Eromba
The defining dish of Manipuri cuisine — boiled vegetables (potato, yam, green banana, or bitter gourd) hand-mashed with roasted dried chilli and ngari (fermented sun-dried fish), producing a pungent, earthy paste eaten with rice at every Meitei meal. The ngari gives it an irreplaceable depth that no fresh fish can replicate.
Cuisines
Manipuri
Best for
Lunch
Dinner
Recipe
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 40 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 200 grams | smoked fish |
| 2 cups | water |
| 3 | medium potatoes |
| 5 | dried red chilies |
| 1 cup | fresh bamboo shoots |
| 1 teaspoon | fermented fish (ngari) |
| — | salt to taste |
| — | fresh coriander leaves for garnish |
Instructions
- 1 Boil the potatoes in a pot of water until they are soft and fully cooked.
- 2 In a separate pot, boil the dried red chilies until they become soft.
- 3 Once the potatoes are cooked, peel them and mash them in a bowl.
- 4 Add the boiled red chilies to the mashed potatoes and mix well.
- 5 In a pan, add the smoked fish and bamboo shoots with a little water and cook until the bamboo shoots are tender.
- 6 Add the cooked fish and bamboo shoots to the potato and chili mixture.
- 7 Mix in the fermented fish (ngari) and salt to taste.
- 8 Mash and mix all the ingredients together thoroughly until well combined.
- 9 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.
Tips
For a more authentic flavor, use Manipuri smoked fish and adjust the amount of fermented fish according to your taste preference.