Eromba

The Meitei mash of boiled vegetables and ngari fermented fish, pounded with roasted king chilli and finished with culantro and herbs, eaten with almost every Manipuri meal

Origin: Imphal & Manipur

From the journey of Chilli Pepper.

Eromba is the dish a Manipuri living elsewhere misses first. Its name comes from the Meitei eeru taana lonba, a liquid that is mixed, which describes it exactly: vegetables are boiled, then mashed by hand with roasted chilli and ngari, the pungent fermented fish of the valley, into a rough, wet, fiery mash that is eaten with rice at nearly every meal. Potato, bamboo shoot, stink beans, beans, pumpkin, or whatever is in season will do, and the Naga communities of the surrounding hills make it too. The heat comes from u-morok, the king chilli of Manipur, the same plant as the bhut jolokia of Assam and the Naga chilli, which is among the hottest chillies in the world. It is roasted over a flame before it is pounded. Ngari is made from small sun-dried fish packed into oiled earthen pots and left to ferment for months, and it is the ingredient that gives eromba its depth. The finish is herbs, and in Manipur that means awa phadigom, culantro, torn over the top with maroi, the local chive-like allium, and coriander. The herbs are there to cut the fish and the fire, and an eromba without them tastes unfinished to anyone who grew up with it.

Ingredients

Vegetables

400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
150 g green beans or yongchak (stink beans), cut into lengths
100 g fermented or fresh bamboo shoot, sliced (optional)

Mash

3 dried king chillies (u-morok), or 6 dried red chillies
3 tbsp ngari (fermented fish), or 2 tbsp dried fish flakes
1 tsp salt

Herbs

10 g awa phadigom (culantro) leaves, torn
1 small bunch maroi or chives, chopped
1 small handful coriander leaves

Method

Boil the potatoes, beans, and bamboo shoot in salted water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain, keeping a cup of the water.
Roast the chillies over a flame or in a dry pan until blackened in spots, and roast the ngari on a piece of foil or in a dry pan until it smells strongly.
Pound the chillies, ngari, and salt together in a mortar to a paste.
Add the boiled vegetables and mash everything together by hand or with the pestle, loosening with a little of the cooking water, until it is a rough, wet mash.
Tear over the awa phadigom, maroi, and coriander, mix lightly, and serve with plain rice.

Notes

Ngari is sold in shops supplying the north-east; dried fish flakes or a little Thai fermented fish sauce give a rough idea of it. King chillies vary enormously in heat. Start with one and taste.

The Gastrographer

Name: Eromba
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Imphal & Manipur
Ingredients: 400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; 150 g green beans or yongchak (stink beans), cut into lengths; 100 g fermented or fresh bamboo shoot, sliced (optional); 3 dried king chillies (u-morok), or 6 dried red chillies; 3 tbsp ngari (fermented fish), or 2 tbsp dried fish flakes; 1 tsp salt; 10 g awa phadigom (culantro) leaves, torn; 1 small bunch maroi or chives, chopped; 1 small handful coriander leaves

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control