Imphal travel guide

Eromba

Manipur's foundational fermented dish—boiled vegetables (kanghu banana flower, potatoes, yardlong beans) mashed with dried or fermented fish (ngari), green chili and mustard oil; the ngari fish's fermentation provides an umami depth that defines Manipuri cooking

Singju

Manipur's extraordinary raw salad—thinly sliced lotus stem, banana blossom, cabbage or water hyacinth stalk dressed with dried fish, ground sesame, khorisa (fermented bamboo) and raw chili; the Meitei people make this at market stalls; complex, fresh and fiercely spiced

Kangshoi

Manipur's delicate watery vegetable stew—water or marsh plant vegetables (water hyacinth, morning glory, kanghu) boiled in minimal spicing with fermented ngari fish powder; the minimal intervention style allows each vegetable's water content to create its own broth

Chamthong

Manipur's seasonal boiled vegetable preparation—whatever greens are available in the kitchen garden simmered together with minimal spice; using ngari fish as the sole flavoring agent; the Meitei kitchen's ultimate simplicity philosophy of letting ingredients be themselves

Ngari (fermented fish)

Manipur's sacred condiment—sun-dried fish fermented in sealed earthen pots for months; the resulting fish paste has an extraordinary pungent umami depth; used in essentially every traditional Meitei dish; Manipuri communities in other cities carry it from home

Chak-hao (black rice)

Manipur's antioxidant-rich black rice—grown in the Himalayan foothills; its deep purple color comes from anthocyanin; cooked as kheer rice pudding, as everyday rice or fermented into rice beer; available at organic food markets in Imphal; now exported globally as a superfood