This is Part 17 of Flavours of India, our series on India's regional cuisines. Start from Part 1: Chettinad or read the previous part, Part 16: Assam.
Nagaland is home to more than a dozen major Naga tribes, each with its own food traditions, but they share a style of cooking that is unlike anywhere else in India. Food is usually boiled, steamed or smoked, with very little oil and almost no dry spices. Flavour comes instead from fermentation, fresh herbs, ginger and the fearsome raja mircha (king chilli).
What makes Naga cuisine special
- Smoked meats: pork and beef are hung above the kitchen hearth for days or weeks.
- Fermented foods: bamboo shoot, axone (fermented soybean) and anishi (fermented colocasia leaves).
- Raja mircha / bhut jolokia: one of the hottest chillies in the world.
- Sticky and local rice varieties, often eaten with a simple boiled vegetable and chutney.
Smoked pork with bamboo shoot recipe
This is one of Nagaland's most loved dishes. Smoked pork is sold in Northeast markets; if you can't find it, use fresh pork belly or shoulder with a little fat. Fermented bamboo shoot is sold in jars in Northeast grocery stores and online.
Serves: 4 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 500 g smoked pork (or fresh pork belly), cut into bite-sized pieces with fat
- 1/2 cup fermented bamboo shoot (or 1 cup fresh or canned bamboo shoot, rinsed)
- 1-2 dried king chillies (or 3-4 green chillies for a milder version)
- 2 inch ginger and 6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp axone (fermented soybean), optional
- Salt to taste and about 2 cups water
- A few spring onions or fresh herbs to garnish
Method
- Wash the pork. If using smoked pork, briefly rinse in hot water to remove soot.
- Put the pork in a heavy pot with water, salt, half the ginger and garlic, and the chillies. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 35-40 minutes (or pressure-cook for 4-5 whistles) until tender.
- Add the bamboo shoot, the remaining ginger and garlic and the axone if using.
- Cook uncovered on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the water evaporates and the pork renders some fat.
- Crush a softened chilli into the gravy for extra heat, adjust salt and garnish with spring onion.
Tips
- Handle king chillies with care: one is very hot for most people. Wear gloves if you crush them.
- Fermented bamboo shoot has a strong smell; it mellows beautifully as it cooks.
- For extra smokiness with fresh pork, sear it in a dry pan until charred before boiling.
How to serve
Serve with plain steamed rice, boiled seasonal vegetables and a fiery king chilli and tomato chutney.
Other Naga dishes to try
- Pork with axone: pork cooked with fermented soybean paste.
- Galho: a comforting rice porridge with vegetables and meat.
- Anishi pork: pork cooked with fermented colocasia leaf cakes.
- Raja mircha chutney
The best time to taste Naga food is the Hornbill Festival near Kohima, held every year in early December, where all the tribes showcase their dishes.
Next in Flavours of India: Himachal Pradesh's madra.
