Know Food!

Khorisa is an ethnic ingredient used in Assamese cuisine. Essentially, it is grated bamboo shoots in raw, fermented or pickled form.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Papaya Chutney (Omitar Chutney)


Craving for mango chutney at a time when the fruit is nowhere to be seen? Here’s something that’ll give you a mango-like feel even if you’re nowhere close to the mango season - papaya chutney!

Ingredients:

· One fourth raw papaya (medium) skinned and washed well

· One-fourth slice of lemon

· Two green chillies

· Salt to taste

Method:

Grate the papaya. Squeeze the lemon over the grated papaya and add green chillies (chopped) and salt. Mix well. Your papaya chutney is ready in a jiffy!


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Mangosteen Fish Curry (Thekera Maas Tenga)

Last time Ma (mother-in-law) had visited us, she got us a jar of dried mangosteen (thekera) slices. For the uninitiated, mangosteen is a tropical fruit, grown in the humid climates of Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. Sour in taste, this fruit can be used raw or can be sun dried and preserved, as shown in the second image. In India, mangosteen can be found in good measure in my native state Assam. That apart, I believe it is also grown in areas like Malabar and Nilgiris. Back home, the fruit is commonly used in sour preparations like maas tenga (sour fish), tenga daal (sour daal), etc. Last weekend, I used this ingredient to dish out sour fish. Abhijit just relishes the unique flavor that mangosteen adds to the preparation. Ingredients: • About 5-6 pieces of Rohu fish • Five-six pieces of dried mangosteen (soaked for about half an hour) • Two-three medium sized tomatoes • ½ teaspoon white mustard seeds • Two tablespoon oil (I used non-stick pan – so you might need more depending on the type of pan you’re using) • Two-three green chillies (chopped) • 1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder • Salt to taste Method: Marinate the fish with salt, turmeric powder and a dash of mustard oil; set them aside. Soak the mangosteen slices in a bowl. The water so obtained is the key ingredient in the preparation. Heat the pan, pour oil and fry the fish (it shouldn’t be deep fried). In the remaining oil (we need just about a teaspoon of oil for this preparation), add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the chopped green chilies and cut tomatoes. Add salt and turmeric; when the tomatoes go pulpy, add water (preferably hot). Add the fish and then add the mangosteen pieces along with the soaking water. Heat them for some time and your thekera maas tenga is ready!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Cauliflower Fritters (Phulkobir Bor)



This is something that’s saved me umpteen times when guests have come down unannounced. Quick and easy to cook, this can be used as starters, snacks for your cocktail parties or as add ons to your meals.

Ingredients

• Half a cauliflower (medium sized)
• Two-three eggs – One may even use gram flour (besan) in place of the eggs
• Salt to taste
• Mustard oil/refined oil

Method:

Take the cauliflower florets and boil them with a pinch of salt. Once boiled, keep them aside.
Break the eggs in a bowl, add salt and beat them. Dip the boiled cauliflower florets into the egg mix and fry them in hot oil. Take them off when golden brown. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.