Do not …

Recipe of “Uti Thongba” Manipur’s Favorite Vegetarian Dish – Contributed by Tushar

Published by Tushar Nongthombam

No grand feast in Manipur is complete without ‘Uti thongba.’ Uti thongba is a classic manipuri vegetarian dish and there is a variety of how the locals cook and it is enjoyed as a main dish or even a side dish with your favourite meat curry . Today our contributor Tushar from Manipur shares his favorite type of Uti Thongba called ‘Usoi Mangan uti’ (Whole grain with fresh bamboo shoot uti). Read on to find out how to make it! Cooking time: 40-50 minutes Ingredients: 2 cups of overnight soaked dry peas 1 cup of sliced bamboo shoots 2-3 tbs of mustard oil 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 green chilies 1 bay leaf 1 and a half serving spoons of chopped chives 1 and a half serving spoons of chopped winter leek 3/4 tsp of salt 3/4 tsp of sodium bicarbonate. Ingredients: Clockwise(L-R) Sliced fresh bamboo shoot, chopped chives, and Overnight soaked dry peas Clockwise (Top R-L) Bay leaf, Cumin seeds, Green chilies, oil, Sodium bicarbonate and salt Directions to cook : Heat …

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 …

Recipe | Nagaland Chutney Made of Banana Blossoms

Published by Lidang

A Naga meal without a chutney can never make for a complete meal. That said, let us show you to make a special chutney made with banana blossom. Ingredients 2 banana blossoms(chopped and washed) One large tomato One large onion 1 ghost pepper or 3-5 green chillies(based on your preference) 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder 1 teaspoon chilli powder 1 tbsp oil Ingredients of the banana flower chutney (clockwise from left: chopped tomatoes, green chillies, finely chopped banana blossoms and chopped onions) Directions to cook Remove the first few layers of the banana blossom and chop the rest into fine pieces. Chop onions, chillies and tomatoes into thin slices Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Now put the chopped tomatoes and chillies and stir fry for 5 minutes in medium flame Add the turmeric powder and chilli powder Once the oil separates, add the banana blossoms. Cook with lid on till it’s soft and tender. Once soft, remove the lid and cook till the water dries. Voila, your banana blossom chutney is …

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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