I
am an ardent fan of authentic Assamese cuisine. I can still sense the taste
lingering on my mouth from the overwhelming lunch-dinner invitations during my
last trip to India, consisting of simple yet scrumptious Assamese recipes! I
also can’t help missing the super delicious food by my beloved parents. Both of
them are excellent in their unique way. Anyway, I brought this powder made by
my mom comprising of dried local herbs, namely Noroxingho (Curry Leaves) and
Posotiya (Five-leaved Chaste Tree; Scientific Name “Vitex negundo”). The leaves are simply sun-dried and then
mashed into a powdered form. Normally, a paste is made from the leaves plucked
fresh from the plants; obviously the fresh taste gives the curry a superior
flavor. However, I believe if you are outside Assam, dried form will be the
best option for you :). This curry is supposedly very effective in helping you
recover from common cold/fever and the bitter taste developed thereafter.
Believe me, it works :) Add few pieces
of fish for the extra flavor. (Any fish will do, I tend to opt for the most
fresh and readily available type of fish).
Five-leaved Chaste Tree (Image
courtesy: web)
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
Red chili, Bay leaves, Pas furon (five spices mix), Garlic, Gorom masala, Cumin
powder, Turmeric powder, Salt, Chili, Ginger, Onion, Potato, Fish, Dried Noroxingho
powder.
- Make a paste of ginger, chili and garlic. Chop some onions.
- Prepare the fish pieces. Fry or oven-cook.
- Boil a potato. Mash it! Leave few uneven pieces. The mashed potato simply helps you to get the texture & consistency of the curry; otherwise it will be too liquidly.
- Heat mustard oil in a wok (yes, mustard oil is the key to all Assamese cuisines :) ). Add dry red chilies, bay leaves, pas furon and chopped onions.
- After 2-3 minutes, add the garlic-ginger paste, turmeric powder, cumin powder and a very little bit of garam masala.
- Add the mashed potato and one spoon of the curry leaves dried powder. Add salt. Stir well and cook for some time. You can accordingly adjust the portion of the powder after your first trial. Be a bit careful, as too much of it can produce a bitter taste.
- Add water. Bring water to boil and add the pieces of fish. Boil for some more time.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Enjoy!!
~Arrru
