Travel updates

Since the time I went to chennai last month, I've not gone to any other place and it feels as if I've not gone out of Tripura since ages....m going to delhi tomm. will be there for more than a weak...m sure its going to be good...I've loads of shopping plans....enjoying good food and catching up with frens...more updates from delhi later

Yongchaak story

Yongchaak or Parkia speciosa (petai, bitter bean,sataw, twisted cluster bean, yongchaa, yongchaak, zawngtah or stink bean), I bet its most manipuri's fav. veggie. Yongchaak
can be eaten in many form raw yongchaak singju(after peeling the green cover), boiled and mashed with aloo and other veggies 'Yongchaak Eromba', fried with other veggies 'yongchaak Kanghou' and sun dried after peeling the green cover for later consumption. I never used to like yongchaak eromba as a kid but I always liked yongchaak singju and another preparation of yongchaak I really like with 'Yongchaak ka aloo ga kangmet', that happens to be one of my mom's fav. dish from the list of things I cook.

In Tripura the locals also eat yongchaak but they are not very fond if it...its not as popular as it is in Manipur, I guess thats why its much cheaper the yongchaak I buy for 10 bucks here will cost me more then 100 bucks in Manipur, its yongchaak season now and I've been having yongchaak singju almost everyday resulting in many loo diaster hahaha. I was seraching for yongchaak in google and came across some interesting post on yongchaak, its popular in Malayasia and other south Asian countries, its good to know that....I also read that its very nutritious and high in energy after consumption some research was also conducted using yongchaak and it was found be very good for athletis.....accha hai yongchaak khane ka aneek reason mei se eek aur good reason mil gaya humko.....

Soibum Eromba

Eromba, a generic name of the dish prepared with crushed boiled vegetables, fermented fish with chilly. This taste is different depending on the type of vegetable used, for example with Bamboo shoot it is called “Soibum eromba” with Giant bean “Yongchaak eromba” with young banana stem “Laphu eromba” and so on. Where “Ametpa or Morok Metpa and Singju” meaning dry crusted with Ngari with chilly, Chilly with fresh vegetables is even used in the fast food in the local restaurants, it is a hot and tasty preparation. Eromba by its nature is usually on the higher side of hotness when it comes to the amount of chilly used.(Source wikipedia: Meitei)
The above pic. is of Soibum(fermented bamboo shoot) eromba one of my fav. eromba.
Ingredients:
1.150 gms Soibum.
2.2 medium size potato
3.10-12 dried red chillies.
4.Ngari (Fermented fish)
5. Salt to taste
Method:
-Wash the soibum for 4-5 times.
-In a pressure cooker put soibum,potato's and chilles.
-Keep till three whistle.
-Make a paste of the boiled chillies, ngari and salt.
-Mix the chille-ngari paste with aloo and soibum. Add water if u wish to make the gravy light but do not add the same water in which you've boiled soibum.
-Garnish with onion, the mouth watering soibum eromba is ready....m feeling hungryyy

Terracotta Art

(Pic. of terracotta items on display and sale during the 19th I& C Fair, Agartala)

Terra cotta has been used throughout history for sculpture and pottery, as well as bricks and roof shingles. In ancient times, the first clay sculptures were dried (baked) in the sun after being formed. Later, they were placed in the ashes of open hearths to harden, and finally kilns were used, similar to those used for pottery today(Source Wikipedia: Terracotta)

(Pic. of terra cotta utility items during an exhibition Dilli Haat)

Terra cotta utility items were the first to be used for cooking and other purposes, excavations from historical sites have revelled that. Whether its Harappa civilisation or mesopotamia pieces of terra cotta items have always been found, I've a small piece of terra cotta pottery from Harappa; I was thrilled when I collected it that was during a college trip to Pakistan. Everything abt the trip to Pakistan was memorable esp. the Harappa site visit, Takht-ti-bahi, Islamabad, NWFP, Lahore and the famous Kinnarid College.

Coming back to Terra cotta, my association with terra cotta utility items is since birth, my dad's village is a village of potters, in Manipur there are very few villages which does potery and my dad's village "Thongjao" located in Thoubal Dist. i one of the very few villages which does pottery. From ngari-kharung to flower pots almost everything they make, the potential for developing the village and the craft is there but sadly nothing much can be done looking at the current situation. Some NGO's have done intresting work with Terra Cotta I found one during the 19th I&C mela in Agartala, I bought some items the best were the spoon and knife holder for my kitchen simple yet elegant....