Zareena's Naga Recipes

We were introduced to the simple goodness of Naga food by a friend who was introduced to it by her friends from Nagaland. The thing is, Naga food - or its derivative thereof - is completely unlike any other Indian food. First off, the ingredients are few. Second, the cooking process is incredibly simple - no marinating, roasting dry masalas, extracting - none of that! Third, it sits really light on the stomach. Which of course means that you just eat more. What is there not to like?!

Recipe 1: Liver or Prawn Chutney
Ingredients:
2 chicken livers or 1/2 cup dried prawns
12 green chillies (more if you can handle it)
1 ripe tomato
3-4 cloves garlic

Chop up the chillies. In a pan, heat very little oil and place the tomato, chillies and liver or prawns. Put a lid on and let the ingredients steam and fry for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat. Once cool, grind to a paste along with the garlic, adding salt to taste. Eat with hot rice - yum!

ps: admittedly, this is not completely authentic simply because all the ingredients are not easily available. For instance, this chutney is usually made with the really hot naga marich and shidol or small, scaly fish. The ingredients used in this recipe are substitutes but work quite well nonetheless.


Recipe 2: Smoked Chicken and Pumpkin Curry
Ingredients:
250 gms smoked chicken breast, cut into cubes
250 gms yellow sweet pumpkin, also cubed (the pumpkin should be firm)
5-6 dried red chillies, broken into smaller pieces
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp oil
1/4 cup water

Method:
In a pan, heat oil. Add pumpkin and saute for a couple of minutes. Add chicken and chillies. Saute 2 more minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover lid and simmer until pumpkin is cooked. Just before finishing, pull out some of the cooked red chillies, mash in a mortar and pestle and return to pan. Add garlic and salt to taste. Simmer 2-4 minutes and you are done! Also delicious with rice.

The smokiness of the chicken contrasted against the sweetness of the pumpkin is simply divine. The chilli and garlic add a little more pep and flavor to an already fabulous dish.