Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Midum pangpar (flower)

Local  (Mizo) name: Midum pangpar/Midum par 
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

This  is a common flower in Mizoram and it is locally called Midum par or Midum Pangpar.  The following photos are taken in Aizawl, Mizoram, India.  In Mizoram this flower is often found in government bungalows and offices premises. It is not an indigenous plant. I am not sure where it come from and who introduce in our state but what i can assure is that it is an imported flowering plant. The simple thing you can easily recognise in Mizoram is that government bungalows and offices are often decorated with this kind of flowering plant which means that the decoration can be seen as more "sarkari" or more "foreign." What came to my mind is that most of the government offices and bungalows are hardly decorated with indegenous flowering plant. This may be because of the colonial legacy still imbibes to the decorator or designers even in this post-independent period.  The government and private garden or plant decoration  in Mizoram can be easily differentiated with indigenous plants and imported/foreign plants. When the Bristish colonial offices were set up in Mizoram their houses and offices were often decorated with the flowering plants that they brought from outside which were later followed by the local people in their houses and offices premises decoration. Apart from government officials Christian missionaries also followed the same. One can question that why the indigenous flowers are not much used in goverment offices and bungalows gardens? Are we still following the era of British Raj in Mizoram? Or one may also can say that flower has no attachment with any particular human races, it just bloom wherever it was planted without considering the idendity of its planter!! :) :)

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Local name: Midum pangpar (Mizo)
English name: Hibiscus (red)/ Rose mallow

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Maian bai (pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Maian bai (Pumpkin leaves dish) is one of the favourite vegetarian dishes for Mizo and the most common food item in Mizoram. Pumpkin leaves are mostly seen in every of the vegetable markets in Mizoram. Cooking of maian bai is very easy and simple so that even little Mizo children also can cook in their respective kitchens in their homes.

These are the simplest guide for cooking maian bai (pumpkin leaves) in Mizo style:
1. Generally fresh/tender pumpkin leaves are collected for cooking.
2. Wash the leaves with fresh water.
3. Remove the small thorns on the stem and leaf. Gently peel off from the top of the stem and begin to drag it down the leaf.
4.  Twist the leaves into small portion.
3.  Boil water in the pot, add bicarbonate of soda and salt to a boil along.
4.  When the water is boiled add the twisted leaves.
5. Cover the pot and stir occasionally.
6. Add other vegetables like eggplant/brinjal, mock tomato, chilli pepper/chilli, ladies' fingers/okra etc.
7. If you want to add another taste maker you can add lamiaceae leaves or seeds (Lengser/lengmaser in Mizo)
7. After 10 minutes or more open the cover and check whether the leaves are softer or not.
8.  When the leaves and other added vegetables are softer and after stirring occasionally leave for about 5 minutes.
9. Your cooking will be ready to serve.
10. Serve in hot is best preference, enjoy the taste of maian bai!

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)

Mizo maian bai (Pumpkin leaves cooking in Mizo style)
You may also watch the maian bai cooking video here: