Food Recipes to Taste the Flavour of the Northeast Singju (Sīng-Jū)
Khaji (Khā-Jī)
Unlike misconceptions about salads being plain and not so delish, this salad from the Manipur is one of the most well-known dishes from the northeast, largely owing to its addicting spicy flavour and crunchy texture. It is so versatile that in different places, you may find different ingredients used to make the dish for its ability to accommodate various items without compromising with its taste
Native to Arunachal Pradesh, this dish, which uses rice as its main ingredient, may look familiar and perhaps even ordinary. But what make it so distinctive are the facts that they use red rice instead of white rice or brown rice that we’re more accustomed to, and a local ingredient called churpi or fermented black cheese. INGREDIENTS: Red Rice – 2 cups Spring Onions – 6 stalks Dried Red Chillies – 15 or more (to taste) Churpi or Fermented Black Cheese - 2 pieces Onions – 1 cup Red Chilli Powder – 2 or 3 teaspoons Salt – to taste Pepper – to taste
INGREDIENTS: Vegetable oil-1 tablespoon Cabbage – 500g Chickpeas (with its leaves) – 100g Red chilli powder – 3 teaspoons Ngari or fermented dried fish - approx. 5 pieces Sesame seeds – 1½ teaspoon Salt – to taste Pepper – to taste Lotus roots (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Cook the red rice, in a similar fashion to how you would cook normal white rice. 2. Finely chop the onions and spring onions, and keep them aside separately in different bowls. 2. Make the red chilli chutney: • Put the dried red chillies into the mixer, and grind them. • Add churpi or fermented black cheese into the mixer. • Add the chopped onions. • Add red chilli powder. 3. Take a bowl and combine the cooked red rice, chopped spring onions and the chutney. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your own liking, and mix well. You may garnish with extra spring onions.
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Soak the chickpeas in water till they become slightly mushy. 2. Deep fry the chickpeas in vegetable oil, and keep aside. 3. Roast the ngari or fermented dried fish pieces, grind it with a teaspoon of water, and add red chilli powder to it. Stir well to get a paste-like texture. 4. Julienne the cabbage and keep them in a big bowl. 5. Now add the chickpeas, the ngari and chilli powder paste, and lotus roots (optional) to the bowl of cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir it all together so that every bite will be flavourful.
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