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Eromba

Boiled vegetables mashed with fire-roasted ngari and king chilli, finished with maroi and coriander. No oil, all punch — the heart of a Manipuri meal.

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
• 100 g french beans or yongchak (stink bean), cut in pieces
• ½ cup boiled bamboo shoot or brinjal, cut in pieces (optional)
• 4 ngari (fermented fish)
• 1 u-morok (king chilli) or 6 dried red chillies
• ½ bunch maroi nakupi or spring onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• salt to taste

Method

1. Boil the potatoes, beans and bamboo shoot in 3 cups salted water for 15 minutes until very soft.
2. Meanwhile wrap the ngari in a banana leaf or foil and roast directly on the flame for 2 minutes per side until fragrant.
3. Roast the king chilli or dried red chillies on the flame till blistered and lightly charred.
4. Pound the roasted ngari, chillies and a pinch of salt in a stone mortar to a coarse paste.
5. Drain the vegetables, keeping 0.5 cup of the cooking water.
6. Add the vegetables to the mortar and mash together with the ngari paste, adding a little cooking water to loosen.
7. Mix in the maroi and coriander, check salt and serve at room temperature with hot rice.

Tip: Never add oil — eromba is meant to be clean and fiery. Without ngari, roasted dry fish pounded fine is the closest swap.