Taro root boiled until soft and seasoned with fermented fish paste and green chilli — the simplest Tripuri preparation of colocasia root eaten as a daily side dish.
Ingredients
500g taro root (arbi / colocasia) — washed
1 tsp berma (fermented fish paste) — roasted and pounded
2 green chillies — slit
1 tsp ginger — sliced
1 tbsp mustard oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cup water
Salt to taste only if needed
Method
Wash taro root. Peel and cut into 3 cm pieces.
Taro root has a slightly sticky sap — rinsing the cut pieces in cold water removes this.
Roast the berma piece. Pound to a rough paste.
Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a pot. Add sliced ginger, turmeric and slit green chillies.
Add the taro root pieces. Cook on medium heat for 15 to 18 minutes until completely tender — a knife should pass through with no resistance. Do not overcook into mush.
Add the pounded berma paste. Stir gently.
The berma seasons the broth and the taro.
Add 1 tbsp mustard oil directly. Stir. The raw mustard oil finish is the Tripuri signature.
Taste before adding salt — berma provides substantial saltiness.
Serve with steamed rice. The cooking liquid is poured over the rice as a light broth.