Sana Thongba From Manipur – A Simple Paneer Curry

Manipur is a state in the Northeast India, with Imphal as the capital. The state is bordered by Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and Burma. Manipur is one of the states in the group called the Seven Sister States. Manipur literally means the ‘land of jewels’ and is one of the very beautiful places on earth. Manipur has an exotic landscape with gently undulating hills, beautiful green valleys, blue lakes and dense forest.

Manipuri cuisine is very simple and mostly uses organic and fresh ingredients. The Manipuri’s raise vegetables in the garden and grow fishes in a small lake or pond behind the houses. The dishes are typically spicy, but they use chili peppers for flavor and spice rather than using any kind of masala.

This Sana Thongba recipe that I made today is a very good example of the simplicity of the cuisine, yet bringing out the most wonderful flavor from the food. This was one dish that truly amazed me by its flavors. I had used no spice absolutely except turmeric and cumin and yet the dish was so flavorful. This dish was a very big success with my boys and I would definitely be making this more often. This recipe is made during Usop, which is a traditional Hindu Manipuri feast and is considered one of the tastiest vegetarian dishes

The only change that I did to the dish was that I used tofu instead of paneer. The dish absolutely did not miss the paneer.

Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 30 minutes
Difficulty level – easy
Recipe Source – Open Challenge to plastic fast foods

Ingredients to make Sana Thongba – (serves 6)

Paneer (I used firm tofu) – 450 grams (chopped into ½ inch pieces)
Potato – 1 large (peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces)
Onion – 1 large (Thinly sliced)
Green peas – ½ cup
Green chilies – 4-5
Milk – 1 ½ cup
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 – 3 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Cilantro – few for garnish

Procedure –

In a wide pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the sliced onions and sauté for about 3 minutes.
Now add the cubed paneer (or tofu) and then fry in medium flame until it turns light golden.
Now add the potatoes and fry it for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Next add the peas and sauté for few more minutes until the peas becomes slightly soft.

Add the turmeric powder and salt and mix it gently.
Now add about 1 to 1 ½ cups of water and cook covered, until the potatoes are soft and completely cooked.
Open the pan and add the milk. Reduce the flame to simmer and let the curry come to a gentle boil. Do not cook on high heat since the milk would curdle. As soon as the curry comes to a gentle boil turn off the flame right away as otherwise the milk would curdle.

Garnish the Sana Thongba with cilantro and serve warm with rice or roti’s. When reheating the curry, heat it in low power in the microwave or in low flame.