Deepest Ukhrul’s Ava Market Food Tour l Korean Kimbap + Rice Hotel

Today's episode from Ukhrul in Manipur features an enriching tour of the all women Ava Market, Korean dish experience at a popular restaurant cum bakery, local style chicken curry tasting at a daily meal hotel and a pulsating musical night experience at a local club premises. As the earlier ones, this schedule too was curated by our amazing host Ammo from Living Manipur.

This journey commenced with the visit to the Ava market which is an all women market in Ukhrul where one can find all groceries and kitchen essentials required by the local populace under one roof. A diverse range of fresh local ingredients on display at the counters run by the local womenfolk. As we navigated through the stalls, Ammo introduced us to some popular and some lesser known vegetables, beans, pulses, rice, dried fishes etc. This visit was an opportunity to have a better understanding of the culinary culture prevalent across the region.

The next stop was a lovely bakery cum restaurant named Mungkung Restaurant which is run by a husband and wife duo. Shaped by the growing Korean influence in the state, their menu had a delightful range of Korean dishes in place. After a heartening conversation with the passionate and warm lady owner, we decided to try the Kimbap. This classic appetizer was beautifully presented and it was quite good in taste.

The third and last food stop of the tour was a non descript daily meal eatery called Soso Rice Hotel. It is humble place that caters to the travelers and locals alike. The setting was similar to a rustic home with a small kitchen area and a cosy sitting area. The family running it stays in the adjacent room. The lady owner was busy preparing the dinner. We tried a small serving of the just prepared yen thongba or chicken curry. with light spices, this country chicken curry had a homely feel to it.

While returning to our homestay, we stumbled upon a musical night at the premises of a local club. The pulsating performances made us groove along with the frenzied audience. Ammo informed us how these shows are a frequent thing over there.

Overall we had a wonderful time exploring new flavours, sights and interactions.


**Despite the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, we made a conscious yet hard decision to proceed with our food video series from the state which was filmed between 30th Jan and 3rd feb 2023.

Our intention was to showcase the incredible warmth, love, kindness, camaraderie and enthusiasm we encountered during this immersive visit.

It's essential to acknowledge the complexities the state is going through, but we firmly believe in highlighting the genuine goodness of the people whom we met during this wonderful journey.

Throughout the five-day tour, we encountered a heartwarming display of hospitality, generosity and harmony. We want to reassure that our approach remains sensitive and respectful towards the ordeal being faced by the people of Manipur.**

For an immersive experience of Manipur do checkout Living Manipur's following handle:

https://www.livingmanipur.com/
   / @livingmanipur  
  / living.manipur  

About the host:
https://anubhavsapra.com/

Facebook:   / delhifoodwalks  
Twitter:   / delhifoodwalks  
Instagram:   / delhifoodwalks  

Design and filmed by Rahul Singh
  / iamrahulsingh.2  

Text by Swetaleena Nayak