Of all India’s many states and cultures, the ones of the North East are often the most overlooked. Tripura, in particular is one that doesn’t really get talked about often and as such, their food culture is also a bit of a mystery. Only recognised as an independent state in 1972, it is still in the process of reclaiming its rich history and customs. One major way of bringing back that rich and unique heritage is shining a spotlight on their native cuisine which derives from the tribal cooking style of the Tiprasas.
A rice-centric culture the people of Tripura have for a long time co-existed with Bengali migrants from East Bengal but their food habits have remained their own only borrowing some elements such as the occasional use of dals and spices. Like many tribes of the North East, they don’t use a lot of condiments and most recipes are designed to let the local produce shine.
The state is rich in fruits like pineapples and oranges and also in a wide variety of edible wild plants such as bamboo. There are a few different types of bamboo such as Wathwi/Melocanna Basifera, Bambusa Balcooa/Barak, Melocanna Baccifera (known Muli bamboo), and Wandal/Bambusa Tulda. The young, tender shoots of bamboo are very high in nutrition and are a staple in every home.
One popular dish that relies heavily on the use of bamboo is Muya Awundru which is made with a rice flour based gravy cooked with fermented fish and varieties of local indigenous vegetables, garnished with haori basil leaves. Since the recipe relies so heavily on local ingredients, it’s difficult to recreate the flavours anywhere outside of Tripura, but this recipe combines the core elements such as the bamboo, burma and rice flour gravy into a dish that honours the essence of Tripuri cuisine.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of bamboo shoot
- 4 medium-sized fermented fish (berma)
- 10-12 green chilli pepper
- 3 tablespoon rice flour
- Salt as per requirement
- Approx 1 litre of water
- Parsley leaves
Method:
- Peel off the hard exterior of the bamboo shoot, until you find the tender part and then cut it into flat slices, each being 2-3 mm.
- Wash the fermented fish thoroughly.
- Prepare the liquid paste of rice flour.
- Cut the green chilli pepper length-wise.
- After draining the excess water, place another cooking pot on the flame. Boil back the sliced bamboo shoot on medium-high heat. Add the finely washed snail. This time, add all the other ingredients.
- Add salt to taste green chilli pepper, and fermented fish and let it cook for a good 20 minutes.
- After about 20 minutes of cooking, add the rice flour paste to it. Keep in mind to continuously keep on stirring it while pouring the paste to prevent lumps from forming.
- Let it cook for another 5 minutes, till you attain slightly thick gravy. Put off the flame and serve hot.