Y Merina Chishi
I love the taste of vinegar in Chinese and that of masala in Indian food. The recipes for these delicacies are not hard to come by and there are plenty of eateries that serve Chinese and Mughalai. Although I’m not a very good cook, over the years I have learnt to handle my bit. But there is one unique recipe that I have never quite mastered; the ‘recipe for the road’. This recipe is unique in the true sense of the word and is found only in exclusive places. The ingredients are not very appealing, but let me tell you that it is a rage all over Dimapur!
There are three flavours in this dish. The first is the ‘Temporary Tar’. For this you will need some gravels, pebbles and sand for seasoning. To start, first lay the stones on any ‘pot hole’ you can find and then sprinkle some sand for taste. To give it a more appealing look, pour some tar. Run a Roller over it and serve hot. What I like most about this food is that unlike Chinese and other greasy food, you don’t need ‘Vim’ to clean. Just a little downpour of water can wash it all away! This item is running out of stock due to its popularity.
The second flavour is ‘Aromatic Mashed Ga( r ) bage’. For this you will need an open space; it’s more convenient there. First take a few chopped and rotten vegetables, some rubber slippers and colourful plastic bags. Then mix all ingredients well and toss them into open space. The aroma emanates naturally. Among all flavours, this one is different because even dogs love them!
Finally you have the flavour indigenous to Nagas.This is easiest to make as it comes cheap and you don’t need culinary skills at all. This flavour is called ‘Painting it Red’. You might need a concrete wall, a railing and an electric post. First apply lime on the surface and then chew the raw ingredient well. Choose a structure of your convenience and ‘spit’. Garnish it with some paper or pan masala cover. This dish has an advantage over the other two because you get to enjoy the ingredient and of course ‘spitting’ comes so naturally.
So you realize now why I have never been able to get it right. The ingredients are rather tart and I’m not too fond of acid! I am pretty content with my culinary skills. Moreover, ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ and there are other people who should be concerned with these recipes. I hope people reading this understand that Dimapur has plenty of these delicacies in the offering and an epidemic of some sort might break out soon and please make sure to check the expiry date.
