Yong’s Kitchen In New Delhi Is Breathing New Life Into Traditional Naga Cuisine

Smoked pork with Axone (fermented soybeans), Anishi (baked and dried taro leaves), and fresh or fermented bamboo shoots. Chilli crabs, delicately marinated with traditional Naga herbs and butter, served with bok choy. And wholesome pork, chicken, and fish thalis featuring red rice, Rosep Aon or traditional mixed vegetables, seasonal boiled vegetables, Naga-style lentils slow-cooked to perfection and tempered with ginger and garlic, and a signature chutney made with roasted tomatoes, Raja chillies, and aromatic greens. The thoughtfully curated menu at Yong’s Kitchen in New Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave is a celebration of bold, authentic Naga flavours.

A passion project of sisters Yongsen and Tiarenla 'Tia' Longkumer, Yong’s Kitchen began as an online cloud kitchen in 2020, delivering home-cooked traditional Naga food to students from the northeastern state who could not go home because of the lockdown. But as word spread through New Delhi’s Naga residents, many of whom live in the nearby Humayunpur urban village, the Longkumer sisters were encouraged to open the 18-seater restaurant nestled in a discreet corner of Safdarjung Enclave’s DDA Market as a place for New Delhi's Naga diaspora to come together and unwind over food. From the textile canopy inspired by 'Tsüngkotepsü' — a type of ceremonial shawl traditionally worn by Ao Naga warriors — to the handcrafted bamboo mugs and wooden serveware, every inch of the restaurant is a celebration of the Longkumer sisters’ Ao Naga heritage.

“Authenticity in Naga cuisine comes from the indigenous local spices, herbs, and other condiments that have the essence and the flavour of the land,” Tia says. The curated menu at Yong's Kitchen is a tribute to traditional Ao Naga cuisine — especially the family recipes of Tiarenla and Yongsen’s father. While fresh produce like meat, fish, and seasonal vegetables are sourced every morning from the INA Market in New Delhi, most of the dried and fermented ingredients like traditional Naga herbs and spices, bamboo shoots, Axone, and Anishi are sourced directly from Mokokchung — the sisters’ hometown in Nagaland. Although the sisters sometimes improvise the recipes to balance authentic Naga flavours with the preferences of a growing and increasingly diverse clientele, they still draw inspiration from the time they spent with their father in the kitchen as children. "We have a fusion menu that balances authenticity with modernity," Tia says.

Axone, or fermented soybeans, and Anishi, or baked and dried taro leaves, feature widely in the culinary traditions of Ao, Lotha, and Sema tribes of Nagaland. "Axone gives dishes its signature pungent smell but also the thick broth that excites the palate, and Anishi gives dishes not only its black colour but also the taste of the land," Tia explains.

The Longkumer sisters also host special events at the restaurant to celebrate important Naga festivals like 'Moatsü', a harvest festival observed by Ao Nagas in the first week of May every year. “Food we feel is one of the best means of representing your roots, your heritage, and your identity,” Tia says. “In tandem with that thought, our menu is carefully curated to give a peek into the authentic Naga cuisine while still catering to the in-betweens. The Naga thalis, for instance, bring the rich culture, the aroma, the taste of the soil to New Delhi.”

How to get there: Yong’s Kitchen, B-5 (Ground Floor), DDA Market, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi. Open all days except Tuesday. 12 noon to 11 PM. Wheelchair accessible.

Follow Yong's Kitchen here.

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