Kangsubi is made from thoiding amuba (black sesame seeds) and sugar. Roasted thoiding is mixed with sugar syrup and shaped into balls or roundels.  You would see it as an offering to the many Gods and Goddesses during any ceremony in Manipur.

As kids, we were made to eat kangsubi on Makar sankranti and told we would transform into dogs if we didn’t! i don’t like the slightly bitter taste of kangsubi. That coupled with the happy thought of transforming into a canine with fangs to sink into people i don’t like has made me refrain from eating kangsubi.  i am also reminded of my being reprimanded when i was a kid  for mispronouncing it (not intentionally) – if you remove certain letters, it ends up as a very bad Manipuri word!

Leibak hawai heingan

Sweet and crunchy leibak hawai heingan are slabs of sugar with leibak hawai (groundnuts) embedded in them. The crunchiness of the nuts perfectly complements the sweetness.

They bring back sweet memories of childhood when i used to tag along when Ema went to the keithel (market). It was a treat when she bought the goodies from the ‘abok‘ (grandmother) selling them in glass jars neatly arranged in a row.