Manipur: cuisine
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Manipuri Cuisine
Manipuri cuisine is simple and healthy. Dishes are typically boiled, smoked or spicy foods that use chilli pepper. The staple diet of Manipur consists of rice, leafy vegetables, fish and meat. ‘Ngari’ or fermented fish is a popular ingredient in the dishes. ‘Umorok’ , an extremely hot chilli is another favourite ingredient among the people. The meals are simple but very well prepared. One has to taste them to believe it.
Mary Kom’s favourite foods
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, boxer, foodie
My earliest food experience
Rice with tender maize.
My favourite recipe
I love Manipuri cuisine. My favourite is nga atoiba thongba, which is a Manipuri style mashed fish curry.
My favourite cuisine
I love Chinese food.
I have a sweet tooth for
I don't really have a sweet tooth.
See also Mary Kom
Nga atoiba thongba
Mary Kom’s nga atoiba thongba
Nairita Mukherjee, TNN Nov 28, 2012
The Times of India 2012-11-28
Nga atoiba thongba
Ingredients: Rohu: 750 gm, Onion:150 gm, Garlic: 20 gm, Ginger: 20 gm, Fresh green peas (shelled): 80 gm, Tomato - diced into cubes: 200 gm, Potato - diced into cubes:150 gm, Red chilli powder:10 gm, Coriander powder:15 gm, Cumin powder: 5 gm, Mustard oil (for cooking):150 ml, Turmeric powder:10 gm, Salt: To taste, Fresh coriander leaves
Method: Smear the fish with turmeric powder and keep aside. Grind onion, ginger and garlic and make a thick paste with the spices. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Put the onion-ginger-garlic paste in. Fry till the oil separates. Make sure to stir at regular intervals so that it doesn't burn. Put in the pieces of fish and mix well. Cook until the water released by the fish dries out. Now add peas, diced tomatoes, potatoes, water and salt. Cover and simmer until the potato is done. Mash the potato and fish with the back of the spatula (leave some un-mashed for a more interesting texture). Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves along with steamed rice.
(Recipe by Chutney, Bar + Tandoor, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, New Delhi)
Sinju
The authors of this section on Sinju are: Achintya, The Tripura Foundation 09/28/2010 <> Arzoo, Babina and Deepak on Mingudam<> Khonjel
Sinju is a green salad that the Manipuris savour as a delicacy.
Manipuris like Babina ‘strongly believe that the variety of greens (based on the seasons) and food variety available at Manipur can not be found anywhere. The same greens when exported to other parts of the world are highly respected. e.g. Au-morok which can be found only in the north-east of India is preserved and exported to Mexico from Manipur.’
Deepak informs us that ‘Yongchak is known as Tree Bean, this is [native to the area that spreads from] north eastern India to Burma, Thiland, Korea and Japan. The way other people eat is totally different than how Manipuris cook it. This is a highly nutritious vegetable. It is not necessary that ngari (fermented fish) should be included in this recipe.’
Sinju: Ingredients and preparation
Jugindra Sorokhaibam writes: Considering the varieties of Sinju available [even an] abridged version [of its recipes] would still be a small booklet. Arzoo adds: There is no fix recipe one should follow…Cooking is improvisation / is an art….make your own recipe.
Indpaedia has collected some variants:
Achintya’s recipe
Making Sinju is an art. Green raw leafy vegetables like cabbage and several others are finely shred and garnished with roasted ground dal (besan) to make Sinju. In season green tender pods of tree beans or Yangchak (Parkia roxburgii) are also added. That adds to the taste and nutritive value in terms of protein. Many like to flavour Sinju with Sidal (fermented fish) roasted on fire. But that is optional. Many prefer it without.
Arzoo’s recipe
Easy recipe of sinju lovers- Grate cabbage (that way it is easy on digestion and of course easy on chewing) + Mix boiled peas (green or yellow).+ very small pieces of green or regular onion + any greens you have at home/make sure you cut small/fine + mayantong (fresh or dry) OR Basil leaves would do too + green hot pepper if you like
You need roasted besan/gram flour + red chili powder + Black sesame powder (which is only available in Manipur) However if you don’t have it don’t worry. ADD regular black sesame powder. Add salt last since it makes sinju mushy.
Yongchaak sin[g]ju
”Yong-chak” literally means monkey rice. It is the name of a flat, wing-shaped bean. Yongchaak sin[g]ju is called stinky beans in English, and ngari is called stinky fish.
Thambou Singju
Thambou means Lotus Root and Thambou Singju is a popular Manipuri dish. Most of the ingredients are fresh and unboiled.
Khonjel’s recipe
Ingredients
1. Salt
2. Chilli
3. Pea powder (Homemade by grinding fried pea)
4. Thambou (Lotus Root)
5. Coriander Leaves
6. Onion
7. Ngari ( Fermented fish)
Process:
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Wash them and slice the thambou and onion.
3. Fry the ngari
4. Fry and grind the pea
5. Fry the chilli, too
6. Cut the coriander leaves into small pieces.
7. Put all the ingredients in a jar or any other favourable utensils and stir them until you get the perfect Thambou Sinju
Effect on health
Positive: Not only the Manipuris themselves but also their good-natured neighbours in Tripura feel that ‘a poor Manipuri does generally enjoys comparatively better health and is more muscular and athletic, as claimed by some, than his other neighbours of same economic status not used to green salad.’
That might explain Manipur’s very high position in Indian athletics.
Negative: Sinju, as indeed all salads, are best eaten if homemade or made by a restaurant reputed for its hygienic standards. Raw vegetables, anywhere in the world, sometimes be the cause of Neurocysticercosis if the ingredients are contaminated.
Where to find sinju in Manipur
Deepak tells us, ‘I have tasted vegetable [preparations] of Yongchak such as ironba, kanhau and Singju at the Govindji Temple; the Thakurbari Temple at Paona Bazar; the Temple of Phurilatpam Bamon at Meimu Leirak and at Akoijam Laisang at Tera.”
When and where to find sinju in Agartala
Making a good Sinju is an art. Those interested may drop in during the preparation of Vandra at Radhanagar Manipuri Mandap, Agartala [Tripura] during Ratha Yatra. One would find several Mous (young married women) fresh from head bath in clean attire with chandan (sandalwood paste) on their foreheads busy giggling and preparing sinju from heaps of green leaves. No sidal is permissible for prasad ofcourse. No Vandra (community feast/prasad) is complete without Sinju.
Manipuri food in Guwahati
See Guwahati
See also
A history of Manipur: 1890-1930
Manipur: cuisine
