Chamthong
the manipuri everyday vegetable stew, clear and light and lifted by fermented fish
Allergens in Chamthong: fish.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 200g, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks Pumpkin
- 200g, cut into 3cm chunks Potato
- 100g, cut into 4cm lengths French Beansoptional
- 150g, cut into wide strips Cabbage
- 1 large bunch, roughly torn Amaranth Greensany soft local green does; this is what goes in at homeoptional
- 25g Dried Fishstands in for ngari, Manipuri fermented fish. Dry-roast it first; the catalogue carries no ngari
- 1 medium, sliced Onion
- 1 tbsp, julienned Ginger
- 3, slit Green Chilli
- 4, chopped Spring Onionoptional
- 1 tbsp Neutral Oilchamthong is a near-oilless broth; this is all it getsoptional
- to taste Salt
- 1 litre Water
Cookware
stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Dry-roast the dried fish for 3 minutes over low heat before it goes in. Straight from the packet it makes the broth muddy.
- Cut the vegetables to roughly the same size and add them in order of hardness. This stew is boiled, not layered with fat, so timing is the only thing keeping it from turning to soup.
- Chamthong is deliberately plain. Resist adding garlic or masala: it is meant to sit next to eromba and a chilli chutney, not compete with them.
Method
- Dry-roast the dried fish 3 minutes over low heat until brittle and toasty, then break it into rough pieces.
- Bring the water to a boil in a wide pot with the onion, ginger, green chillies, roasted fish and salt. Boil 5 minutes.
- Add the potato and pumpkin and boil 8 minutes, uncovered, until the potato is nearly done.Uncovered. A lid makes the greens go grey later and dulls the whole pot.
- Add the beans and cook 4 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and cook 3 minutes, until it has just wilted but still has a bite.
- Stir in the amaranth greens and the tablespoon of oil and cook 2 minutes more.The oil goes in at the end; it sits on top as a few bright beads rather than dissolving into the broth.
- Taste for salt, scatter over the spring onion and serve hot in bowls alongside rice.
Safe temperatures: Fish is done at 63°C / 145°F, or when it turns opaque and flakes easily. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat only to a bare simmer. A hard boil turns the pumpkin to purée and the greens to sludge. Add the spring onion fresh each time.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Chamthong (413 g) is about 138 calories, or 34 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 7 g a serving, 21% of the calories
| Per serving413 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 138 kcal | 34 kcal |
| Protein | 7.2 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 20.7 g | 5 g |
| of which sugars | 5.6 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 3.9 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 3.8 g | 1 g |
| of which saturated | 0.5 g | 0 g |
| of which unsaturated | 3.1 g | 1 g |
Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Indian soup recipes · Northeast Indian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.