Tripuri Cuisines, one of the most Delecious and Healthy Cooking

Tripuri cuisines are very delicious dishes and healthy preparation. The people whoever had tasted once to some of the preparation they could not but tested it for life. Most of the Tripuris who had been living in the Agartala since long had discarded their cultures, customs, distanced from the mother tongue, and traditional Tripuri dresses and adopted states present majority culture. But one thing which they had not been able to discard totally is the Tripuri dishes. Still in the kitchen of these town based Tripuris, the aroma of these foods are blowing through the window of their kitchen every day. It is because that the Tripuri dishes are very delicious, palate soothing, and healthy way of cooking. Some of the Tripuri dishes have become a regular feature in non-Tripuri family also. One of the most important ingredient of Tripuri cuisine is Berma , it is basically fermented dried puthi fish. The flavour of the Berma is not very pleasant, but when cooked its flavor is mouth watering and appetizer for Tripuri people. Berma is used as spices in most of Tripuri dishes. Large number of Tripuri cuisine are prepared with out oil . In that health point of view it is very good even for those who are restricted to take fatty and oily food. At a time when people are becoming calorie conscious they can switch over to Tripuri way of cooking and live a healthy life. Some of the Tripuri cuisine are listed below: Awandru, Bwtwi, Chakhwi, Chakhwtwi, Chakhwtwi Kwthwng, Thokni Chakhwi, Berma bwtwi, Chatang, Mosodeng, Deng, Gudok, Hang, Ik, Muitru, Hontali, Muhr, Mwkhwi, Napek, Peng, Rabra, Ruk, Ser, Sok, Yohk, Yaksapik .

Few of the popular Tripuri dishes recipes are given below:
Muya (Bamboo Shoot) Awandru:
Ingredients:
Bamboo shoot: 750 gm.
Rice flour : 50 gm.
Berma : 4 big piece
Green chili paste: 3 tea spoon full
Garlic : 10 flakes
Banta: 15 leaves
Preparation:
Peel of the bamboo shoots, cut into 3-4 cm. pieces of the tender part of the bamboo shoots. Make paste of the green chili, in a pestle. Washed the berma in a running water thoroughly. Peel of the garlic flakes and crush in a pestle. Prepare liquid paste of rice flour with water.
Procedure:
1. In a pan take 1.5 L of water and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the green chili paste and boil for 3 minutes.
3. Put the 'berma' and salt to taste and boil for 7 minutes.
4. Now add the washed and cut bamboo shoots in it, then cook for 30 minutes.
5. Make the liquid paste of the rice flour with water in a small bowl. Simmer the flame, mix the paste gradually in the curry and stir simultaneously. Cook it for another 5 minutes.
6. Crush the garlic flakes, add it to the boiling bamboo shoot and cover the pan with lid.
7. Remove pan from heat. Transfer to a bowl. Garnish with banta leaves (a kind of leaf like tulsi). Serve hot with rice.

Kosoi (Beans) Bwtwi:
Ingredients:
Beans: ½ kg..
Green Chili: 10 no.
Berma:4 no.
Onion:2 medium size
Garlic:10 flakes.
Turmeric powder:2 Tea spoon full.
Salt to taste
Preparation :
Clean the beans, remove the fibers from the margin of bean, cut into 3-4 cm. pieces.
Divide the green chili longitudinally. Cut the onions horizontally so that he onion forms the ring. Peal off the garlic and crush it in a pestle.
Procedure:
1. Take 1.5 L plain water in a big pan, boil the water for five minutes.
Flame: medium heat.
2. add two spoon of turmeric powder, and 4 no of berma. Allow to boil for 5 minutes.
3. Add the splitted green chili and cook for another 5 minutes.
Then add the beans slowly in the boiling broth, cook for 20 minutes.
4. Bring down to simmer, add the crushed garlic and cover with lid, keep it for 3 minutes.
5. Remove from fire, transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with Khundrupui (a traditional Tripuri spices) leaves, (a traditional Tripuri spices). Serve hot with rice.

Muya bai Wahan (Bamboo Shoot and Pork) Chakhwi:
Ingredients:
Bamboo shoots: 500 gm.
Pork:250 gm.
Jack fruit seed :100 gm.
Green papaya:100 gm.
Backing soda:2 tea spoon full.
Green chili:10 no.
Ginger:50gm. Turmeric powder: 1 tsf.
Fresh Lemon leaves:12 no.
Rice flour: 2 fist full(30-40 gm.)
Preparation:
Peel off the bamboo shoots, cut the tender part of shoots into small piece of 1-2 cm. each. Take the skin of he green papaya, cut into small piece of 3-4 cm. Peel of the skin of the jack fruit seeds, soak it in water for 15 minutes, remove the red covering of the seeds, cut it longitudinally into two half. Make the ginger to finely chopped, tear of the lemon leaves into two parts. Prepare liquid paste of the rice flour in a small bowl and keep it aside. Cut the pork into medium pieces, split the chili remove the seeds.
Procedure:
1. Take 1.5L of water in a big pan/karaih. Add two spoon of baking soda, bring it to boil for 5 minutes. Remove the foam slowly by serving spoon that is formed.
2. Add salt to taste, one spoon of turmeric continue to boil, add splitted green chili and chopped ginger, allow it to boil for 3 minutes.
3. Add the bamboo shoot and jackfruit seeds. Keep the burner medium to high flame. Boil it for another 10 minutes.
4. Pour the pork and papaya in the pan continue to cook for 20 minutes, cover with lid.
5. Bring down the flame to simmer, add the rice flour paste in the pan, slowly stir the curry simultaneously. Cover with lid, keep it for 5 minutes.
6. Add the torn fresh lemon leaves. Mix it properly in the curry, cover with lid, keep for 2-3 minutes.
7. Remove from the fire, transfer to a serving bowl, serve warm with rice.

Gudok:
In the past gudok used to be prepared in young bamboo pipes of wandal variety. Now a days the wandal variety of bamboo has become a rare, so the Gudok is prepared in common pan. The gudok prepared in bamboo pipe has special aroma and delicious taste, the modern gudok prepared in pan come nowhere in nearby of bamboo pipe gudok.
Sobai (Lobhia) Gudok:
Ingredients:
Sobai(Lubhia) : ½ kg.
Small Variety fish:100 gm.
Green chili: 12 no.
Onion: 2 no medium size
Potato: two medium size.
Coriander leaves : 10 branches.
Berma: 3 no.
Turmeric powder: ½ spoon .
Salt to taste.
Preparation:
Wash the lubhia and cut into small pieces of 1-2 cm. De-scale the small fishes, remove the intestines and heads of the fishes. Wash it thoroughly in running water. Remove the stick of chili, wash it. Chop the onion finely. Peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes wash it. Chop the coriander leaves, wash the berma in running water.
Procedure:
1. Take half litter of water in the pressure cooker. Boil it, add two spoon of salt, and
½ spoon full of turmeric powder.
2. Add the washed berma, and chili, onion, on it continue to boil for 5 minutes.
3. Add lubhia, potato cubes, heat in medium flame for 5 minutes.
4. Add the small fish, cover the lid of the cooker wait for two whistle.
5. Simmer the flame for two minutes.
6. Bring down to cool, remove the lid, sieve out the soup. Put it in a plate, take out chili selectively.
7. Crush the lubhia in a pestle, coarsely. Make paste the separated chili in a pestle. Mix the chili paste with the curry in a big bowl, add the sieved water in and stir. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve with cooked rice.

Wahan (Pork) Mosdeng:
Ingredients:
Pork: 1 kg.
Onion: 5 no medium size
Green chili: 25 no.
Ginger: 150 gm.
Coriander leaves: 50 gm.
Salt to taste .
Preparation:
Cut the pork into medium size pieces. Chop the onion. Peel of the ginger, chop it very finely. Separate the stick of chili and puncture each chili with the point of knife. Separate the coriander leaves one by one.
Procedure:
1. Take half litter of water in a presser cooker. Add two spoon of salt, 2 spoon of chopped ginger, 4 spoon of chopped onion, close the cooker and bring to full pressure on high flame to cook it soft.
2. In a tawa toast the green chili, keep it aside.
3. Release the pressure of the cooker, sieve the pork from cooker, bring it to cool. Cut into smaller pieces.
4. Prepare fine paste of the toasted chili in a pestle.
5. Take the pork in a serving bowl, add the chili paste, chopped ginger, chopped onion, salt to taste, mix it by hand.
6. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve with rice, fried rice, bread.

Mosdeng serma: Tripuri Chatni:
Ingredients:
Berma : 5 nos.
Red chili: 10 nos.
Onion: 3 nos.
Garlic: 12 flakes.
Tomato: two nos.
Cooking oil: one serving spoon full.
Coriander leaves: 4 branches.
Salt to taste.
Preparation:
Soak the red chili in water for 10 minutes. Make paste of soaked chili in a pestle or mixer. Alternatively make paste of red chili powder. Chop the onion, chop the garlic, deseed tomatoes, cut into small pieces. Wash the berma in running water. Cut coriander into pieces.
Procedure:
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan in medium flame. Add the chopped onion till it is light brown, add the berma on it & stir continuously.
2. Then add the garlic & continue to fry for 7 minutes.
3. Add the chili paste, stir thoroughly, fry till the chili is fried.
4. When the chili starts sticking to pan add the tomatoes.Continue to fry and stir, cover with the lid, bring to simmer.
5. When the tomatoes melts and mixes well with chili, add the coriander leaves, remove from oven, transfer to small serving bowl. It acts as good appetizer. So, Serve(small quantity) first in the menu of dishes with rice, fried rice.