:::অমিতাৰ খাৰ (Papaya with Alkali):::

This is another staple from my kitchen. If you are an Assamese or if you have lived in Assam for a long long time, you must have experienced this culinary delight.

Well, as a matter of fact, we, Assamese people are commonly referred to as "খাৰ খোৱা অসমীয়া" (khar eating Assamese), which often has an underlying indication that we are a bit lazy in nature. That is definitely changing now. Nevertheless, we love our khars! :)

In an ideal Assamese meal, we generally start off with khar. You can make a khar dish with different primary ingredient like papaya (Assamese synonym: Amita), spinach, black gram, night jasmine flower etc. In my home, papaya was most frequently used.

Amitar Khar (papaya with alkali) in an Assamese household will usually include fish head from larger fishes (typically Rohu). The succulent fatty and pulpy taste of the fried fish head amalgamates with the alkali and slightly sweeter flavour of the unripe papaya to create this mouth-watering taste that every Assamese loves :) And the crunchiness of that fried fish head!! Yummmmmmy!!! It is not always easy to find Rohu here, so I have had substituted fish head with regular fish pieces or smaller fishes like Mua fish or younger Catfish. You can even skip the fish altogether. It is still going to taste awesome. 

Traditionally, khar is made from burning or sun-drying a typical banana tree stem or banana peel. The ash produced thereafter is mixed with water! The water is what we call khar. Generally for one meal serving 4 people, you don't need more than 3-4 teaspoons. But, this is definitely not the easiest way to prepare khar, specially if you are living outside Assam. "Baking Soda" is the most easiest and widely used alternative. Taste wise, it performs exactly the same. 

So here it goes...
Ingredients: Mustard oil (highly recommended), Red Chili, Bay Leaves, Pas Furon (five spices mix) or Mustard Seeds, Salt, Unripe Papaya, Khar or Baking Soda, Fish-head or other fish pieces, Turmeric Powder (for fish pieces), Green Chili (optional), Potato (optional)

Important Note:

• Make sure to get an unripe papaya. Even a slight ripe papaya may make the taste undesirably sweet.
• Keep in mind that there is no need of onion, garlic, ginger or any kind of spices. I have seen khar recipes with these ingredients, but I really prefer making mine with the minimal spices and ingredients.
• Be extremely careful about the amount of soda you are putting. More amount is going to leave a bitter aftertaste.

1. Peel off the papaya, scoop the seeds, slice it and chop into small thin pieces. This may take a generous amount of time, specially for a larger size papaya. But the thinner the pieces, the lesser is the cooking time.
2. I like to marinate the fish head with salt and turmeric for few minutes. Fry in your choice of oil. Make sure it is well fried.
3. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add the mustard seed/pas furon, bay leaves and red chillies when the oil is properly heated. The seeds will start to splatter (So be careful ;))
4. Add papaya and potato pieces. Stir occasionally.
5. After few minutes add salt and the soda. For a rather big-size papaya, 1/2 spoon soda should be enough.
6. You will see the papaya pieces dissolve almost immediately. Keep stirring occasionally.
7. Once you feel that the papaya is almost cooked, add the fried fish head. I try to break it into smaller fragments. This helps in allowing the flavour of the fish melt into the papaya.
8. Cook for some more time.
9. Serve with rice.

This is one of my "all-time favourite food". I am pretty sure, if you are from the land of Assam, you already have attempted or will attempt this recipe at least once in your life. :) And if the whole concept of alkali as food is totally new to you and you decide to experiment; I would love to know more. Comment below :)

Love,
~Aru

:::নৰসিংহ আৰু পছতীয়াৰ জোল (Curry-leaves with fish):::

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).

Curry Leaves (Image courtesy: web)

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.

1. Make a paste of ginger, chili and garlic. Chop some onions.
2. Prepare the fish pieces. Fry or oven-cook.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. After 2-3 minutes, add the garlic-ginger paste, turmeric powder, cumin powder and a very little bit of garam masala.
6. 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.
7. Add water. Bring water to boil and add the pieces of fish. Boil for some more time.
8. Serve with steamed rice.         

One of the main reasons of my love for this dish is the ease of preparation, not much chopping as well as cooking time needed. That is a huge plus for me considering I don’t enjoy spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Enjoy!!

~Arrru