The pristine northeastern state of Nagaland lying bordering Myanmar is heavily focussed on agriculture. With more than a hundred tribes the variety is not just in the dialects but the cuisine variety as well. As much as meat is a delicacy, vegetables are equally loved in the cuisine. Here is the best part, it is practically a dry state with heavy regulations on the liquor of most sorts.
Just because I mentioned tribes, the state Nagaland is not underdeveloped at all. It is one of the most literate states in India. Moreover, the natural beauty of Nagaland brings itself to be called “the Switzerland of the east.”‘ So here is a simple recipe that quickly captured our hearts from Nagaland.
In case you are planning to travel to this region, watch out for the Hornbill festival. That’s the most colourful and tourist-oriented one that Nagaland hosts. Don’t worry if you miss it, it is indeed a land of festivals so you will always catch another one. Enjoy the land and its lovely people. If you can’t reach there just yet, enjoy steamed rice with this mild and flavourful recipe.
To this recipe
Rosep aon or Nagaland style boiled vegetables without a doubt is one of the simplest dishes you can make from Indian cuisine. This recipe from the Ao ng tribe is one of their signature dishes. The unique feature of this dish is the use of mixed vegetables and bamboo shoots. Dried fish classically used in this recipe has been avoided as we don’t consume the same. So here is a vegetarian version (had to avoid some vegetables I couldn’t find) of the same. Moreover, it is zero oil and laden with enough leaves and veggie mix, some common like eggplant and some unique like the bitter eggplant and the Sichuan pepper leaves.
This recipe was a happy partnership with Shh cooking secretly challenge where Jayashree Taro gave me spinach and garlic as my challenge to work with Nagaland cuisine. I thoroughly enjoyed my research and adapted the recipe from here.
If you have an authentic recipe of the same to share I will totally love to try it. Enjoy and do let me know how you enjoyed the dish as we loved it.
Here are some recipes laden with vegetables
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Rosep Aon
Naga style Mixed vegetable side.
Ingredients
- 1 medium bitter gourd
- 2 medium eggplant I used the long thin ones.
- 1 cup Spinach
- 1 large colocasia leaf ( taro)
- 1 small green chilli ( add more if you like it spicier)
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger root grated
- salt to taste
- drinking water just to cover the vegetable once they are ready
Instructions
- Wash and core the bittergourd. Slice the bitter gourd into 1 cm thick slices
- Wash and cut the brinjal into long cuts.
- clean and set the spinach and clean and rough chop the colocasia leaves
- Add the vegetables to the pot.
- Add the spinach and roughly chopped colocasia leaves
- Smash the ginger, garlic and add that to the pot as well. Add salt and just enough water to cover the vegetables.
- Cover the pot and cook till the water evaporates
- When done serve hot with steamed rice
Notes
The Sichuan peppercorns were a better substitute than the green chillies as traditionally Sichuan peppercorn leaves are used a lot in the recipe. Use green chillies if you like to make it spicy. Traditionally it is the fermented juice of bamboo shoots that are used and not the tomato. I swapped as I have none of the original.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Such a delicious and a healthy recipes this is with not a drop of oil. Awesome pick with your secret ingredients.
Indeed it is a soulful zero oil recipe I am proud of that I tried.
Delicious looking mixed vegetables… totally love that it cooks in water and is so guilt free…
The mix of vegetables was not only healthy but the recipe was so delicious. Guiltfree no doubt 🙂
A healthy veggie dish with no oil. I love the unique name of the dish. I would love to make it using all the ingredients you’ve used except for bitter gourd as I don’t like it.
You should try it still without the bitter melons then though I will highly recommend the bitter gourd in there. We loved it.
This is such a healthy cooking with zero oil. Loved it totally Seema, nicely made.
Thankyou Jaya, try it with steamed rice.
Love such oil free healthy vegetable curries. Perfect accompaniment with steamed rice and some spicy chutney .
The recipe will be perfect with your chutney recipe Poonam.
healthy and delicious vegetable curry. Nagaland cuisine doesn’t use oil at all which is interesting to know.
Yes Narmadha, isnt it lovely to have cuisine that favours zero oil dishes!!
very new and interesting recipe and it looks absolutely healthy and delicious without oil.
Rosep Aon: what a lovely name! All these Nagaland vegetable curries are simple to make and taste so good, even with no oil or spice, except for a little ginger and maybe chili. Great use of your two secret ingredients!