Yongchaak kang-hanbagi steps

Yongchaak

1. Peeling the Yongchaak- To take out the green cover

2, One needs to cut both the sides of yongchaak after peeling.

3. Yongchaak Peeled and ready to be cooked or sun dried

Manipuri's....esp. Meitei's just love to eat Yongchaak...it can be Eromba, Singju, Kanghou or in Mixed veg. Yongchaak holds a very important position in the list of vegetables that Manipuri's eat. It is a winter vegetable, available only for 4-5 months in the year. The season starts from November and continues upto March "Ningol Chakouba" I guess will not be complete without "Yongchaak Eromba or Singju".

So how do Manipuri's manage the other part of the year without it....well its a simple thing that we do...we sun dry it and preserve it to have it during months when its not available. When the Yongchaak maru gets big its peeled and cut into pieces for sun drying. Sun drying yongchaak is not a very pleasant thing and I am sure most of us would not like it to do it...it involves peeling the yongchaak...which in itself is a huge task...the green cover needs to be peeled using what we  Meitei's call "Yongkhot" (Picture's above) the green cover is very sticky and it makes our skin very dry when it sticks to our palm. I use a really good quality kitchen glove while peeling .... and it sure saves me from the trouble. 

The above pictures demonstrate the way we eat yongchaak, after peeling the cover its cut into big n small pieces, the bigger pieces are for eromba and smaller are for singju...the above pictures also shows the peeling, cutting and also the process involved before sun drying it. People around the world eat yongchaak in different way like in Tripura, the local communities eat it by  roasting it over fire. South-East Asian people have the green seed inside...but I guess its only the Manipuri's who peel the cover/skin and then prepare various items.

Peeling yongchaak for sun drying is sure a time consuming and not a very pleasant task but am I complaining...no. Khane ke liyeh kuch bhi karega :).

Nongmangkha Mapaan Kanghou

Nongmangkha Mapan

Ingredients for Nongmangkha Mapan Kanghou

Nongmangkha Mapan Kanghou

Nongmangkha in bloom

Nongmangkha (pronounced Nong-mang-kha) is another vegetable which I believe is grown and had only in my native state Manipur, its very...veryyyyy bitter in taste and its supposed to have medicinal qualities (I sometimes wonder why all bitter things to eat have medicinal qualities).  I remember being forced to drink the water boiled with Nongmangkha leaves when we had fever or cold. 

The leaves and flower (mapaan) are eaten in Manipur, during Ushop its made into a dish called "Suktani" which is not in my list of fav. Manipuri dish but I like Kanghou or Nongmangkha Mapaan or the leaves. The ingredients are simple and preparation even simpler.

Ingredients: 

• 2 Potatos.
• 4-5 greens chillies.
• 1 Bowl of Nongmangkha Mapaan/leaves.
• 1 onion.
• 2-3 Garlic cloves.
• 2 tbsp oil.
• Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

Method

• In  a non stick frying pan add 2 tbsp oil and once its smoking hot add the chopped garlic and onion, fry for 2-3 mins.
• Add the Green Chillies and small cubes of potatos, cover the pan and fry for 10 mins or till the potato's are almost done.
• Add turmeric powder and salt, stir it well and add the nongmangkha mapaan/leaves. (Remember that if you are using Nongmangkha leaves chop it into medium size.)
• Cover the pan and fry for atleast 10 mins in low flame.
• Serve hot with rice and Yongchaak ka Hawaimubi ga Eromba.

Serves: 3-4

Cooking Time: 25-30 Mins

Meikthrubi Manna

Meikthrubi Manna- Picture

Meikthrubi Manna is one of the important ingredients used in making "Tharoi- Thongba", the leaves gives a distinct smell when crushed or fried and it is also used in making bora. It can be dried and stored for later use,.The Meikthrubi tree is not very  big, it also has small thorns and one needs to be careful while plucking the leaves, its sold in bunch in local markets. I've not seen it being sold or grown anywhere else other then Manipur.