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Ingredients
- 400 g of Boneless Basa Cubes
- 123 g baby onions or shallots around 10 pieces
- 1 medium sized potato
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes
- 4 cloves of Garlic
- 1 piece thickof ginger
- 5 fresh chillies (you can reduce/increase the number or avoid it altogether)
- a few maroi napaakpi/hooker chive roots optional
- 1/3 cup green peas
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Mustard Oil (you can use olive oil if you wish to)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp maru maraang powder ( that is: powdered toasted cumin and coriander seeds)
- pinch aof hing/asafoetida
- cilantro for garnishing.
- Salt - to taste
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Chop up the onions, potato, tomatoes and chillies and pound the garlic, ginger and maroi napaakpi roots.
- Now, heat the oil in a pan and gently toss in the hing. This will ensure the hing’s flavour to get infused in the oil. It also helps in neutralising the fishy smell in the dish. Fry it for a few seconds. And then add the bay leaf and fry it for another few seconds. Add the onions and fry them till they just start to soften. Now, toss in the potato and fry them till the onions soften properly.
- You can now put in the pounded garlic, ginger and maroi napaakpi roots. Fry them for around 30 secs to 1 minute and then add the turmeric powder and red chili powder. By now the mixture will become sticky and will tend to stick to your pan. If you are not careful, the ingredients will burn. To avoid that, just keep adding a tablespoon of water to it from time to time.
- Fry them for about a minute and then add in the tomatoes.
- Another minute of frying and then add the green peas, fresh chillies and salt. Mix them well and fry for 30 secs.
- Now, add the fish. Make sure that the ingredients are mixed really well before you add in the fish.
- Work fast and lightly toss the fish with the ingredients before the fish gets cooked. Even though this dish is called ngaa atoiba or disintegrated fish (curry), you do not try to disintegrate it on purpose. It should come naturally as you handle it. One has to be always careful while handling the fish.
- Now, add 1 and ½ cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, put on the lid (it shouldn’t be a tight lid) and let it cook on high heat for about 8 minutes. You have to put on the lid to make sure that the ingredients get cooked properly. Now, take off the lid and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Your Nga atoiba thongba or Manipuri fish stew is done. Garnish it with cilantro and serve it with plain rice.
