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Fermentation Atlas

Soy and legumes from Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling hills

Maseura / masyaura (fermented black-gram or rice-bean cones, Nepal and Sikkim)मस्यौरा

fried with vegetables in curry or soup. Made in 4 steps over 5 days – 8 days. The longest step, sun-dry, takes 3–5 days (Chettri R 2008). Lactic bacteria about 10^7 cfu/g: Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Ligilactobacillus salivarius, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Enterococcus durans and Bacillus up to 10^7 cfu/g: B. subtilis, B. mycoides, B. pumilus, B. laterosporus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–5 daysMeasured[Chettri2008]Sun-dry
AciditypH 5.6–6.3Measured[Chettri2008]Ferment on a bamboo mat in the open kitchen
DocumentedSoy and legumes5 days – 8 daysMore soy and legumesMore from IndiaMore from Nepal

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
black gram (Vigna mungo) or rice bean (Vigna umbellata); with rice bean
boiled potato
squash or yam added; Nepali versions add colocasia
radish
ash gourd
taro
yam
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 5 days – 8 days

Start
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Close-up: water moving into a beanshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: Black gram is washed and soaks overnight

Step 1 of 4
Clean, wash, soak overnight
Time
overnight
Unconfirmed
Temperature
ambient
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Bacillus
Yeasts

Output: soaked seeds.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
swollen
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

LAB begin

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Black gram (or rice bean) paste, often mixed with vegetables, shaped into cones, fermented 2–3 days on a bamboo mat and sun-dried; a mixed lactic and Bacillus ferment with no moulds.

Variants

  • Mechanically dried masyaura (Nepal)controlled fermentation + mechanical drying gave a more friable, lower-density product rated better than sun-dried (Dahal, Li, Gu 2006, abstract)

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [Chettri2008] Chettri R, Tamang JP. Microbiological evaluation of maseura, an ethnic fermented legume-based condiment of Sikkim. J Hill Res 2008;21(1):1-7paper
  2. [s2] Dahal NR et al. 2006 (spkx.net.cn, abstract)paper