Ethnic Dishes from MANIPUR Eromba and Singju

      -Biaki Hangshing

    ‘Anyone who tries them would love them”

Eromba (pronounce as ee-rom-ba)

Eromba is one the most popular dishes of Manipur. It is a type of chutney made with boiled vegetables mashed with Chili (King chili) and fermented fish. Eromba can be made with any vegetables depending on your culinary imagination, like stink bean (parkia roxburghii) eromba, yam (colocasia) eromba, bamboo shoots (fresh/fermented) eromba, winged bean eromba, broad bean eromba, yendem* (Alocasia odora) eromba,  loklei* (galangal) eromba etc. But here, i will introduce you with simple yet exotic taste of Manipur – Soibum (bamboo shoots) Eromba

Eromba

Ingredients

• Potato (2 medium)
• King chili (1big/2small)
• Fermented bamboo shoot (200gm)
• Fermented fish (4 big)
• Smoked fish (2 medium)
• Onions (1 big)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander for garnishing

De-bone the smoked fish and cook with potato and king chili, drain and keep both the vegetables and gravy. Boil fermented bamboo shoot and drain. Roast the fermented fish over low flame till it’s roasted properly, make sure it’s not burned, then mash it along with chili, then add the vegetables and mash again mixing it all together with salt, now add the finely cut onions, mix it with the gravy (do not use the one you boiled your bamboo shoot) and keep stirring till it turns into a thick gravy, garnish it with coriander.

Hot and tasty Eromba is ready.

Singju (pronounce as sing-zoo)

Singju is a healthy salad with a Manipuri touch. Variety of green vegetables is used to make different types/recipe for singju. Its unique taste is mainly due to fermented fish. A little amount of chilli, roasted black sesame seed and chick peas powder also added the flavor. Singju has many varieties as much as eromba. Any vegetables can make a delicious singju. Some famous ingredients which are usually used for making singju are Cabbage, pea tips, Cauliflower,  Lotus Root, Stink Bean (parkia roxburghii), unripe Payaya, Chameleon Plant, Winged bean, Banana Flower etc.

sinji

The ingredients I used here are

• Cabbage
• Pea tips
• Dried white pea
• Perilla seeds (Black sesame)
• Chick pea powder
• Fermented fish
• King chili
• Salt

Soak the dried white pea overnight or for 6hrs, then cook, and keep aside. Clean both the cabbage and pea tips, finely cut the cabbage, keep aside, roast the sesame seeds and grind, then roast the chick pea powder in a low heat. Roast the fermented fish over low flame till it’s roasted properly, make sure it’s not burned, then grind with warm water and keep aside, roast the king chili, grind with little amount of warm water and keep aside. Now all you have to do is mix all the ingredients. (Salt, fermented fish, king chili, sesame, chickpea powder can be adjusted according to your taste.)

Your tasty Singju is ready, can be eaten as snack or side dish.

(For more exotic food of Manipur visit Biaki’s Kitchen https://www.facebook.com/BiakisKitchen)