Tungrymbai or tung rymbái or "tungtoh" is a

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

food traditionally prepared by the

Khasi Khasi may refer to: * Khasi people, an ethnic group of Meghalaya, India * Khasi language, a major Austroasiatic language spoken in Meghalaya, India * Khāṣi language, an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India See also * Khasi Hills * Gh ...

and Jaiñtia peoples of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

Production

The soybeans are washed then boiled until they are soft. After boiling, the excess water is drained off and the beans are left to cool. The beans are then transferred to a bamboo basket lined with fresh slamet (''

Phrynium pubinerve ''Phrynium pubinerve'' is the type species of the plant genus ''Phrynium'', in the family Marantaceae. It is widespread throughout Asia, with records from India, China, and Indo-China through to New Guinea; no subspecies are listed in the Catalo ...

'') leaves. The leaves are then wrapped over the beans and hot charcoal is placed on top before more leaves are wrapped over once again. The entire basket is then placed inside a jute bag to ferment for three to four days by a fireplace. When the fermentation is complete, the beans are taken out and crushed in a mortar and pestle ( and in

Preparation

Tungrymbai is usually prepared by crushing the fermented beans until it almost becomes a paste and fried in mustard oil with onion-ginger-garlic paste, black sesame seed paste, aromatics and pork.

References

{{Reflist Fermented soy-based foods Khasi people Indian legume dishes