Assamese Boror Tenga | Tangy Gravy with lentil dumplings | Gluten Free and Vegan Recipe

Hi Supermoms,

Indian Cuisine is so vibrant and am so proud of it. I am always to happy to learn and explore various cuisines of India. Today I am sharing a tasty and tangy dish from Assam. 

'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. Assamese cuisine is so vibrant and uses a lot of seasonal and locally available herbs and spices. 

Like the Bengali cuisine, the Pas Phoran (Panch Phoran , the five spices) are used for tempering the dishes. Whole spices bring makes the dishes more flavourful. Usually , fish is marinated and added in the tenga. However in the vegetarian version, fried lentils fritters or dumplings are added to make the tenga , protein rich, wholesome and also tasty. Enjoy the Tenga along with steaming hot rice or with phulkas /roti. 

Assamese Boror Tenga 

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : 4

1 cup = 250 ml cup

Ingredients:

For the lentil fritters:

1/2 cup red gram/ masoor dal 

1 green chilli

pinch of asafoetida

salt to taste

oil ( to fry)

For the gravy :

1 onion ( finely chopped)

4 tomatoes( finely chopped)

1 potato ( mashed)

1 cup bottle gourd ( peeled and cubed)

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon dhania powder/coriander  powder

salt ( to taste)

For the tempering :

1 teaspoon mustard oil

1 teaspoon Pas Phoran

1-2 bay leaves

1 dry red chilli ( halved)

For garnish :

Handful of cilantro/coriander leaves ( finely chopped)

Method:

1. Wash the dal twice and soak it  for 30 minutes along with green chilli and grind to a coarse paste.

2. Add salt, asafoetida and mix well.

3. Heat oil in a kadai for frying.

4. Spoon small portions of the batter into oil and fry them till they are golden.

5. Drain them in a kitchen towel. 

6. Heat a pan with oil and temper with ingredients given under ' tempering'.

7. Now add the onions , a pinch of salt and fry till they turn light brown.

8. Now add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and mix well.

9. Cook the tomatoes over low heat till they breakdown and become mushy. 

10. Now add the bottle gourd, red chilli powder, coriander powder  and adjust salt levels.

11. Add 2 cups of water and cook covered for 6-7 minutes or till the time the bottle gourd is cooked.

12. At this stage, add the mashed potato to the tenga and mix well.

13. Adjust water levels if required and cook for another 3-4 minutes and switch off.

14. Add the lentil fritters , mix well and garnish. 

Your delicious Assamese Boror Tenga is ready to be served with your rice or rotis. 

Chef Tips :

1. You can add your choice of seasonal vegetable along with tomatoes.

2. Instead of masoor dal , you can also use moong dal / husked and split green gram.

3. Mustard oil gives this dish it's authentic flavour, you can however substitute it with any other oil of your choice. 

Do try my Thekera Tenga Recipe also.

Happy Cooking!

With love,

Masterchefmom