There are lots of different non-vegetarian foods that remain unexplored in Jharkhand too. The deep forest and the close livelihood to nature hailed some local fruits, vegetables, and non-vegetarian items from the wild that can be edible and delicious. There are many kinds of snails that can be eaten, but Ghongi is widely popular because of its availability and taste.
Ghonghi is traditionally consumed during the paddy season when rice is sown, and snails are plentiful in rivers and fields. After being gathered, the snails are cleaned, and the tails are trimmed to facilitate the easier extraction of the cooked meat. After that, the snails are boiled and cooked in a manner akin to other curries, but before that happens, flaxseed is added, which gives the dish a consistency and intensifies its flavour. Ghongi is a simple yet popular meal served in the Jharkhand tribal communities. It is served with rice.
The meat is thought to have protected the tribal people from malaria, a common hazard in Jharkhand's heavily forested areas. Sunday marketplaces sell them in large quantities.
5 Ghonghi Dishes To Try This Monsoon
Ghonghi Masala Fry
Cleaning the snails well is the first step in preparing this dish. Snails should be cooked in water with a small amount of salt and turmeric until soft. Heat some oil in a pan and add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, onions, and tomatoes, and heat until they become tender. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and turmeric powder and combine thoroughly. Stir to coat the boiled Ghonghi in the spices, then add coriander and heat until they get crispy. Make sure you don't break the shells if you are cooking them, too.
Ghonghi Curry
Clean and boil it thoroughly. Do not skip this step, as it helps to kill the parasites infesting the snails that can cause food poisoning. Make it the same way you will make the ghonghi masala while adding water to make the curry. It is better to have it with thin gravy to get the most taste out of snails because the meat is very little. You can replace the water with coconut milk to intensify the richness.
Ghonghi Marinated And Sun-Dried
These nails have very little shelf life and start to decompose right after their death. It will be inedible if left open for 3 to 5 hours. The bacterial infestation to decompose the snails once they have been picked up is extremely high. There is only one way to preserve them and eat is to dry them with lots of salt and marinate them for delicacy. Different types of local spices are used in the marination process, which helps preserve the meat, making it safe to eat along with lots of salt. These are very spicy and salty to taste and are one of the most popular snacks to eat with snails.
Ghonghi Snail Broth
Jharkhand doesn't have many soups in its traditional cuisine, but this is one of the most exquisite soups prepared in tribal communities when someone is sick. As mentioned earlier, it is believed that it cures Malaria. Sick people who are unable to digest heavy meat are served this in hopes of increasing their immunity.
No medical research has been done on ghonghi snails and their nutritional health benefits, but the local community strongly believes that they can help with immunity tremendously. It is simply made by boiling the snails in salt and turmeric water with a little vinegar.
Roasted Ghonghi
The tribal community of Jharkhand is very skilled in roasting food. The snail meat is wrapped in spices and marinated under the ground for a long period. Once it has been marinated and preserved beautifully, it is wrapped in a sal tree leaf and burnt in the fire pit for a few minutes.
Once it is done, all the leaves are removed, and it is served as a great delicacy. People making this at home should remember that the flame should be very high, but the amount of heat should be controlled with the time it is being burnt, as snail meat is very delicate and burns very quickly.
If you want to try out something new, you can try these nails as they are widely available in Sunday Market and sold by tribal communities in small plastic wraps. There are also different variations of these nails that are slightly different in taste.