Smoked Pork with Bamboo Shoot
Kohima, Nagaland, India
A dish that shatters every assumption about what Indian food is. Chunks of pork belly are smoked over wood fires for days until intensely flavored, then slow cooked with fermented bamboo shoot, fiery Raja Mircha (one of the world's hottest chilies), and axone (fermented soybean paste that adds a deep, funky umami). There are no curries, no cream, no familiar spice blends. Naga cuisine sits at the crossroads of Southeast Asian and Tibetan food traditions, completely distinct from anything in the rest of India. This dish is daily fare in Naga households and the centerpiece of community feasts called 'khichui,' yet remains almost entirely unknown even to most Indians. The bamboo shoot's sour tang against the pork's smokiness creates a flavor profile that exists nowhere else on the subcontinent.
Ingredients
- 500 gsmoked pork belly (cut into chunks)
- 1 cupfermented bamboo shoot
- 2 tbspaxone (fermented soybean paste)
- 2 piecesRaja Mircha or Bhut Jolokia (whole)
- 1 inch pieceginger (crushed)
- 5 clovesgarlic (crushed)
- 1 largeonion (roughly chopped)
- 2 tbspmustard oil
- 2 cupswater
- to tastesalt
Directions
- 1
Rinse the smoked pork chunks under water to remove surface soot, then boil them in a pot of water for 15 minutes to soften slightly. Drain and set aside.
- 2
If using whole fermented bamboo shoot, slice it into thin strips. Rinse once if the sourness is too intense, but keep some tang.
- 3
Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until it just begins to smoke. Add the crushed ginger, garlic, and chopped onion, stirring until the onion turns translucent.
- 4
Add the boiled smoked pork chunks and sear for 5 minutes, letting them pick up some color on the edges.
- 5
Stir in the axone paste, breaking it up so it coats the pork evenly. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- 6
Add the bamboo shoot strips and whole Raja Mircha. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
- 7
Cover and cook for 40 to 50 minutes until the pork is completely tender and the broth has reduced to a thick, concentrated sauce. Adjust salt and serve with steamed rice.