Aakhol Ghor, the Assamese Cuisines and Foods from Assam

Its all about Food and Food Habits from the land of blue hills and red river, Assam.

Aakhol Ghor means Kitchen in Assamese. Assamese traditional Kitchens normally has two parts. First the dining area plus a small cooking space for tea etc. And the next bigger and more functional room is the actual kitchen with at least two earthen fire places (chowka).If you are a food lover you can hope to see a lot of authentic Assamese Recipes in this place......

DISCLAIMER

Some famous Chef of India once said, " India is so unique, one can find three different recipes for the same chicken curry in the three houses lined in the same row. Every kitchen and every cook in India has it's own cook book, unlike rest of the world."
I personally feel it is so well said. Even in my case, you might find small to big differences in your known method of cooking and the ones posted here. I call them true Assamese for two main reasons, one: because of the spices used, and two: my granny knew nothing beyond her village ( she did not believe that cauliflower can be green, which is Broccoli). So whatever she cooked was passed on over generation. And my Mom finds it hard to believe anything can be cooked beyond her traditional methods( she is best at it, though she makes excellent Indo - Chinese things, invented). So please feel free to put in your comments / correction. One thing I can assure is I have cooked all these ( everything) myself with my own hands at least once. So whatever is here is tried and tested. You are always welcome to do your bit of experiment !!!!!

Xewali Phool Masor Khaar - Night Flowering Jesmin and Fish Curry/Gravy !

Some times I feel we Assamese seem to be eating whatever grows on earth! And we are extremely creative. In this season, I found one very apt recipie. I love this one, for it's simplicity and ability to cook is ASAP. So here we go.

This line I added after finishing the write up. I am now a days wondering is it too simple?? Pictures tomorrow.

Ingredients:

1. Any river fish - I prefer Rahu/ Catla types. Magur goes good too. - 5 pieces.
2. One cup Sewali (night jesmin) flower - If you have, use fresh ( aunt recomended) else dry is fine.
3. Garlic - 15 cloves.
4. Khaaroni Paani - chose wisely. - 1/2 cup is fine.
5. Salt to taste.
6. Oil to fry. You need about 1 spoon for the garlic, rest for fish fry.

Method:

You can use left over fish head and such as it seem to happen very often in a home scenerio.
So, have the fish fried nicely, but not crispy. Wash and clean the flowers; try to clean and take out as much red water as possible. Add oil to a wok and split the garlic cloves. Fry till light brown. Add the flowers and fry a bit. Say about 3 minutes continously stirring and on high flame. Add Kharoni, salt and about three cup of water. Once this mixure comes to boil, add the fish, you can break them if you want to.

Let this shimmer and boil till the water reduces and comes to a gravy state.
You are done, serve with plain hot rice as the first course.

***You can add both a bit of red lentils and small potatos or one of them.Reduces the bitterness and increases the thickness of the gravy.


NOTE: Gathered from my all time fav Tora Pehi !!! Torkari khao tora pehi ka gun gao ( relish and praise aunt Tora) !!!
7 comments:

A Fish Curry for the Lazzy but Tasty Food Wisher!

I do not know the name. But yes it comes from the lazy land!!
This one is a very tribal recipie. I am sure you will get similar versions in across South East Asia!
But this is found mostly in tribes living at hills.

Ingredients:
1. Fish - You can use any fish - 5 pieces.
2. Bamboo Shoot - 2 table spoon
3. Tomato - 1 Big, chopped
4. Green Chilly - As much you want.
5. Garlic - 2 big cloves chopped or Jullian
6. Ginger - half of garlic - Jullian
7. Onion - 1 Big chopped
8. Bunch or Corriander cleaned. DO NOT CHOP
9. For dressing- I like a drop or two of mustard oil. Use Olove oil if you want to.
10. Salt - As per taste

Method:

Take a thick bottom deep pan. Add 5 to 7 cups of water. Let is come to boil. Add 2,3,4,5 &6. Let is come to boil. Add Salt. Now add the fish pieces. Reduce the flame and cover the pan.

Cook till the fish is soft and now drop the bunch of coriander. Give it one bubble boil cover and remove from flame. Add a drop of oil of your choice. The water must have reduced to one cup per piece.

Serve with steaming hot plain rice and pumpkin flower fritter on the side. Any other flower fritter is good too.


2 comments:

Bamboo Shoot and Lentils

This one is a tiny recipe and on demand from a dear friend Nidarshana! This is a typical quick fix in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
1. Red Lentils - 1 cup
2. Bamboo Shoot - to taste
3. Salt and Turmeric - to taste
4. Fenugreek Seed - a pinch.
5. 2 Green Chillies.
6. Oil - 1 spoon

Method:

Wash the lentils and add in a pressure cooker. Add salt and turmeric and cook with water. Add enough for 4 people and this needs to be a little watery and not thick.  Once cook set aside, let the steam go and open the cooker.

In a wok / deep pan, heat a spoon of oil (veg/ mustard.. as you like). Add the fenugreek and let it split. Reduce the flame. Add the cooked lentils, water and all, and add the chillies. Now add two spoons of wet bamboo shoot. Check for taste, if it is not sour enough add some more. But remember, once boiled, the sourness will increase. Let the whole thing bubble a while and you are done. You can garnish with coriander if you want to.

Serve with hot steam rice, crispy fish fry  and mesh potato (aloo pitika) or any good mesh/ pitika.



2 comments:

Till Maas ( Sesame Fish)

This one seems to be having hundreds of variety. So giving you the 'my way'.
This is for 4 pieces and you can add quantity as you like. The kinds of fish you can use are: Rahu, Xingi, Magur, Kawoi, Xol, Bhakuwa and similar kinds.

Ingredients:

1. 4 big pieces of fish. Cleaned.
2. Salt and Turmeric
3. Green Chilly
4. Mustard oil.
5. Potato - 2 small, boiled and peeled.
6. Onion - 1 small finely chopped.
7. Black Sesame paste -  About 4 table spoon.
8. Hot water - 500ml


Method:

1. Fry the fishes, say 80% and not half, with salt and turmeric.
2.  In the same left over oil , not more then 1 spoon, add onions. Fry till golden.
3. Add the boiled potatoes and break.
4. Add chilly, salt and turmeric. Fry for a minute.
5. Add sesame paste to this and immediately add hot water.
6. Let it boil on full heat.
7. Once it boils, add the fish.
8. Keep boiling till this becomes a thick gravy on minimum flame.
9. Adjust salt and taste.
10. Serve hot with steam rice.


PHOTO Courtesy, Bipul Sarma Barua on Face Book. Could not find the profile link.




5 comments:

Misa Masor Bota ( Ground Prawns)

So since I do not have pictures and people did not tell me what to do.. here I go with a few quicks.

Ingredients:

1. Tiny prawns, the ones you do not know how to eat :). -- Say 250 gms
2. Oil - 2 spoon veg and few drops of mustard oil.
3. Onions - 1 small finely chopped.
4. 2 cloves of garlic and 2 green chillies.
5. Salt to taste
6. Green Coriander.

Method:

Wash the prawns and make sure they are extremely clean.
Heat a wok and put the veg oil into it. Put the prawns shell and all. Keep stirring till they become almost red in color. Take it off the heat.

Mix the prawn and rest everything and grind into a fine paste. Yummy with any deal and sabji and steam rice.

NOTE: add any fish you want, the requirement is for them to be super tiny. 
3 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)