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Kangshoi
Clear vegetable stew
Manipuri clear vegetable stew with herbs, ginger and spring onion
Kangshoi is the everyday stew of the Imphal Valley: seasonal vegetables simmered in water with ginger, onion and chilli, and finished with a fistful of fresh herbs such as maroi (a garlic chive), coriander and mint. It is light, clear and brothy, eaten with rice at almost every Meitei meal. Many households add dried fish or ngari (fermented fish) for depth; Vaishnav Meitei homes leave it out, and this vegetarian version relies on toasted chilli and plenty of herbs instead. Chef's tip: cook it without oil, as Manipuris do; the clean broth is the point.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 1 medium potato2 cm chunks
- 7 oz cabbageroughly chopped
- 3 ½ oz green beans or broad beanscut in 4 cm lengths
- 5 ½ oz pumpkin or chayote2 cm chunks
- 1 medium onionsliced
- 1 ⅛ in gingercrushed
- 3 dried red chilliestoasted on a dry pan
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ⅞ oz spinach or pea shoots
- 3 spring onionschopped
- ⅔ oz garlic chives (maroi) or chiveschopped
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 3 ¾ cups water to the boil with 1 medium onion, 1 ⅛ in ginger and 1 tsp salt. Crumble in 3 dried red chillies (toasting them first gives a smoky depth that stands in for the dried fish).
5 minStep 2: Add 1 medium potato and 3 ½ oz green beans or broad beans and simmer for 6 minutes, then add 5 ½ oz pumpkin or chayote and 7 oz cabbage and simmer 6–8 minutes more until the potato is tender and the cabbage is soft but still green.
14 minStep 3: Add 2 ⅞ oz spinach or pea shoots and cook 1 minute until wilted. Common mistake: boiling the greens and herbs; they turn khaki and lose their perfume.
Step 4: Turn off the heat and stir in 3 spring onions, ⅔ oz garlic chives (maroi) or chives and ⅓ oz fresh coriander. Serve straight away in bowls, with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 70 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kangshoi take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 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).
- What can I use instead of cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
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