In the main lane of Nagaram Block A, a picturesque shop that reads “HokSa” stands eminent, making every pork lover peep into the shop like a natural reflex. HokSa’s signature Tāngkhul pork is succulent that radiates just the right amount of juiciness. Cooked in Sirāra̱khong Chilli, HokSa’s signature Tāngkhul pork is tender and scrumptious. The Pork ribs with Hoksa’s special chilly sauce are appetizing and delectable with its own distinct power and pull.
Venetia Salam and Tuirak Phazang, the proprietors of HokSa, started running HokSa, a home-based delivery kitchen over a year ago. Tuirak Phazang, the husband, has a passion for making pork dishes, and with the pandemic affecting food shopping, they decided to start delivering their signature Tāngkhul pork dish. Eventually, when it became clear they were building a business, not nurturing a hobby, the husband-wife duo invested in opening an outlet shop in Nagaram where their beloved customers could either opt for delivery or takeaway.
“When the first lockdown started, it was just me, my husband and our year and a half old daughter, Kaitlyn Urashon Phazang at home. My husband cooked pork almost every day and a lot of our family/friends used to enjoy it whenever we got a chance to cook for them. One fine day, we thought why not try and deliver some of our pork to everyone stranded at home. We had to find something to do, especially since the country was in total lockdown. Pork is one thing that is loved by everyone here at home and is a signature Tangkhul dish cooked in every Tangkhul household (hence we named it HokSa’s Signature TANGKHUL Pork)”, recounts Venetia Salam, Proprietor, HokSa.
The name of this home-based kitchen, HokSa, is generic to the Tāngkhul words “hok sā”, which in translation means “pork meat”. Pork is a dish which stays close to many pork lovers’ hearts. Venetia and Tuirak, being the pork lovers that they are, wanted to share their love to everyone and brought forth “HokSa”— a venture which is bringing good palate experience!
Proprietors Venetia Salam and Tuirak Phazang along with their daughter Kaitlyn Urashon Phazang at the Inauguration Day of Hoksa takeaway and delivery joint
Sold over forty thousand parcels of pork dishes, HokSa thrives to bring the best to its customers. HokSa’s pork meat is carefully curated and sourced from local vendors. HokSa’s raison d’être is to serve the best quality home cooked food with the motto, “from our home to yours.”
“It has been a fulfilling journey, learning and growing everyday. We (team HokSa) is a growing unit. We have learnt so much especially as the food industry is a first for us. We are enjoying every bit of the journey and we are eternally grateful to Manipur for showering us with so much love everyday. We couldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for our customers. They showed us the way and we followed,” said Venetia Salam with gratitude.
Since its inception, HokSa has had its share of ups and downs. They say the road to success is not always smooth. With the current pandemic situation looming in, sourcing materials has been HokSa’s greatest challenge.
Venetia Salam states, “Our biggest challenge initially was sourcing our raw materials and ingredients during a national lockdown. This challenge continues to be so due to the current situation. However, it has improved slightly as we are now able to source from many vendors though this challenge continues to be our biggest challenge even to this day. With the constant support and love from our entire family, we’re able to give our valued customers everything that they love from HokSa.”
At present there are five employees at HokSa and it intends to expand in the coming days. Hoksa started off with only pork dishes in the menu but later added chicken and beef by popular public demand. Their bestsellers include Tangkhul pork, pork ribs with HokSa’s special chilly sauce, fiery chicken and Ani No’s beef. Other HokSa specialty includes the ultimate pork biryani, axone pork, bamboo shoot pork, smoked pork and bamboo shoot chicken.
Here’s how the name of one of the dishes of HokSa, Ani No’s Beef got its name from!
Ani (meaning aunty in Tangkhul), No (her name, Silentnao) is the name of one of the aunt’s of Tuirak Phazang, Proprietor, HokSa. Phazang grew up eating Ani No’s beef dish. It was loved by everyone in the family and her beef was quite popular back in the day. She passed away a few years ago. So the Phazang family decided to add beef in the HokSa menu and it had to be Ani No’s recipe, the most apt name for it. And folks! That’s how Ani No’s beef came about and no doubt Imphal loves her recipe!
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