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Indian · regional cuisine

Manipuri

Meitei valley cooking built on rice, fish from Loktak Lake, ngari (fermented fish) and abundant fresh herbs, with chak-hao black rice and the hill-tribe foods of the surrounding districts.

Flavour character: Fresh, herbal and pungent: ngari, green and dried king chilli (u-morok), lots of raw herbs and leaves, little oil.

3 recipes
Kangshoi: clear Manipuri vegetable broth with greens and onion in a steel bowl

History

The Meitei kingdom centred on the Imphal valley; from the 18th century many Meiteis adopted Vaishnavism, which shaped feasts that are largely vegetarian except for fish. Ngari, small fish fermented in earthen pots, is the defining seasoning. Loktak Lake supplies fish and lotus stems. Manipur's black rice, chak-hao, is used for kheer and festive dishes and has a GI tag. The hills are home to Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes with their own cooking.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

Geography and influences

An oval valley around Loktak Lake ringed by hills on the Myanmar border.

  • Meitei Vaishnavism
  • Lake and paddy fishing
  • Neighbouring Myanmar
  • Naga and Kuki-Zo hill tribes

Regional variations

Meitei (valley)
Fish, ngari, herbs, eromba and singju; vegetarian feast cooking.
Hill districts (Tangkhul, Kuki-Zo and others)
Pork, smoked meats and fermented soybean, closer to Naga and Mizo cooking.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Ningol Chakouba (November): married women return to their parental homes for a feast
  • Cheiraoba (Meitei new year, spring): food offered to deities before the family meal
  • Chak-hao kheer at feasts

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Chak-hao kheer, Ooti (pea and vegetable stew with baking soda), Hawaijar (fermented soybean), Nga thongba (fish curry)

Manipuri recipes