Recipe: Tasty Assamese bilahi boror tenga (Sour Curry with Red Lentil Fritter)

Assamese bilahi boror tenga (Sour Curry with Red Lentil Fritter). Assamese Bilahi Boror Tenga Recipe (Sour Curry With Red Lentil Fritters) is a North Eastern recipe belongs to Assamese cuisine. Usually, fried fish is added to the curry. But being a pure vegetarian, in this recipe I have added red lentil (masoor dal) fritters in a light sour curry and sour curry is made with the kokum and tomatoes.

In Boror Tenga, soft red lentil fritters are cooked in a spicy and sour curry made of tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and bottle gourd. It is medley of beautiful flavours and textures. 'Tenga' is a popular Assamese Sour Curry dish that is served as the last course in a traditional Assamese meal. Tomatoes, lime and  Thekera are usually used as the souring agents and this Assamese Boror Tenga Recipe is one of the types of tenga. You can cook Assamese bilahi boror tenga (Sour Curry with Red Lentil Fritter) using 24 ingredients and 13 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Assamese bilahi boror tenga (Sour Curry with Red Lentil Fritter)

1. Prepare of for fritters-.
2. It's of split red lentils (Masoor dal).
3. You need of green chilli.
4. Prepare of hing.
5. It's of Salt according.
6. It's of as required Oil to deep fry.
7. You need of for Gravy-.
8. It's of onion finely chopped.
9. You need of tomatoes finely chopped.
10. Prepare of potato cooked and mashed.
11. It's of turmeric powder.
12. Prepare of coriander powder.
13. Prepare of Garam masala.
14. You need of red chilli powder.
15. It's of kokum pieces (Malabar tamarind).
16. You need of sugar.
17. It's of Salt according.
18. It's of For tempering-.
19. Prepare of mustard oil.
20. Prepare of bay leaves.
21. Prepare of panch phoran masala.
22. Prepare of dried red chilli.
23. Prepare of For garnish-.
24. Prepare of Finely chopped coriander leaves.

Assamese cuisine is so vibrant and uses a lot of seasonal and locally available herbs and spices. Boror Tenga is a traditional red lentil curry from Assam. In Assamese Bor means pakoda or fritters and Tenga means sour. In Boror Tenga, soft red lentil fritters are cooked in a spicy and sour curry made of tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and bottle gourd.

Assamese bilahi boror tenga (Sour Curry with Red Lentil Fritter) instructions

1. Take the mixing bowl add masoor dal then Wash the dal twice and soak it for 30 minutes. In another bowl soak the tamarind in water about 15 mins, keep it aside..
2. After the half an hour transfer the soaked red lentils and green chillies into a mixer grinder and grind the contents to a coarse paste with adding little water if required. We need a thick paste to be formed to fry..
3. Now transfer the ground dal paste to mixing bowl, add asafoetida, pinch of turmeric powder and salt according to your taste mix well. Do a taste check, if you feel the salt or spiciness is less, you can add at this stage..
4. Next Heat the oil in deep vessel for frying. Once the oil is hot sufficiently..
5. Take the small spoon portion of the dal mixture or batter and drop them with the help of a spoon into the oil. Fry them till they are turns to golden colour..
6. Now take them out and drain them on a kitchen towel. Do the frying in batches, do not overcrowd the oil in deep frying pan since the frying becomes slow and the fritters might lose their crispness. Keep them aside till the curry is almost done..
7. Further heat the Kadhai with mustard oil, once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves saute for a few seconds till the aroma arises. immediately add dried red chilli and saute for few seconds. Add panch phoran masala and give it a quick mix..
8. Next, immediately add the finely chopped onions so that the panch Phoran masala doesn't get burnt. Add pinch of salt and stir till the onions turn light golden brown colour appears..
9. Now add the chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder mix well. Cook the tomatoes over low heat till they become mushy..
10. Additionally add the red chilli powder, salt to taste, chopped potato mix well. next add coriander powder, Garam masala and saute for a minute..
11. Furthermore, Add soaked tamarind water, sugar and some more water. Let it simmer for a minute.
12. After add fried lentil fritters into the pan, and let it simmer for 2 more mins..
13. Lastly, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve Assamese bilahi boror tenga or (Assamese sour curry with red lentil fritters) with chapati or Rice..

It is medley of beautiful flavours and textures. The Assamese, have a palate for anything that is tangy. They love their meals with something tangy, sour and refreshing. "Boror Tenga", is one such traditional dish. It is made with fritters of a seasoned paste of red lentils, chilies, asafoetida and salt. Assamese massor dal boror tenga or red lentil fritters in sour gravy.