Soidon
Fermented tender bamboo-shoot tips from Manipur, started with the sour liquid of an earlier batch and eaten in chutneys and curries.
Soijim
Sojim · Soijim, sour liquid from Soidon fermentation
The sour liquid that forms during Manipuri Soidon fermentation, kept to start the next batch and used to sour curries.
Overview
Soijim is the sour liquid formed during the fermentation of Soidon, a Manipuri bamboo-shoot food. It is a liquid derivative of Soidon, not a solid vegetable product, and the atlas keeps it as a separate record.
The 2009 account gives two uses: it starts the next batch of Soidon, and it sours curries.
Reuse as starter
In the 2009 account, a previous batch's soijim is diluted 1:1 and added to a fresh batch of shoot tips. This reuse is the reason the liquid is kept, and it is why Soijim and Soidon belong together in one tradition.
The sources do not give the liquid's exact composition or a standalone production method. They do not show that every sour bamboo-shoot brine in Manipur is called Soijim.
Microbiology
A 2010 study of traditional starter cultures for Manipur bamboo-shoot ferments reports the bacterial species it found. It also reports Bacillus cereus at high counts in most of the soidon mahi samples it studied, and it raises a biosafety concern for those starters.
History
The 2009 Manipur account identifies Soijim as the liquid formed during Soidon fermentation and describes its reuse as starter and as a sour condiment. The sources do not establish an origin date.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
Soidon fermentation liquidThe sour liquid that collects during Soidon fermentation, taken from an earlier batch.
Amount not stated
Not measured in the sources.Method
Risks and precautions · Elevated risk
Bacillus cereus in soidon mahi starter samples
A 2010 study of traditional starter cultures used for Manipur bamboo-shoot ferments reports Bacillus cereus at high counts in 87 per cent of the sampled soidon mahi starters. The finding is sample-specific and is not a property of every Soijim.
Hazard sourceDo not assume a reused sour liquid is safe because it is sour. No source sets a critical limit for it.
Control sourceSoijim is a liquid derivative. The sources do not establish its exact composition, and a sample-specific Bacillus cereus finding applies to the starter studied.
No validated household safety limit or storage time is given. Do not use smell or taste as proof of safety.
- Let a batch of Soidon ferment, so that sour liquid collects around the shoot tips.
- Draw off a portion of the sour liquid. Tamang and Tamang's account dilutes it 1:1 with water.
- Keep the reserved liquid covered and use it to start the next batch of Soidon, as the 2009 account describes.
- Add the sour liquid to curries to give them a sour taste, as the same account describes.
Places
Manipur, India
Traditional use · Region evidenceThe 2009 Manipur account describes the liquid and its use in Manipuri dishes. This does not establish origin or uniform use across the state.
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Sources
Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 8(1), 89–95; full author-uploaded text on ResearchGateResearch
Traditional knowledge of biopreservation of perishable vegetable and bamboo shoots in Northeast India as food resourcesCited in: Overview; Reuse as starter
International Journal of Food Microbiology 143(1–2), 1–8; PubMed record and abstractResearch
Bacterial species associated with traditional starter cultures used for fermented bamboo shoot production in Manipur state of IndiaCited in: Microbiology