“Chakhum” in manipuri/meiteilon means kitchen, the name a tribute to Manipur, my native place. “Wari Watai” in manipuri/meiteilon means chit chat.
This is an attempt to capture my journey of learning cooking, trying out food and hence will contain my fav. recipes/food from all different places I have been. I will be introducing and talking about Manipuri food/vegetables too. Also I will be chit chatting on topics which are of interest to me.
This will help me to organise on the recipes I love. These are my favourite collections from others recipe and some my own (which have been discovered by fluke and will be very less in numbers;). Cooking so far has been hit & trial and I depend heavily strictly on the recipe and cannot cook without my recipe book/printout in front of me… If It’s a lucky day, the food turns out to be awesome 
but there are days where the whole food goes to the thrash 
.
Thanks to all the food blogger from whom I get most of my recipes & aspiration to tray & cook and I don’t take credit for it 
. For dishes I want to try/like, I generally put a link of the original recipe and also paste the recipe (I do this because I have had cases where the link doesn’t work or blogger deleted content) content in my blog (with/without changes to suit my taste) and I would have given a comment to the original recipe owner. But in any case, if anyone has a problem in me doing this, please let me know, I will put just the link in my collection.
Thanks to friends/strangers who have shared related pictures captured in this blog. If you want to share a picture in my blog, please contact me and I will be happy to upload it.
And a big big thanks to all my blog readers for your continuous comments which motivates me even more to continue blogging.
Picture of my favourite “Manipuri Ushop Mathen”.
September 25, 2006 at 10:07 am
Hi Monica,
I am so happy to see the Unniappam’s recipes, one of my husbands favourite. I have taken the recipe which i will try this thursday being a holiday. I will tell u how well it came out.
I cook some kerala dishes which everyone likes it and one of the famous one is Parippu Pradhaman. I will send you the recipe if you have not tried bofore.
Thank you so much for recipe.
Roshni.
October 17, 2006 at 1:24 pm
thanks Roshni, yes please share any of your fav. I am all for trying out new dishes.
November 21, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Oh my gosh! What a spread. Are those all Manipuri dishes? Is that a special festival meal? Never made any manipuri dishes. I had quite a few Manipuri classmates at nursing school. Hoping to learn more Manipuri dishes from you.
November 23, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Hey…awesome job!!! with all the recipes….u make me miss home food real bad….But u have missed one key dish…the singju…Plz a meitei without singju is like a trouser without zip…..we just ain’t gonna be we
May 16, 2007 at 11:06 am
HI
Monica it’s been lovely to tell u that u have done a great job in making a collection of manipuri dishes.Hope u do well in different different collection’s.May god be with u always
and i really appreciate your good work.
Thanks and u take care.
Biky(Delhi.
May 22, 2007 at 10:36 am
Dear Monica,
It is really fasinating to see this all manipuri dishes available in net.As i am far from home and not knowing how to cook ( A man ), i really and from heart appreciate you…….
take care and dont forget to update you list..
J.Huidrom
August 29, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Dear Monica,
Its really nice to see ur website full of manipuri dish… Try to add some more manipuri dish like chagempomba, utti, paknam ..etcc.. etc.. and yes i want to learn how to make pork pickle.. if u have the recipe then please share it with me.. All the best..
Deepa
September 9, 2007 at 10:18 am
Hi Monica,
I left manipur about 30 years ago but still my mouth waters when I think of ‘Irongba’ spelling may not be right but you have guessed its boiled veg mixed with raw onion and green chilies and added heethal, the stinky fish…please can you give me the right recepies.
Rhea
September 9, 2007 at 10:18 am
Hi Monica,
I left manipur about 30 years ago but still my mouth waters when I think of ‘Irongba’ spelling may not be right but you have guessed its boiled veg mixed with raw onion and green chilies and added heethal, the stinky fish…please can you give me the right recepies.
Rhea
September 10, 2007 at 11:58 am
i m extremely happy to see the dishes of manipur in the net. Actually i am the student of Master in tourism administration and its my duty to develop the tourist places in manipur. So food is the important thing as in my mmind and as i was far from my home i have not tasted “pakora” since six month. Our food somewhat different from others.
Bijen Thokchom.
September 13, 2007 at 7:21 am
Dear Monica !
Even though cooking is my hobby…and love to cook always….but i miss the PURE MANIPURI DISHES, mostly the Utsav mathel,Cairaoba, Ningol Chakaoba. Its really great and appreciate you…please do update
Suresh Huidrom
http://www.sureshhuidrom.com
September 13, 2007 at 7:22 am
Dear Monica !
Even though cooking is my hobby…and love to cook always….but i miss the PURE MANIPURI DISHES, mostly the Utsav mathel,Cairaoba, Ningol Chakaoba. Its really great and appreciate you…please do update
Suresh Huidrom
Bangalore
http://www.sureshhuidrom.com
September 25, 2007 at 8:02 pm
I WAS DREAMING …OF MANIPURI DISHES SUDDENLY I TYPED MANIPURI FOOD IN GOOGLE I FOUND UR WEBSITE ALONG WITH A PICTURE OF VARIETIES OF DISHES…WELL! I THG FR SURE U MADE MY MOUTH WATERY GUD JOB
November 3, 2007 at 3:16 pm
hey monica,
i wanna thank u for all the dishes u posted..but ya i want soem help from u…i wanna knw if there is anything called NAARY/NAARRI…in manipur..actually im not an maniputi but ya got married to an manipuri…even i wanna give her some surprise by making manipur dishes for her…can u plz help me out…
November 18, 2007 at 2:30 pm
i dont know who r u.But it really amazing to see dese dishes.
November 28, 2007 at 10:44 am
tha-gat chari.
u r great
January 14, 2008 at 10:14 am
hi monica
you really made me miss home food.you ve done a great job. Hope this site will help some of my friends who are anxious to know more of our manipuri dishes. wish you luck. bye
merina.l
January 17, 2008 at 11:06 am
What a brilliant and innovative idea of yours lol. i am quite flaterred with the way you have popularised typical meitei dishes over the net.
Regards to your innovative action and keep up the same.
February 8, 2008 at 6:18 pm
hai monica
nice to see some1 doing a gr8 thing to show our beautiful culture.aeidi henjang thongba se yamna haite aduna i really admired u… best wishes for u.. n thank u so much ..
March 7, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Hi Monica
It’s great seeing the mouth watering manipuri dishes.Can you please post the recipe for Singju, manipuri dal and Iromba without Nagri or any other alternative-as this lovely fish is not available in NewZealand(country where I live)
Can you post is sooooon please as I am just waiting and longing to prepare it!
April 11, 2008 at 9:07 pm
hello,
u can get yonchak maru in hong kong market
in frozen section it is called SATOR it will be in small plastic bag but only the green seed.
April 27, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Hi,
Do u have the recipe for Eron ba. I used to love it. If possible, could u pliz mail it to me. I have not eaten it since I left Imphal in 1984.
Thanks
April 29, 2008 at 12:10 am
i really dont know what to say its 5.40 in the morning and am still trying to sleep (unsuccessfully) and also remembering that had i been home i will probably be in the “chakhum” making tea. back home i wasn’t much of a foodie and really didnt appreciate Meitei cusine but now… wow my mouth watered at those usop mathens and the yongchak sungju … great … its good to see my yenjhang mathensing after so long
April 29, 2008 at 8:39 am
dear monica
i have done a great thing .
urs
Tamo premananda
May 24, 2008 at 5:27 pm
hi
Monica
Yes it’s true that u had done a really great job for manipuris and for all the people who are really interested in Manipuri Foodies.So that every manipuris living in nook and corner of the whole world can have the taste of typical manipuri dishes.
take care buddy.
May 28, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Hii,
This is really Gud stuff. I really appreciate it and Kudos to u!! Really missing all the home foods now…. Will try it out alll next time I go home!! Keep up the good work!!
Bini
June 4, 2008 at 5:30 am
thank you very much for all the recipes.can u plz send me manipuri utti recipe and fish recipe (mash). you really make me feel like manipur here in australia. thanks
June 4, 2008 at 5:36 am
Thank you very much for all the recipes. Can u plz send me Manipuri utti recipe and fish recipe (mash). You really make me feel like Manipur here in Australia. thanks
June 25, 2008 at 12:05 pm
hi
monica very nice all of this.
thanks lots.
July 7, 2008 at 6:15 pm
hey monica plz tell me where we get yongchak in US cos its very hard to find it.
sad….
July 18, 2008 at 7:15 pm
i ‘m glad to find these kinda stuffs… i ‘ve a passion of cooking, & i would be glad if u can share me some “authentic meitei enshaag mathel”… viz., ooti asungba, mung-gun ooti, chgem-pomba…
hats off to u..
August 5, 2008 at 8:35 am
I really appriciate ur work. I ‘ve been missing my homely food made by my mum and after visiting ur website i feel like m in my hometown. But i will be more thankfull if u can give in details of each curry with photo n explain of making and the ingridents for it will help other to understand more and can make it. By the way its make me more yearn to have and taste all that utsav mathel.
August 25, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Monica, you are doing a wonderful job with these recipes.Always keep it up! Its really invaluable…
Shanti
September 12, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Ubada tin tare. It will l be nice if you can include more recipe. Thanks
October 13, 2008 at 8:58 am
Hi Monica, im happto find all this great stuffs that you have made. East or West, Manipuri dish is the best! Keep it up.
October 30, 2008 at 9:41 pm
gud work keep it up……..
December 12, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I am so happy to see all those manipuri food.Its been such a long time I didn’t have all this kind of food. My mouth water yummy……Whenever I want to have manipuri food I always visit this site….Keep up the good work…..
January 18, 2009 at 12:58 pm
This picture is great, thats why whenever i got vacation i start looking for it. And luck was also with me. when i visit my friends home “mangani chakkouba” was going on and they ask me to have it. May be i had four times in my vacation. i miss it, thanks monica and you have really a good collection.
January 25, 2009 at 2:17 pm
ur pic is good, can i patch it in our site
February 15, 2009 at 12:05 pm
hey monica,kudos to ur work..wen i see al dis dishes pics my mouth s fill wit watery.nyway plz put d receipe for making kheer in manipuri style …
March 21, 2009 at 8:35 pm
hi ! monica u make me feel really at home.yap .for 4 year i didn’t eat any manipuri food. biy on seeing urs photo i make myself satisfied.u make us proud in front of this world….thnx
March 26, 2009 at 12:26 am
hi che che …
m graduating this year from ihm (institute of hotel management)…i got plans to open meitei cuisine restaura in delhi….m gonna need yur help…great work sis…keep it up \m/
April 2, 2009 at 1:10 am
dearest che monica,
i was just typing manipuri food n ur site popped up.i was so excited that i woke up my room mate,sofia n showed her those mouth-watering pictures.we r students here in delhi n we dont get to eat such food anymore.even if we have brought ngari from home,its always potatoes n tomatoes kangsoi that we cook..i really miss all those delicious food n now we have developed an affinity with u cheche…we want to see u..y dont u put a picture of u cooking these wonderful dishes?
love you,love your recipes,
saroja
May 28, 2009 at 11:01 am
Man,
You are great.
This is so breathe taking pictures.
Can you please Upload, some more pictures on
Manipuri Foods.
Please .Please .Please
Your Handsomely
J.Huidrom
June 2, 2009 at 6:24 am
Its my pleassure to see this dish in Website .
I can forward this to my friends.
Once again thanku……..
June 5, 2009 at 9:54 am
m damn hungry to see all those manipuri henshang great job,but i like to c ma fav dish ooti asangba n chagem pomba,if u hav any nice pic of those dishes,plz put up.
July 4, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Hi everyone! Can anyone tell me where can I buy the lotus seeds. I had eromba in Imphal and they put lotus seeds. I miss manipuri cusine.:(
Miss eating meal in Mao. yum!
July 22, 2009 at 7:27 am
I think you mean Thangjing, that is not actually lotus seed, lotus seeds are Thamchet maru, apart from Manipur you will find thamchet in Assam, North Bengal and abundance in east Bihar (Maithily Region) It is a big industry in this area, however you will not get the raw thangjing as you get in Maniur, what they do they remove the thangjing seeds and also clean them and thereafter they bake and roast to make ‘Kabok’. This is being sold every where in our country by the name “Makhana”. If you are out side Manipur you can buy Makahana from any good ration shop and put them in your preparation, you will not get the actual taste of Thangjing being cooked in Manipur but it will satisfy your taste buds to some extents.
August 18, 2009 at 4:38 am
Hi this is malemn,its really nice to see ur site and im a food lover ……..i like to see more update from you in future…..
September 3, 2009 at 9:52 am
i was really bored having nothing to do this evening so i just thought of looking up to my old mails and found that one of my friend had mentioned about wari watai days back which i was not very much interested in reading or …….whatever. but today when i start reading it i find it so good looking at those delicious and mouth watering home food. i really missed it. and yes u are doing a great job
September 17, 2009 at 8:47 am
Im a vegetarian and i loved ur foodie blog:)