Cakes and Bakes: Awan-Chuan

Tripuri people are very fond of having cakes. No occasion is complete with out cakes, whether it is religious, ceremonial or gathering. The main ingredient of Tripuri cake is special rice called Guria. There are different variety of Guria rice, the jhum variety is most sought after, and has the sweet fragrance and most tasty. Other than guria, a rice variety Mimi is also used in preparing the cakes. Some cakes are prepared purely wiht Guria rice; some are mixed with other variety of rice. Some cakes are made up of whole some rice; some are prepared from the rice flour. Some are prepared with sugar, some are with out sugar. That is why it is even healthy and not restricted to diabetic patients and to hypertensive heart disease patients; no oil is used in most of the preparations.

Some of the preparations are viz. Bangwi, Songkran, Awanbati, Pengmani, Songmani, Beleb etc.

Awan Songkwran:

Ingredients:

1. Guria rice: 2kg
2. Ginger: 100gm.
3. Onion: 200gm.
4. Coconut: 1 piece.
5. Ghee: 100gm.
6. Cardamom: 5 piece.
7. Salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Soak the guria rice for 4-5 hours, with sufficient water.
2. Chop the ginger in to fine pieces.
3. Peel of onion, then cut into circles.
4. Break the coconut and grate it.
5. Heat the ghee to liquid.

Procedure:

1. Wash and sieve the guria rice, transfer it in a big container.
2. Add chopped ginger, onion, and grated coconut in it.
3. Mix thoroughly, till all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
4. Pour the ghee on it and again mix with the rice, add some salt, upto personal taste.
5. Take a medium size Indian bartan, make half full of water.
6. Transfer the mixed rice to a perforated pan, like Idli making pan. Place it on the first bartan. Seal of the joints with dough or soaked piece of cotton cloths.
7. Keep boiling, for about one hour, verify if rice got to tender. Then take it out.
8. Serve hot with or with out any addition, though it is best with Wahan Mosdeng.

Awan Bangwi:
It is special type of cake made only by Tripuri. The special type of leaf used for preparing this cake is LAIRU. Apart from it, banana leaf can also be used. Or now a days thick aluminum foil has also been used successfully. Many variety of bangwi are prepared, viz. plain bangwi, only with guria rice, onion and ginger; Cashew nut-Resin bangwi with added nut, resin, and ghee in it; Pork Bangwi, addition of small pieces of pork and lard in it etc. and one can make different types of combination as per choices.  

Ingredients:

1. Mami rice: 2 kg.
2. Lairu leaves: 25 pc.
3. Ginger: 150gms
4. Cashew nuts: 200 gms
5. Ghee or butter oil: 200 gms
6. Resins : 100gms.

Preparation:

1. Soak the Mami rice for 4-5 hours.
2. Peel off the ginger, chop it finely.
3. Separate each half of cashew nuts in two.
4. Soak the resins for 1-2 hours.
5. Wash and clean the lairu leaves, and soak the canes in water.

Procedure:

1. Sieve the Mami rice and transfer it in a big container.
2. Mix the chopped ginger with rice, then mix the halved cashew nuts.
3. Now add the ghee or butter oil in it and thoroughly mix it.
4. Take one leaf of lairu, make a cone of it, keeping the end part of leaves inside.
5. With help of spoon, pour mixed rice in cone, and fill 4/5 th of the cone,
6. Fold down the upper end of leaf and tie around it with the cane. It will look a cone shaped ice cream.
7. This way make bangwi out of all 2 kg it will make some 18-22 piece of bangwi depending on size of cone.
8. Now cover it and boil it in a big container till cooked, drain the water out.
9. Then peel of the leaves and serve the bangwi warm or hot.
10. One more way of making it tastier is to roast the cooked bangwi in grill till it turns light brown, and then peel of leaves to serve hot.

Prepared Awan Bangwi, ready to serve, 1. with leaf covered.
2. With wahan mosdeng & Khundrupui leaf, a kind of digesting leave.
3. With Alu Mosdeng.