Wahan Mosdeng

Pork with Tripuri chilli paste — the most iconic preparation in Mwi Borok (Tripuri) cuisine: pork belly or shoulder cut into pieces and cooked with a freshly ground mosdeng paste of roasted dried red chillies, green chilli, shallots, garlic, ginger, and a small amount of berma (fermented dried fish) that functions as an umami intensifier. The pork is cooked in its own fat without added oil; as the fat renders out it fries the mosdeng paste until the raw edge disappears and the fat turns deep orange-red. Salt, turmeric, and a small amount of water are added and the whole simmered until the pork is tender and the spiced fat coats every piece. The preparation is fiery, pungent with fermented fish, and deeply savoury — a flavour profile unlike any mainland Indian pork preparation. Eaten with bangui (sticky rice) as the centrepiece of Tripuri feasts and celebrations.