E for Eromba from Manipur.

E for Eromba from Manipur.

When we think of dishes with E, the first that comes to our mind is Egg. So Egg Roll is the first one which all of us must have devoured upon while strolling on streets. The variants can be innumerable depending upon the stuffing used in it. Mix Veg Roll, Keema Roll, Double egg roll, Chicken Egg Roll,  Kabab Egg Roll....and so on.

Other common dishes of egg are the Egg Curry, Omlette, Poach, Half Boiled, Egg Bhurji etc we use in our daily routine. Egg sandwiches are also common.

Another dish from E is Ennai Kathirikai Kulambu from Tamil Nadu. Ennai here means oil and kathirikai is Brinjal. So it is fried small sized brinjal in full sauted and then dipped in sour curry with regional flavour and served with steamed rice.

But as part of the challenge I would talk about Eromba, one of the most popular dish Manipuris' prepare for their lunch or dinner. As per Wikepedia, Eromba is an ethnic cuisine of the Meitei community of Manipur. The dish is equally enjoyed in other parts of Northeast too. It's usually made with boiled vegetables mashed with ngari (fermented fish) and chillies. It is basically used as a side dish, a type of chutney ar can also be used as curry. It has its own local variants as per the additional compositions. The garnishing too varies from  as simple as coriander and onion to complex chopped local herbs.

Ingredients

Fermented dry fish ( Ngari/Shidol ) : 5-6 pcs.

Boiled Tomatoes-2, 

Boiled Potatoes-2 ( or any other locally available or seasonal vegetables like colocasia, ladies finger,bamboo shoot etc.) 

Green chilies : 3-4 / Red chilies : 3-4

Chopped Onion  : 1 large

Garlic : 2-3 pods (optional)

Copped Coriander leaves for garnishing 

Recipe

Clean the dry fish removing all scales etc, rinse in water, drench and keep aside.

In a bowl take tomatoes, potatoes & garlic pods and green chilies and steam or pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles with minimum water. Strain and separate from water. Keep the water as well.

In another bowl take the boiled green chilies and drenched dry fish and mash well. In a separate bowl, mash tomatoes along with garlic. Add coarsely mashed boiled potatoes. Then add the fish and chilly mash to it and mix them together nicely. Add chopped onions, salt as per taste and mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix.

If required add the strained warm water or fresh warm water to it to make slightly loose consistency. The Eromba is ready.

Garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves dry saute chilly and serve with fresh steamed rice accompanied with fried fish, fried dry shrimps or just anything.

Other Cuisines on the list of A to Z so far are

A - Appam, B- Bhutte Ka Kees, C - Chhena Poda , D - Dhuska

Aditya Sinha
05.04.2020