Eromba is one of the defining dishes of Meitei cooking in Manipur. Boiled vegetables – potato, beans, bamboo shoot, yongchak (stink beans) or pumpkin – are mashed with roasted chillies and ngari, the pungent fermented fish that Manipuris treasure. It is eaten with rice at lunch and dinner, a spoonful at a time.
The taste is intense: smoky and very hot from roasted chillies, deeply savoury and funky from ngari, and freshened with herbs such as maroi (Chinese chives), coriander or the local mint-like toningkhok. It uses no oil at all, which is typical of Manipuri home cooking. The texture is rough, with soft vegetables and bits of fish crushed together by hand.
At a glance
| Region | Manipur |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Manipuri |
| Diet | Non-vegetarian |
| Course | Side dish |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Total time | 35 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Hot |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | potato / ngari (fermented fish) / dried red chilli / french beans |
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup french beans, cut into 5 cm pieces
- 1/2 cup fermented bamboo shoot (optional)
- 2-3 pieces ngari (fermented dried fish)
- 4-6 dried red chillies (or 1 king chilli for real heat)
- 2 tbsp chopped maroi (Chinese chives) or spring onion
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups water
Method
- Boil the potatoes, beans and bamboo shoot in 2 cups salted water for 12-15 minutes until soft. Drain, keeping a few tablespoons of the water.
- Wrap the ngari in a small piece of banana leaf or foil and roast directly over a low flame for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Alternatively, drop it into the vegetable water for the last 2 minutes of boiling.
- Roast the dried red chillies over a low flame or in a dry pan until they darken and smell smoky, 30-40 seconds. Do not let them turn black.
- In a large bowl, crush the roasted chillies and ngari together with a pinch of salt, using your fingers or a pestle, until coarse.
- Add the boiled vegetables and mash everything together by hand, adding a spoon or two of the cooking water to bind it into a rough paste.
- Mix in the maroi and coriander, adjust salt and serve at room temperature.
Tips
- Ngari is very pungent; open the window while roasting and start with less if you are new to it.
- Wear gloves when mashing if using king chilli (umorok) – it burns the skin.
- For a vegetarian version, leave out the ngari, though the dish loses its signature depth.
Serve with
Plain steamed rice with a light dal or ooti.