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Ngari - a traditional fish product of Manipur, India

Article · January 2012

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Asem Sanjit Singh Atom Arun Singh

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by Asem Sanjit Singh, Atom Arun Singh
and Manoharmayum Shaya Devi PROCESSING

Ngari - a traditional fish product of

Manipur, India
Fermented foods and
beverages are popular
among the people of the
north-eastern states of
India. Ngari, a fermented
fish product made from
sun-dried non-salted fish,
is one such food item well
liked by the people of
Manipur.

F
ermentation,
salting,
drying and
smoking are the
traditional methods producing and Ngari of Manipur
another
of fish processing preserving foods. In
fermented fish paste,
in Southeast Asia. addition to preservation,
mostly consumed by the
As far as north- fermented foods can also have the
Khasi tribes of Meghalaya, another state in
east India is added benefits of enhancing flavour,
north-eastern India.
concerned, Asem Sanjit Singh increasing digestibility and improving
fermentation is one nutritional and pharmaceutical value. The
of the oldest and most economical methods for popularity of the product is due to its inviting Production of ngari
preserving food. Each fermented product is flavour. The people of Manipur consume it
associated with a unique group of microflora almost every day; hardly a day passes Puntius fish, which is either caught locally
which increases the level of protein, vitamins, without ngari being cooked. It is one of the or procured from other states, is used in the
essential amino acids and fatty acids. most important ingredients for an oil-free food preparation of ngari. For commercial
Indigenous fermented foods contribute to a preparation known as ‘eromba’ and ‘kangsoi’ production, however, the fish is obtained
large proportion of the daily food intake in the in Manipuri cuisine. It has several local names mainly from other Indian states in dried form.
north-eastern states of India. In Manipur, one in the north-east, such as seedal, sepaa, hidal Commercial production and marketing in
of the seven states in north-east India, and shidal in Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur is confined to some rich households
fermented foods and beverages are Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland while in who run the business with hired workers. The
consumed as a regular food item. Among the Manipur, it is called ngari. essential ingredients and equipment used in
many fermented foods, such as hawaijar, For preparation of ngari, a sun-dried non- the production of this valuable product are
soibum, soidon, hentak, ziang sang and salted fish, Phoubu nga (Puntius sophore) is given below.
atingba, is ngari, a popular fermented fish fermented by a traditional method in the valley
product. region of Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, Fish
Ngari is indigenous to Manipur and is also and in the surrounding areas. The colour of
valued as a food ingredient in other states of the best quality product is dull white which The preparation of ngari starts with the
north-east India. Fermentation is one of the gradually becomes light to deep brownish on collection of fish. It is mainly procured from the
oldest and most economical methods for continuous exposure to air. Tungtap is wetlands (locally known as beels) and rivers,

w w w. i n f o f i s h . o r g INFOFISH International 1/2012 41

PROCESSING
Puntius sophore locally called phoubu nga, is commonly used for ngari preparation.
but for commercial production fully dried
Puntius sp is used. The dry fish is procured
both from the local fish market and from the
Brahmaputra valley of Assam or Bangladesh
or from distant states like Andhra Pradesh and
West Bengal.
Earthen pot/vat
Ngari chaphou, as it is locally known, is a
round bottomed, narrow-necked earthen vat
with a capacity of 45-50 kg. Although
breakable, the vat can be used for many
years. The older the pot, the better the product
is supposed to be. Each jar used in the
preparation of ngari costs around IRS 65-70.
The ngari chaphou.
Oil
Only a small quantity of oil is needed for
the preparation. The oil may be of either plant
or fish origin based on availability and cost,
but fish oil extracted from the entrails of
42 INFOFISH International 1/2012
Ngari - a traditional fish product of Manipur, India
and is confined to small households in the
villages. It is more economical and climate
friendly and is practiced more frequently
during the fishing season when Puntius fish
are available as by-catch in many village
fish ponds. In this method, gutted, sun-dried
fish is used for ngari preparation. During
drying, the fish are rubbed with a small
amount of oil and dried for 3-4 days in
sunlight. The amount of oil added determines
the texture of the final product. When too little
oil is added, the texture of the product is too
firm and this is not preferred.
The mud seals are observed carefully
Puntius sp or other fresh water fish is during the initial days and as soon as any
preferred. Vegetable oil is used exclusively crack appears they are filled with mud paste
when ngari is produced on a commercial immediately. The chaphous are kept in this
scale, as it is cheaper. condition for 4-6 months at room
Cover paste
Flow chart for Ngari
production
This is used mainly to cover the mouth of
the chaphou. The paste is prepared from fish
powder or even trash fish and Puntius fish
discarded during the drying process. After
drying in the sun, the fish are ground into a
fine powder, which is moistened using water
and made into a dough-like paste.
Cover leaves
These are used temporarily to seal the
cover paste in the mouth of the chaphou. Any
broad leaf such as that of bottle-gourd or
banana can be used for the purpose. In
Manipur, mostly banana leaves are used as a
cover leaf. If leaves are not available,
newspaper can be an effective replacement.
Cover seal
A thick mud/clay prepared from humus-rich
fine soil is used as a permanent seal on the
cover paste during maturation. In some
cases, old gunny sacks are also used after
compacting them.
Traditional preparation
method
This is one of the most popular methods
w w w. i n f o f i s h . o r g
 PROCESSING PROCESSING

temperature. After this period the chaphous

are opened on a dry day to avoid any
fungal infestation. The final product is
removed carefully layer by layer and then
packed in smaller containers or pots.

Commercial ngari
preparation
The commercial production of ngari is
based on a modified form of the traditional
method. The fish are dried in the sun for 4-
5 days to remove the moisture in the fish.
After drying, the fish are soaked in water
for 10-15 minutes, during which time the
water is absorbed rapidly because of the
earlier drying. The soaking process is
usually carried out in the evening hours so
that the next step of 8-10 hours can be
performed at night in order to avoid birds
feeding on the fish. The fish now have a
soft texture with dry surface skin.
In the next step, the fish are smeared
with vegetable oil, followed by another
round of sun drying for an hour. The fish
are then ready to be packed in a chaphou.
For this purpose, the fish are pressed or
rolled by rollers to make them soft and
tender. The pre-processed chaphous are
buried in pits (made earlier and layered
with moist sacks) with half or one-third of
the jar buried in the ground. The chaphous
should be fixed securely in the ground to
enable them to withstand the packing
pressure in the ensuing step. Initially, 5-6
kg of the fish is put in each jar. They are

The ngari chaphou after filling.

Reader enquiry number 12

w w w. i n f o f i s h . o r g INFOFISH International 1/2012 43

PROCESSING Ngari - a traditional fish product of Manipur, India

then pressed until liquid is released from

the fish. The process is continued until the Flow chart for preparation Flow chart for preparation
jars are fully filled with fish. The jars are of eromba of kangsoi
then sealed with wet mud and are kept for
maturation for 3-6 months. After the
maturation, the top layer of the fish in the
jars (locally called phumai) is removed and
the rest is used for human consumption.
The cost of production of one jar of ngari
ranges from IRS* 1 200–5 000. However,
the selling price of ngari can range from
IRS 100-240 per kg, depending on the
quality of the product. The shelf life of ngari
is about 12-18 months.

*US$1 = IRS 53 approx.

Nutritional profile and

microorganisms
Ngari is rich in protein, essential amino
acids and vitamins, enhancing its nutritive
value. It has a protein content of 45%,
lipids 19%, moisture 18% and ash 11%. It
contains a variety of bacteria such as
Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris,
Lactococcus plantarum, Enterococcus
faecium, Lactobacillus fructosus, L
amylophilus, L corneformis subspecies
torquens and Lactobacillus plantarum,
Bacillus subtilis, B pumilus, Micrococcus
and fungi-like Candida and
Saccharomycopsis. Most strains of
Lactobacillus isolated from ngari had a high
degree of hydrophobicity indicating their
probiotic characteristics.
Importance of ngari to
Manipur people
Ngari forms an intrinsic part of the diet of
the people of Manipur. It is mainly used for
preparing different traditional curries in which
ngari is put as an ingredient. It is also
consumed as a side dish with cooked rice.
Besides its good taste, ngari also has strong
appetising properties. In order to avoid
fungal attack the product is usually packed in
tight containers or sometimes lightly fried in
oil.
Product types
The raw ngari has a pungent smell that is
very repulsive to the beginner. To overcome
this constraint, ready-to-eat ngari dishes
such as eromba and kangsoi can be
prepared.

Conclusion
Fish is widely consumed in the daily diet
of Manipur people and ngari is widely used
as an appetiser. Traditional fermented foods
of Manipur are prepared at household
level though indigenous methods. There is
a need for awareness about basic hygienic
The ingredients for eromba (left) and the final product (right). practices of production for Good

44 INFOFISH International 1/2012 w w w. i n f o f i s h . o r g

 PROCESSING PROCESSING

The ready-to-eat kangsoi product (bottom) is

prepared from a variety of ingredients
including ngari (top).

Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and safety of

the marketed food products through
HACCP system. Development of value
added products by selecting micro-
organisms, genetic improvement, process
improvement, raw material improvement,
etc will lead to industrialisation of these food
products.

Asem Sanjit Singh and

Manoharmayum Shaya Devi are with
the College of Fisheries, Central
Agricultural University, Tripura while
Atom Arun Singh is with the College
of Fisheries, Orissa University of
Agriculture & Technology, Orissa,
India.

Reader enquiry number 13

Reader enquiry number 14

w w w. i n f o f i s h . o r g INFOFISH International 1/2012 45

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