Singju

Singju (; pronounced sing-zoo) is a dish from Manipur. It originated with the Meitei culture but has been widely adopted by most of the ethnic communities of the state and in some neighbouring states of Northeast India. Often served as a spicy side dish, it is also popular as an afternoon or evening snack.

Given that its main ingredient is seasonal vegetables, singju has many variations. However, there are two main types: ngari-based and thoiding-besan-based. Ngari is a kind of fermented fish, the flavour of which forms the backbone of Manipuri cuisine. Roasted ngari-based singju is more popular; however, it is not usually sold by local singju vendors due to the high cost of ngari. The Thoiding-Besan version (with roasted perilla seeds and chickpea flour) therefore is more widely available from Singju vendors. Thoiding (Meitei: ꯊꯣꯢꯗꯤꯡ) is an oily seed obtained from the Korean perilla which when roasted gives a nutty flavour. A mixture of roasted thoiding (perilla seeds) and roasted besan (chickpea flour) gives a flavour that is distinctive to singju. This latter non-ngari version is also served in religious feasts where fish and meat is prohibited (especially when there is a death of someone in the family, Meitei usually do not take fish or meat).