Tea Soup /Chatang Indian~State: Tripura

Chatang Indian~State: Tripura

Today we visit Tripura on the 27^th day of our journey through Indian States through our cuisine.

Tripuri cuisine is the type of food predominantly served in the northeast Indian state of Tripura. The Tripuris are essentially non vegetarians and hence the main courses are mainly prepared using meat, but with the addition of vegetables, although some followers of Vaishnavism tend toward vegetarianism.

Traditional Tripuri cuisine is known as Mui Borok. Rice is called Mai in Kokborok. The food is considered to be healthy as it is prepared without oil. The major food items of Tripuris include pork, chicken, mutton, beef, turtle, fish, prawns, crabs and frogs. Vegetables grown in the Tripuri households are - Thaihchumu, Dorompai,Momphol, Khaklu, Chakumura, pumpkin, Siping, Moso peppers, Phantok, Belso, Lubiya, Sobai, Orai, Khokleng, Khama, Thah, Mogwdam, corn, Maising, Banta, Khundrupui, Milokbanta, Muiching, Haiching, Swtwih, Wswndwi, Gunthu, Khumchak, Khumjar, Khumdaga, Khumpui, Khumtwisa among many others.

Tripuri food has a key ingredient called Berma, which is dried and fermented fish. Flavour wise, Berma is more on the sour side. Tripuri food such as Bangui rice and fish stews, bamboo shoots, fermented fish, local herbs, and meat roasts are extremely popular within and outside the state.

I was really worried what I will make for Tripura I read and reread and reread all the links I could find. Nothing seemed right. Then I saw in Wikipedia Chatang !!! ( Do not believe check under the heading (Chakhwi) It seemed doable. So I did make Chatang!

Here is the abriged version of what Wiki says about Chatang…

One of the dishes made here is of Chinese origin. It’s called Chatang literally "tea soup" or seasoned flour mush is a traditional gruel.  It is made from sorghum flour and/or broom corn millet and/or proso millet flour and glutinous millet flour.  The Chinese name is figurative, not literal, as there is neither any tea nor any soup in this dish.

The dish is prepared in two steps. First, flours of sorghum and/or millet are cooked in advance, often stir fried, and after the completion, the flour is ready to be served. When a customer orders the dish, hot water is poured into the bowl containing the flour(s) to create a paste-like mush, and it is served with white and/or brown sugar, and Sweet Osmanthus  sauce. It’s also made savoury and I made that.

Traditionally, the skill of the server was judged on several factors and one of them is regarding the resulting mush: the most skilful server would be able to create the mush so thick that when a chopstick is inserted into the mush it remains vertical, while at the same time the mush remains fluid. The ingredients are then stirred together and the chatang is eaten with a spoon.

I made the seasoned millet mush which is savoury flour gruel. It is made using only millet flour rather than a combination of sorghum and millet flour. Rather than sweet osmanthus sauce and sugar, it is seasoned with sesame paste, ground Sichuan peppercorns, and salt.

 I however made it out of sorghum flour or jowar flour. This is an acquired taste. Even I who likes Sichuan peppers found this gruel a something that I need to get used also instead of the black sesame seeds I will use white ones and try it once again.

Chatang Indian~State: Tripura

Chatang

Indian State: Tripura

Recipe Source: Wikipedia

Ingredients:

• 1 tblspn jowar flour
• 1 tblspn kala til/ black sesame seed
•  4 / trifala/ Sichuan peppercorns
• ¾ cup water

Method:

• Dry roast the flour and set aside to cool in a bowl.
• Grind to a fine paste til/ sesame seeds with the trifala using water as needed.
• To the ¾ cup water I mixed the ground paste and salt. Let it boil.
• When it came to the time of pouring the water in the bowl I chickened out
• Cooled the water and added the flour to the water then boiled it till got glossy.
• You can try it the traditional way.

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