Smoked dried fish pounded with roasted garlic, ginger and fresh herbs into a deeply savoury paste — a primary seasoning condiment of Meitei cooking used in small amounts to flavour everything.
Ingredients
3 pieces ngari (fermented fish) plus 2 pieces smoked dried fish
5 garlic cloves — roasted briefly until golden spots appear
1 inch ginger — roughly chopped
2 fresh green chillies
1 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp fresh coriander
1/4 tsp black salt
Salt to taste only if needed
Method
Roast ngari pieces in a dry pan 2 minutes each side.
Roast smoked dried fish pieces 1 to 2 minutes each side.
Dry-roast garlic cloves in a pan until golden spots appear.
Roast green chillies briefly until blistered.
Cool everything completely.
Pound the roasted ngari, smoked fish, garlic, ginger and green chillies together in a mortar and pestle to a rough, coarse paste.
Add mustard oil and black salt. Mix.
Taste before adding regular salt — both fish components are very salty.
Add fresh coriander. Pound briefly to combine.
Store in a sealed jar refrigerated for up to 10 days.