Manipuri sun-dried fish fermented in sealed earthen pots for months, central to Meitei cooking and used in eromba and singju. The pots are sealed with mustard oil and buried or stored for up to a year.
It is a sealed, anaerobic, ambient ferment of fish held for months, carried by a culture living in the pot itself — the same conditions the atlas gives no method for anywhere else.
What goes into it
- small freshwater fish, sun-dried first
- mustard oil
- sealed earthen pots
How it is made
Small fish are sun-dried hard, then packed tight into earthen pots whose insides have been rubbed with a paste of fish and mustard oil from a previous batch — that residue carries the culture forward. The pot is sealed with mustard oil and clay and left for six months to a year, during which the fish soften into a strong-smelling ferment.
How long it takes: six months to a year in the sealed pot
How it is eaten
Pounded into eromba with boiled vegetables and chilli, or into singju salad.
History
Central to Meitei cooking, used in eromba and singju; the pots are sealed with mustard oil and buried or stored for up to a year.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ngari?
Ngari is a fermented & pickled from India: manipuri sun-dried fish fermented in sealed earthen pots for months. Central to Meitei cooking, used in eromba and singju; the pots are sealed with mustard oil and buried or stored for up to a year.
How is Ngari made?
Small fish are sun-dried hard, then packed tight into earthen pots whose insides have been rubbed with a paste of fish and mustard oil from a previous batch — that residue carries the culture forward. The pot is sealed with mustard oil and clay and left for six months to a year, during which the fish soften into a strong-smelling ferment. It takes six months to a year in the sealed pot.
Can I make Ngari at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a sealed, anaerobic, ambient ferment of fish held for months, carried by a culture living in the pot itself — the same conditions the atlas gives no method for anywhere else.
What goes into Ngari?
Small freshwater fish, sun-dried first, mustard oil, sealed earthen pots.
How is Ngari eaten?
Pounded into eromba with boiled vegetables and chilli, or into singju salad.
