Naga Smoked Beef
Strips of beef from local hill cattle cut thin, salted, and hung above the cooking fire until dark, dense, and intensely concentrated — Nagaland's equivalent of jerky but smokier, harder, and more pungent. Eaten alone with rice, added to stews, or grilled briefly over fire to soften. Beef is widely eaten across Nagaland unlike most of mainland India.
Cuisines
Naga
Best for
Lunch
Dinner
Recipe
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 60 min
Total: 75 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 300 grams | beef (preferably with some fat) |
| 2 tablespoons | mustard oil |
| 1 medium | onion, sliced |
| 3 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 inch | ginger, minced |
| 2 pieces | green chilies, slit |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| 1 cup | water |
| 1 tablespoon | bamboo shoot (optional) |
| 1 teaspoon | crushed Sichuan pepper (optional) |
Instructions
- 1 Cut the beef into medium-sized pieces.
- 2 Heat mustard oil in a pan until it starts to smoke, then reduce the heat.
- 3 Add the sliced onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
- 4 Add minced garlic and ginger, and sauté for another minute.
- 5 Add the beef pieces and brown them on all sides.
- 6 Add slit green chilies, salt, and water to the pan.
- 7 Cover and let it simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes or until the beef is tender.
- 8 If using, add bamboo shoot and crushed Sichuan pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes.
- 9 Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve hot.
Tips
For an authentic smoky flavor, you can smoke the beef over an open flame before cooking.