Tongba (Hot Millet Beer)

At the stove

Method

1. 1

   The millet is cleaned and boiled until the grains are soft but still whole, then spread out on mats to cool to body temperature.

2. 2

   Powdered murcha starter, a cake of wild yeasts and moulds carried on rice flour and local herbs, is dusted evenly over the cooled grain and mixed through by hand.

3. 3

   The inoculated millet is heaped in a basket lined with cloth, covered, and kept somewhere warm for one to three days until a white bloom of mould is visible and the grain smells sweet.

4. 4

   It is then packed tightly into an airtight vessel to exclude air and left to ferment for two to three weeks, developing into the solid fermented mass Limbu speakers call mandokpenaa thee.

5. 5

   Well-made batches are aged further, often three to six months, which mellows the sourness and deepens the aroma.

6. 6

   To serve, the fermented millet is loosely packed into a tongba vessel roughly two-thirds full.

7. 7

   Near-boiling water is poured over the grain and the vessel is left to stand for about five minutes so the warmth draws out the alcohol and flavour.

8. 8

   The pipsing straw is pushed through the grain and the milky, faintly sour liquid is sipped slowly; the vessel is topped up with hot water two or three more times before the millet is spent.

9. 9

   Note: home fermentation of alcohol is regulated in many countries — check local law before attempting production.