Chagem Uti Asangba

Manipuri green rice porridge, a holiday meal

Image: Kundo @tumbler.com

Main Dish

Healthy

Kanglei

Curry

One Pot

Spicy

Chagem Uti Asangba

Friday, May 31, 2024 By : Lukthel / Source / Credit Link :

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Manipuri green rice porridge, a holiday meal

8 Ingredients
40 Mins
4 People

Uti Thongba, a beloved Manipuri vegetarian dish, is a delightful blend of flavors and textures. Uti Asangba Thongba is a classic Manipuri dish that celebrates the vibrant green hues of nature. It features tender Taro (Colocasia) leaves, which lend their earthy flavor to the dish and green color. The combination of fresh greens and hearty legumes makes it a wholesome and satisfying meal.
Uti or Ooti comes from the Manipuri word ‘Ut / Oot’ which means ashes. In earlier period in Manipur, ooti is made using ashes (obtained from burning down of dried pea plants after harvesting of peas or dried plantain stems) instead of baking soda. That’s why it is so called Ooti. There are few variation of making ooti and accordingly the name differ from each other based on the ingredient used, they are Chagem Ooti (Rice grain Ooti) , Mangal Ooti (Dried peas Ooti), Usoi Ooti (Bamboo shoot Ooti), Torbot Ooti (Ash gourd/ winter melon Ooti), Sagolhawai Ooti (Black lentil Ooti), Sagolhawai pan Ooti (Black lentil and taro root Ooti), etc.
Here in Chagem Ooti thongba, we will use rice and taro leaves as the main ingredients.
Uti Thongba is best enjoyed with hot local rice and your favorite meat curry. Its comforting flavors and vibrant green color evoke the essence of Manipur’s rich culinary heritage. Remember, each bite carries the essence of Manipur’s lush landscapes and the love poured into its preparation. 🌿🍲

Chagem Uti Asangba

Preparation Time
10 minutes

Cook Time
30 minutes

Total Time
40 minutes

Servings
4 servings

Ingredients
8 ingredients

Directions
11 steps

Ingredients

Primary

	15-20 - Taro leaves
	3-4 sprigs - Chinese chives
	1 handful - Rice
	1/2 tsp - Baking soda
	1 tbsp - Mustard oil
	To taste - Salt
	2 - Bay leaves
	1 piece - Ginger

Directions

1
Take a bowl and and wash the rice with clean water and drain it.
2
Take a pot and add some water and the rice and start heating.
3
Wash the tar leaves and wait for the water to boil and put in it. Don't chop the taro leaves, leave it as a whole.
4
Bring it to boil and let it blend together the earthy taste. Put a lid on it and boil it for 10 - 15 minutes, add water if required.
5
The starch from the rice might make the water brim up and you might need to take off the lid from time to time. But don't stir it not to break or cut into the leaves until they are cooked properly to prevent the dish from ending up having that sting (what we call lengba in Meiteilon) in the taste which is typical of raw taro.
6
Boil it under medium heat till the rice is cooked soften and all the taro leaves are breakdown.
7
Add the baking soda, baking soda makes the liquid explode into a froth so make sure that the starch from the rice is settled properly before adding so it doesn't brim up anymore when we add the baking soda. A few ginger slice and bay leaves can be added.
8
Give a nice stir, add in water from time to time when the gravy gets too dry. Keep boiling it under medium heat. The leaves will disintegrate slowly and finally not a single piece of leaf can not be seen. Let it boil for 5 minutes stirring regularly and maintaining the right gravy consistency and turn the heat off.
9
Take a pan and heat the mustard oil. Cut the chinese chives while the oil is heating.
10
Fry the chives till they start turning brown. Heat off the pan.
11
Empty the contents of the frying pan into the ooti pot and add salt, stir it repeatedly and cook them for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and Chagem Ooti is ready to serve.