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Chagem pomba
Mustard greens and fermented soybean
চাগেম পোম্বা: Manipuri mustard greens and hawaijar thickened with rice flour
Chagem pomba is a thick Meitei stew of mustard leaves and seasonal vegetables, bound with rice flour and flavoured with hawaijar, Manipur's sticky fermented soybean; it is cooked especially for Ningol Chakouba and family gatherings, and eaten with rice. To make hawaijar, keep boiled, drained soybeans wrapped in leaves at 30–40 °C for 3 days until stringy and pungent; discard if black, green or pink mould appears or it smells rotten. The mistake is adding dry rice flour straight to the pot, which forms lumps: whisk it into water first. Chef's tip: bought natto or kinema replaces hawaijar well.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stew
- 9 oz mustard greenschopped
- 1 potatocubed
- 3 ½ oz green beans or peas
- 3 tbsp rice flour
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp gingergrated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard oil
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 600 ml of the 3 cups water to a boil with 1 potato, 3 ½ oz green beans or peas, 1 tbsp ginger, 3 dried red chillies and 1 tsp salt. Cook until the potato is half done.
10 minStep 2: Add 9 oz mustard greens and 2 ⅛ oz hawaijar (fermented soybean) or natto and simmer until the greens are soft.
8 minStep 3: Whisk 3 tbsp rice flour into the remaining 3 cups water until smooth, then pour into the pot, stirring.
2 minStep 4: Simmer, stirring often, until the stew thickens to a porridge-like consistency and no raw flour taste remains.
8 minStep 5: Drizzle with 1 tsp mustard oil and serve hot with rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chagem pomba take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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