Sareng thongba

Sareng (wallago attu), a species of catfish, is considered a delicacy in Manipur. The indigenous sareng known as Meitei sareng is said to be on the verge of extinction. However, i have read recently in e-pao that the fishery department of Manipur is trying to breed it artificially and within the next  two to three years, Meitei sareng would be available for consumption. Which is good news for me because i want to eat meitei sareng at least once before i die!

The sareng available in Imphal are imported, most probably from Andhra Pradesh (please don’t sue me if this information is incorrect). Considering the long journey they have to endure, you have to forgive them for not looking their best! No wonder that on rare occasions when a Meitei sareng makes an appearance, people are willing to buy it no matter how exorbitant the price.

Sareng or boal mach as it is called in bengali is readily available in the fish markets in Calcutta. From what i have heard from my friends, some Bengalis (i think it must be the ghotis or the Bengalis from west Bengal as boal mach seems to be quite popular among bangals or Bengalis from East Bengal) do not eat this fish as this fish is known to feed on other fish. As per wikipedia, sareng or wallago is feared by the natives in some areas of Thailand as it is believed to eat ducks, dogs and small children. Now, that is really a mean fish!!

This recipe is similar to the nga atoiba thongba recipe except that it calls for hing (asafoetida). Sareng has a strong smell that you need to ‘disguise’. i have to confess that i did not use hing when i made it this time because no hing could be found anywhere, not even in the Bangladeshi shop from which the fish was bought. i was worried that the dish might have to be consigned uneaten to the dustbin but luckily, it turned out quite good. If you have hing, please do use it!

Sareng thonga:

Things you need:

Sareng – 600 g cut into small pieces

1 medium size onion

7 cloves of garlic

1 inch of ginger

1 cup shelled peas

1 medium size tomato – diced into cubes

1 large potato – diced into cubes

1 teaspoon red chilli powder – more or less depending on your taste

1  teaspoon coriander (dhania) powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin (jeera) powder

Mustard oil for cooking

1 heaped teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

2 slices of haribob- cut into chunks

Hing powder(Asafoetida) – 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon might sound a bit too much but the hing powder you get here has only 7% hing! If you are using the ‘pure’ hing granules, 2-3 might do. You could use more depending on your taste but i find the smell of hing a bit over-powering)

What you have to do:

Wash the fish properly, drain and pat dry.

Grind the onion, ginger and garlic to a paste. With a little water, make a thick paste with the turmeric, coriander, chilli and cumin powder.

Heat the mustard oil in a wok. When it is hot, put in the onion-ginger-garlic-masala paste. Add the hing powder. In case you are using hing granules, dissolve them in a bit of warm water before adding. Fry till the oil separates.

Now put in the pieces of sareng mixing well to ensure that the pieces are well coated with the paste. Cook until the water released by the fish dries out.

Sareng

Now add the peas, diced tomato and potato. Add the haribob chunks.

Cook for about 5 minutes or till the tomatoes become soft. Add water and salt. Cover and simmer until the potato is done. Now, mash the potato and some of the fish pieces with the back of the spatula to render the gravy a creamy texture. Check and adjust the seasoning.

Garnish and serve with boiled rice.