Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Masor Tenga
Masor Tenga (Sour Fish)

Masor Tenga

Sour Fish
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin West BengalPrep 25 minutes, plus standing timeCook 20–25 minutes

A light, tangy Assamese fish curry featuring tender fish and grated bottle gourd simmered in a tart tomato broth.

fish seasoning

1.5 gRubbed onto the fish (step 1)
01
1.5 g½ teaspoon
spice
Keep as a ground spice for seasoning the fish.

tempering spice

7 gFried in the hot oil (step 3)
01
7 g2 teaspoons
spice
Leave whole for infusing the oil.

Everything else

01
River fishcleaned
500 g
fish
02
54 g4 tablespoons
oil/fat
03
Bottle gourd · Laukipeeled and grated
500 g
vegetable
04
480 g4 tomatoes
vegetable
05
5 g1 teaspoon
souring agent
06
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Place 500 g fish in a shallow dish, coat thoroughly with the fish seasoning and a pinch of salt to taste, then cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  2. Heat 54 g mustard oil in a deep pan or wok over high heat. Fry the fish for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly browned, then transfer with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain.
  3. Reduce the heat to low, add the tempering spice, and fry for about 2 minutes until it turns a light golden brown.
  4. Add 500 g bottle gourd to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, then mix in 480 g tomato and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes more.
  5. Pour in 500 g water and bring the liquid to a boil. Return the fried fish to the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  6. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 5.1 g lime juice.

Don't have something?

River fish
  • Firm white river fish fillet

    Use an equal weight; cut into the same size pieces and add near the end so it does not flake apart.

  • Pomfret

    Use an equal weight; it is softer, so simmer gently for 3–5 minutes less.

  • Catfish fillet

    Use an equal weight; it holds well in curry but is richer, so skim excess oil if needed.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Mustard oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight. It handles high-heat cooking well, but lacks the signature pungent, nasal heat of mustard oil.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use equal weight. Neutral in flavour, so your curry will lack the characteristic Bengali or North Indian pungent punch.

Fenugreek seed
  • Mustard seed

    Use 50% of the weight, crush or grind. Sharper heat and less maple-bitter; fry briefly in oil before adding.

  • Caraway seeds

    Use the same weight, crush lightly. Similar bitter-seed note but more aniseed; reduce other sweet spices slightly.

  • Ajwain seeds

    Use 25–30% of the weight, crush. Much stronger thyme-like flavour; do not overdo.

Bottle gourd
  • Ash gourd

    Use the same weight; peel, deseed and cut into similar pieces. It is firmer and slightly more watery, so add a little less water and cook 5 minutes longer.

  • Courgette

    Use the same weight; no need to peel. It cooks faster and releases water, so reduce the recipe liquid by about 10% and add it later.

  • Chayote

    Use the same weight; peel and remove the stone. It stays firmer, so cut it smaller and cook a few minutes longer.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Lime juice
  • Lemon juice

    Use equal volume or weight; slightly sweeter and less pungent, but otherwise an imperceptible swap.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight; imparts dry, fruity sourness, best stirred in right at the end of cooking.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 50% of the weight; delivers pleasant fruity tang but turns pale sauces considerably darker.

Similar dishes

Kerala Thakkali Meen Kari
Soupy Spiced Tomato and Fish Curry with Garlic, Chilli, Lime and Curry Leaves
Kerala Thakkali Meen Kari tastes sharper and warmer from chilli, garlic and lime, and it is soupier than this lighter tomato-and-bottle-gourd fish curry.
  • Same: Kerala Thakkali Meen Kari and this dish are both thin, tangy fish curries built on tomato, turmeric and lime.
  • Different: Kerala Thakkali Meen Kari adds onion, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, coconut oil, black mustard seed, Kashmiri chilli powder and ground coriander, and it uses monkfish and extra water instead of bottle gourd, fenugreek and mustard oil.
Machhali Tamatarwali
Fish in Tomato Sauce
Machhali Tamatarwali tastes like a richer, onion-and-spice tomato gravy with green-chilli heat, while this dish is lighter and more tart from tomato and lime.
  • Same: Machhali Tamatarwali shares fish simmered in a tomato-based curry with this dish.
  • Different: Machhali Tamatarwali uses firm white fish fillets, ghee or vegetable oil, onion, asafoetida, cumin, chilli powder, ginger, coriander, semolina, green chilli and coriander leaf, while this dish uses river fish, mustard oil, fenugreek, bottle gourd and lime juice and lacks onion and those ground spices.
Meen Godavari
Andhra Fish Curry
Meen Godavari tastes tangy and fragrant from coconut and tamarind with a chilli warmth, whereas this dish is a lighter tart tomato-and-bottle-gourd broth with mustard oil.
  • Same: Meen Godavari and this dish are both tangy fish curries that use fenugreek seed, ground turmeric, and salt.
  • Different: Meen Godavari uses fresh coconut, tamarind extract, chilli powder, green chilli, black pepper, coriander, and a large amount of vegetable oil, while this dish uses mustard oil, tomato, bottle gourd, and lime juice and lacks coconut and tamarind.
Kothmiratil Machhi
Coriander (Cilantro)-flavoured Fried Fish
Kothmiratil Machhi is crisp, pungently herby, and spicy with a touch of sweetness, whereas this dish is light, brothy, and sharply sour.
  • Same: Kothmiratil Machhi also features fish seasoned with ground turmeric, salt, and lime juice.
  • Different: Instead of simmering fish with tomatoes, bottle gourd, and fenugreek seeds in mustard oil, it coats the fish in a blended paste of fresh coriander, green chillies, ginger, garlic, and sugar before frying it in vegetable oil.