How to Cook Smoked Pork with Taro Leaves - Vawksa Hro le Dawl Hro

This episode of Virthli Kitchen presents another of the Hmar people's all time favourites - Vawksa Hro le Dawl Hro suong (Smoked Pork with Dried Taro Leaves). This is a simple recipe much loved by the Kuki-Chin-Mizo community of the Northeast India.

This dish tastes especially great with dried leaves or flowers of Elsholtzia blanda, locally called Lengmaser by the Hmars and Mizos (Kanghuman in Manipuri, Ban silam in Nepali, Ngarikna in Tangkhul).

Elsholtzia blanda, commonly called Pleasant Himalayan Mint, is a small herb (1 - 1.5 metres tall) with dense and velvet-hairy stems and branches. Pleasant Himalayan Mint is found in the Himalayas, from Nepal to Bhutan, Bengal, NE India, SW China, Burma, Indo-China, Malaysia, at altitudes of 800-2500 m. Fresh leaves of this plant is often eaten to reduce blood pressure.

Virthli KITCHEN Episode 3: SMOKED PORK with DRIED TARO LEAVES

(Vawksa Hro le Dawl Hro - A Hmar Ethnic Recipe)

Ingredients:

1. Smoke Pork - Chopped
2. Dried Taro Leaves (Dawl Hro) - Cleaned, Soaked in Water
3. Red Chlli Flakes - 7 Pieces
4. Salt
5. Dried Elsholtzia blanda/Pleasant Himalayan Mint (Lengmaser/Lomba) - 15 branches
6. Ginger - Garlic (Minced)
7. Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) - Optional



Preparation:

1. Cook smoked pork in water for 20 minutes.
2. Add minced ginger-garlic to remove smell of pork (optional).
3. Add previously soaked dried taro leaves and stir to mix.
4. Add dried chilli flakes.
5. Cook until taro leaves soften (about 10 - 15 minutes).
6. Add a pinch of soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) to fasten softening process (optional).
7. Add salt.
8. Add dried leaves/flowers of Elsholtzia blanda (Lengmaser/Lomba).
9. Cook for 5 minutes for the flavour to blend.
10. Serve hot (with rice).

VIDEO TUTORIAL:



Happy cooking!

How To Cook Pork - Vawksa Sizo Hmepawk - A Hmar Ethnic Pork Recipe

In this episode of Virthli KITCHEN, we present to you one of the most loved recipes of the Hmar people — Pork Congee (cooked with rice and tapering leaf Eurya, scientifically called Eurya acuminata), fondly called Sizo Hmepawk by the Hmar community.

YouTube link (Video Tutorial): https://youtu.be/ZRpaIdFQsHY


Virthli KITCHEN is a cooking show that focusses on bringing local and traditional dishes of the North-East India to mainstream attention. 



Ingredients:
1. Pork - 3/4 kg, cut to medium sized pieces
2. Eurya Leaves (Sizo/Sihneh) - 2 handful
3. Uncooked Rice - 200 gms
4. Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) - 1 - 1½ tsp
5. Salt - 2 tsp



* Tapering Leaf Eurya (Eurya acuminata), called 'Sizo' in Hmar and Kuki, 'Sihneh' in Mizo, 'Saano Jhingaane' in Nepali and 'Dieng-pyrshittheh' in Khasi, commonly found in the hills of North-east India.


Preparation:
1. Add 1 - 1½ tsp of Soda to Eurya leaves (Sizo) and cook in cold water until the leaves soften. Stir occasionally to avoid spillage.
2. When the leaves have softened, add more cold water (about 2 - 3 cups) and cook until boil.
3. Add pork to the boiling broth and cook for 10 - 12 minutes.
4. Add uncooked rice to the pot and cook until rice grains become tender.
5. Stir occasionally and vigorously to thicken the broth/congee.
6. If the broth/congee becomes too thick or keeps sticking to the pot, add a little bit of hot water.
7. Add salt to season.
8. Stir some more and serve!



VIDEO TUTORIAL: