Cauliflower / kobi kangsoi
Kangsoi is the most basic and loved dish in Manipuri/Meitei cuisine. It is healthy (I suppose) and requires no fuss in cooking. It can be defined as an assortment of vegetables boiled with ngaari and ginger and garnished with cilantro (this is a must). Sometimes, smoke roasted fish is added to it to enhance the taste.
However, with more and more Manipuris settling/studying outside Manipur, there has been an array of innovative dishes in which ngaari is replaced (because of its unavailability) with a meat or simply with fried fish. Slowly, these dishes have also started coming under the umbrella name, kangsoi. Though, I would like to think of kangsoi as a fish dish only, we now have chicken kangsoi, beef kangsoi, fried fish kangsoi, vegetarian kangsoi and so on. The ingredients, then, that makes a kangsoi a kangsoi is the ginger and the cilantro. I think these two ingredients are very very important as they add the slightly tangy, slightly garden-y (if I may say so) taste in a kangsoi.
Although, kangsoi is a boiled dish, it can be started off by frying some onions in a little bit of oil. I prefer it without the oil but even otherwise, the oil shouldn't overwhelm the dish.
For this recipe, you will need:
1 small cauliflower (200 g).
15-20 snow peas.
1 cup cherry tomatoes.
a few sprigs of green onions.
2-3 ngaari.
a piece of ginger.
cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish.
salt to taste.
Don't throw away this part of the cauliflower. I know some do. It can be used in fried rice or stir fried with other vegetables. It is very much edible.
This is a bad close-up picture of ngaari. It is a kind of fermented fish that we use in our cuisine. It has an odor which many people will not find pleasing. After all, it is a fermented dead animal. In spite of that, many non-Manipuris like kangsoi made with ngaari. Its taste and smell is milder when used in kangsoi as only a little amount of it is used in it. But, if you learn to appreciate its taste, it can be one of the tastiest things to eat. It is loaded with umami.
Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces, the tomatoes into halves and chop the green onions. The ginger needs to be cut into thin slices cross-section-wise.
Bring around 3 cups of water to a boil and add the cauliflower.
Once it starts boiling again, add the snow peas and let it boil for 1-2 minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly roast the ngaari in a flame. This is for enhancing its taste by giving it a smoky flavour.
Then, add the ngaari, salt and the green onions and let it boil for 1-2 minutes.
And now, add the tomatoes and the ginger and let it boil for another minute.
Turn off the flame and garnish it with cilantro. Your kangsoi is done.
It is traditionally served with hot steamed rice and eggs/fried or roasted fish. But you could have it as a soup too.
Hindsight: None. Perfect!
Serving: 2-3
Calories: 120 (only!...can you believe that?)