Nagaland Pork Axone Fermented Soybean Curry Naga

Method

1. 1

   Brown the pork: Heat a heavy pot on medium-high. Add oil. Add pork cubes. Brown on all sides for 5 to 6 minutes until golden. Remove and keep aside.

2. 2

   Cook onion: In the remaining fat cook finely chopped onion for 8 to 10 minutes until deeply golden.

3. 3

   Add garlic and ginger: Add finely chopped garlic and grated ginger. Stir 2 minutes.

4. 4

   Add chilli: Add the slit ghost pepper or regular chilli. Stir 30 seconds. Be careful with ghost pepper — it is one of the hottest chillies in the world. Adjust quantity to tolerance.

5. 5

   Add the axone: Add the fermented soybean paste. Stir continuously for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. The intensely pungent raw smell of axone will transform into a deeply savoury, complex aroma as it fries — this transformation is the key step. The smell inside the kitchen will be very strong.

6. 6

   Add turmeric: Add turmeric. Stir 30 seconds.

7. 7

   Return pork and add water: Add the browned pork. Stir to coat with the axone mixture. Add 1/2 cup water. Add salt — axone is already salty, so taste first.

8. 8

   Simmer covered until tender: Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat for 25 to 30 minutes until pork is completely tender.

9. 9

   Uncover and reduce: Open the lid. Cook 5 more minutes to reduce the liquid slightly. The final preparation should have a thick, coating sauce — not watery.

10. 10

    Serve: Scatter spring onions. Serve with steamed rice.

11. 11

    Note: Axone (also called akhuni) is the defining ingredient of Naga cooking and is prepared from fermented soybeans using a process developed over centuries by the tribes of Nagaland. The pungency of axone is extreme — one of the most intensely smelling fermented foods in India. When cooked, this pungency becomes a deep, complex savoury character that is the foundation of Naga cuisine. Pork with axone is the most requested preparation at Hornbill Festival food stalls in Kohima every December.