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Tag: Light curry

  • Masor Tenga

    Masor tenga means sour fish, and it is the curry Assamese families eat most often, especially in the hot, humid months. Sour food is believed to cool the body, and the souring agent changes with the season: ripe tomato, outenga (elephant apple), thekera (dried mangosteen), lemon, or kaji nemu, the long fragrant Assamese lemon.

    Compared with most Indian fish curries it is thin, bright and simple. Rohu or another freshwater fish is fried lightly in mustard oil, then simmered in a tomato broth tempered with fenugreek seeds. There is no coconut, no heavy masala, only turmeric, green chillies and coriander. The soup is meant to be poured over rice.

    At a glance

    RegionAssam
    CuisineAssamese
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time40 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrohu fish / tomato / lemon / mustard oil

    Ingredients

    • 500 g rohu steaks
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder, divided
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
    • 4 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
    • 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
    • 3 green chillies, slit
    • 2 cups water
    • Juice of 1 lemon (or 1/2 Assamese kaji nemu)
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Rub the fish steaks with 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
    2. Heat the mustard oil in a kadhai until smoking, then lower to medium. Fry the fish for 2 minutes per side until lightly golden; they need not be fully cooked. Remove.
    3. In the same oil add the fenugreek seeds and fry for 10-15 seconds until they turn reddish brown; do not let them blacken.
    4. Add the tomatoes, remaining turmeric and salt. Cook on medium heat for 6-7 minutes, mashing with the spatula, until the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy.
    5. Pour in 2 cups water and add the green chillies. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
    6. Slide in the fried fish and simmer on low heat for 6-7 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
    7. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and coriander, and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Add the lemon only after switching off the heat; boiling makes it bitter.
    • For outengar tenga, add a few pieces of elephant apple with the tomatoes and skip the lemon.
    • Fried fenugreek should smell nutty – burnt seeds make the whole curry bitter.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice, with aloo pitika on the side.

  • Machher Jhol

    Machher jhol is the everyday fish curry of Bengal, eaten across Kolkata and village homes alike, and the phrase maach-bhaat, fish and rice, sums up Bengali identity for many people. Jhol means a thin, light gravy, as opposed to the richer kalia or the mustard-heavy shorshe. It is typically made with rohu or katla, the freshwater carp of Bengal's ponds and rivers.

    The fish is rubbed with turmeric and salt, fried in mustard oil until golden, then simmered with potatoes and sometimes cauliflower or brinjal in a broth spiced with cumin, ginger and green chillies, tempered with kalo jeere (nigella). It is light, warming and fragrant, the sort of meal cooked for someone recovering from illness, and always eaten with steamed rice.

    At a glance

    RegionWest Bengal
    CuisineBengali
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrohu fish / potato / mustard oil / turmeric / cumin

    Ingredients

    For the fish

    • 6 pieces rohu or katla (about 500 g), steaks with skin
    • 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • 4 tbsp mustard oil

    For the jhol

    • 1/2 tsp kalo jeere (nigella seeds)
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 2 medium potatoes, cut into long wedges
    • 1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
    • 1 tbsp ginger paste
    • 1.5 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
    • 1/2 tsp sugar
    • 2 cups hot water
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

    Method

    1. Rub the fish with turmeric and salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
    2. Heat the mustard oil in a kadai on high heat until it just begins to smoke, then lower the heat to medium. Fry the fish in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until golden. Do not overcook; it will cook more in the jhol. Remove.
    3. In the same oil fry the potato wedges with a pinch of turmeric and salt for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden on the edges. Remove.
    4. Add kalo jeere and green chillies to the oil and let them sizzle for 10 seconds.
    5. Mix ginger paste, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder with 3 tbsp water to a paste and add to the kadai. Fry on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, adding a splash of water if it sticks, until oil separates. Add tomato if using and cook until soft.
    6. Return the potatoes, add salt, sugar and 2 cups hot water. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
    7. Slide in the fried fish and simmer gently, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes so the fish absorbs the broth. The gravy should stay thin.
    8. Finish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Heat mustard oil to smoking point first to take away its raw pungency.
    • Add hot water, not cold, so the fish stays tender.
    • In summer, many Bengali homes add sliced patol (pointed gourd) or brinjal along with the potatoes.

    Serve with

    Steamed rice, a wedge of gondhoraj lebu (lime) and a green chilli.