Chp 430. Food Fusion – Part I

I mentioned in my earlier rant - How Mizo am I? that I don’t fancy a lot of our traditional Mizo dishes, but when it comes to bekang and nghapih, I’d… get down on my knees and plead with it, cross a million oceans, climb the highest mountains and swim the longest river just to taste it (Sorry for stealing your line, Shakin’ Stevens :P )

Bekang is fermented beans and nghapih is shrimp paste. And yeah, they have a really pungent smell aroma, especially when boiled together. So imagine my sheer joy when my niece Eunice returned to Mumbai from her vacation in Mizoram and got me some bekang and nghapih!

I invited Eunice and her roommate over for the weekend, since she hadn’t even seen my new pad after moving in here. They loved my new apartment.



The one in green is my niece. But even her roomie ended up calling me “Pu Kim” (Uncle Kima) as well, which my flat-mate Sid found hilarious, until the next day when they were leaving for their hostel, they said goodbye to Sid - “Bye Uncle Sid”. The expression on his face was even funnier! :D

And so here are the things she got for me!!!



Yum yummmm… Lots of bekang, nghapih and hot-and-spicy-as-hell Mizo chilly powder…

From that day onwards, I’ve been preparing bekang + nghapih + chilly “chutney” mix every time I eat, no matter what the dish is.

It goes so well with Rice + ghee + paneer bhurji + friend eggs!



With Dahi Kadhi (yoghurt curry) too it goes extremely well. In fact the curd counters the spiciness of the bekang chilly mix perfectly, moderating my consumption just the way I wanted.



Below is my bekang + nghapih chutney with Dal Khichdi. Ahhhh lovely it is. Simple and yet so tasty.



The next one is one of my favorites – Bekang and nghapih with chicken biryani, bhoondi raita and dry mutton  dish. It’s a taste you’ve never tasted before, I can guarantee that. A must try!



The other day, my neighbor Mapuii came over to my apartment, bringing some of our Mizo traditional Bai she made. Since our cook had already made dinner (matar paneer masala), I mixed our dinner with her dinner, and of course added my trademark bekang + nghapih chutney. Tres delicious mes amis!



But the best is still yet to come. I “discovered” the perfect combination last night, so I will update about that on the next part of this post, with step by step photos on how I prepare my bekang + nghapih mix. If you’re a Mizo, I recommend you try bekang with all the non-Mizo dishes I’ve mentioned above, it’s really good. And if you’re a non-Mizo and a foodie, I really hope you get to try our bekang delicacy one day, that is, if you are adventurous (and courageous) enough to try out completely new cuisines.

So until next post then. Cheers!