All posts tagged: Naga Cuisine

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Chef Elna Yepthomi Talks About Her Journey From Nagaland to Australia & Her Love For Mixing Art With Food

Published by Kumti

Elna Yepthomi’s journey to becoming a chef at one of the well-known clubs in Canberra, Australia, is truly inspiring. According to Elna, much like any other art form, culinary art requires practice, sacrifice, and devotion. Originally from Nagaland, she studied Hotel Management in Kolkata and went on to learn cheffing at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Australia. Through her experiences with cooking, Elna has learned a great deal about life and art. In her pursuit of making a mark in the culinary world, she has developed an even deeper love for her Naga culture and food. “As a Naga chef and proud representative of the Nagas, I see the influence of my roots in my cooking. The majority of international chefs have little knowledge about our local ingredients. This gives me the opportunity to promote our Naga food here,” says Elna. We chat with Chef Elna Yepthomi from Nagaland to know more about her journey, how she incorporates her Naga culture into her work, and her experiences working as a chef in Australia.  R&L: …

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#RECIPE | Spicy Naga Fried Pork by Lilia Jimomi

Published by Kumti

Introducing a special recipe for today, brought to you by Lilia Jimomi, an esteemed food enthusiast who manages an exclusive Instagram food account. For the first time ever, she is sharing her favorite recipe: Spicy Naga Fried Pork! This dish incorporates traditional Naga ingredients, resulting in an explosion of flavors. The best part is that it requires minimal ingredients and can be prepared quickly, allowing you to enjoy a delightful Naga meal in just a matter of minutes. Ingredients 1 kg sliced pork 1 tablespoon paprika 3 tablespoons coarse-ground local chili powder 2 cups water 1 tablespoon ground Zanthoxylum powder (roasted in a pan for a few minutes before grinding) Salt to taste Roasted Zanthoxylum powder and local chili powder Instructions Fill a cooking pot with water and place the pork inside. Turn on the stove; add salt and paprika for color. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer gently until the pork becomes tender. If needed, add small amounts of water as required. Once the pork is tender, remove …

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

Published by Kumti

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

Published by Local Foodie

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

Published by Kumti

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, …

Rootsandleisure_Anishi Pork

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 …

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Naga Recipe | Local Pond Fish Cooked with Fresh Bamboo Shoot Pieces

Published by Lilia Jimomi

If you love fish but haven’t tasted one that has been cooked in Naga spices, then you are missing out big time. Naga fish dishes are easy to make and use minimal ingredients that help retain the freshness of the fish. And the secret to the unique Naga flavor is to add bamboo shoot to the spice mix. It also removes any fishy smell. Today, we have a simple fish recipe made with easy-to-find ingredients and a taste that will not disappoint. This recipe has been contributed by Lilia Jimomi from Nagaland. Full recipe below: Naga Fish Dish with Bamboo Shoot Preparation time: 5 minutes  Cooking time: 25 minutes.  Serves: 6  Ingredients:  6 Nos. of  fresh pond fish (We’ve used local pond fish, but you can use any freshwater fish) 10 local red chilies (boiled and mashed into a paste)   1-2 King chilly (optional) 2 large tomatoes  3 tablespoons of mustard oil  ~200 gms of fresh bamboo shoots – cooked, and in big pieces Some sliced ginger Salt to taste Garlic and fresh red chilies for garnish …

Rootsandleisure_recipe

Recipe| Wild Celery Cooked In Roasted Perilla Seed in Naga Style

Published by Lidang

We love our local vegetables (especially green leaves) the same way we love meat and here is another easy to cook recipe to add as a side dish with your favourite vegetarian thali or non -vegetarian thali and trust us, it won’t disappoint you .  In today’s recipe section , we will teach how to cook fresh local wild celery cooked in roasted perilla seeds . Cooking time : 20-30 minutes  Ingredients : Fresh bamboo shoot flesh (a handful) or depending on how much you are making Handful of wild celery 1 Tablespoon perilla seeds Couple of green chillies One cup of water Directions to cook : First boil water and green chilli. While they are boiling, roast perilla seeds and roughly crush them Once the bamboo shoot and green chillies are soft and cooked add the celery and salt and cook for 5-7 minutes or till water almost dries. Lastly, add the perilla seeds and take it off the flame Ready to eat with your favourite dish and local rice !

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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 : …

Directions to Cook the Rice: Wash the rice and put it into a pressure cooker Pour hot boiling water and pressure cook for 20-25 mins Rice is ready! Ingredients For the chu

Recipe | Steamed White and Red Sticky Rice with Ginger and Axone Chutney

Published by Local Foodie

Sticky rice is another favorite of the people in Nagaland. It can be eaten simply as a rice substitute for meals, or as an afternoon snack. Usually eaten with a chutney, it is one of the best afternoon snacks to be relished with a hot cup of tea on a cold rainy day. There are a variety of sticky rice available in the region; the ones we have used here is a mix of white and red sticky rice, and the end result has a beautiful dark red finish.  Ingredients: 3-4 cups of sticky rice(mix of white and red rice) 3-4 cups of hot boiling water Directions to Cook the Rice: Wash the rice and put it into a pressure cooker Pour hot boiling water and pressure cook for 20-25 mins Rice is ready! Ingredients For the chutney : 5-6 chunks peeled ginger (approx 3 inches) 1 small bowl of chunky axone (fermented soya beans) mixed with with chili flakes and salt 2-3 tablespoons of ground schezwan seeds (“mong mong” seeds) Directions to Make the …