Kakching Chasubi : Everyone's favourite
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Gyanand Naorem

Kakching, April 09 2012: "I miss Kakching Chasubi very much.

When are you coming to Imphal? Please bring some Kakching Chasubi when you come", is the oft repeated request I got from my friends in Imphal on my phone.

Kakching Chasubi is a unique type of delicacy which is available only in Kakching Keithel.

It is prepared like a Besan Paknam (another local delicacy) by grinding rice thoroughly and mixing with spices, chillies and salt.

In Manipur, there are different types of unique delicacies which are associated with certain places.

Kakching Vada and Kakching Chasubi are such delicacies available only at Kakching.

Even if it may not be a difficult task for any person to prepare such delicacies at their home by grinding rice, but not everyone can prepare it with such taste which has titillated the palates of the people since they do not have proper knowledge and procedure of making them like when and how much spices and other additives should be added.

Customers lining up to buy their favourite Chasubi

Besides, it is also a time consuming process to prepare Kakching Chasubi.

The Kakching Chasubi is prepared like a bread by grinding Cheng Chadon (broken pieces of rice after shelling) in a Shumbal (indigenous Pestle) and mixing with vegetables which are not sour, sweet and salty, Maroi Napakpi, Maroi Nakuppi, Coriander, Mukthrubi, Hentak, etc.

It is then prepared in the shape of a cake around 2 cm thick for heating over a frying pan.

The name of Kakching Chasubi has been derived from Jat Subi since it is prepared from mixing of various types of vegetables and spices.

In the past, the well prepared mixture was wrapped in a Kokkalla (Kokkal leaf) and heated on a frying pan.

But today, plaintain leaves are used instead of Kokkalla due to unavailability and Ngari (Fermented fish) are used instead of Hentak as Ngari is abundantly available in the market.

Salam Ongbi Romi Leima of Kakching Sumak Leikai, Panjao Pareng, is one of the Chasubi makers, who run her family solely from selling Chasubi.

In an exclusive interview with Hueiyen Lanpao, Romi disclosed that she can earn a minimum of Rs 6000 to Rs 7000 profit in a month from making Chasubi.

Not only residents of Kakching, but also people from other parts of the state buy Chasubi whenever they came to Kakching.

Even though most of the people in Kakching know how to prepare Chasubi, they do not have time to prepare it so they buy it from Kakching Keithel whenever they feel like eating it.

Romi Leima further informed that she can sell at least 70 pieces of Chasubi in a day which costs Rs 10 per pieces.

After deducting all the cost prices, she can earn a minimum profit of Rs 250 in a day from selling Chasubi.

Romi, whose husband Salam Ibochou is a cultivator, is helping her husband in maintaining her family with her three kids studying in private schools.

She has been in the trade for the last 10 years.

Besides her, there are many families in Kakching area who manage their families by selling Chasubi.