Smoked pork with bamboo shoot
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Smoked pork cooked with sour fermented bamboo shoot and king chilli, the best-known dish of Nagaland.
Region: NagalandOccasion: Everyday meal; festivals and feastsTime: 1 hourServes: 4Non-vegetarian
Ingredients
- 500 g smoked pork with some fat, in pieces
- 1 cup fermented bamboo shoot, shredded
- 1–2 Naga king chillies (or 4 green chillies)
- 2 inch ginger, crushed
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups water
Method
- Wash the smoked pork in warm water and put it in a pot with the water.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes until the pork begins to soften; the fat will melt into the broth.
- Add the bamboo shoot, ginger, garlic, chillies and salt.
- Cook on medium heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pork is tender and the gravy thick.
- Add the tomatoes in the last 5 minutes if using. Serve with plain boiled rice.
History
Naga homes have long hung meat above the kitchen hearth to smoke and keep it, and fermented bamboo shoot is a traditional way of preserving the spring harvest.
Significance
Smoked pork with bamboo shoot is served at almost every feast and festival in Nagaland and is a dish that many people outside the State link with Naga food.