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Labeo Bata fish with Indian Jujube fruit and raw green mango.
A fruity sour curry, to end your fish courses.

Many Bengali women will validate how popular a sour curry is especially one that has Boroi and raw young green mangoes!

Tenga or Tokh as they are referred to in Bengal amongst many other names across India, are popular during the hot seasons.

Jujube fruits and raw mangoes are sun dried and stored and often used as souring agents in many curries or indulged alone.

Often these curries or sauces can be made with or without fish.
They can also be served with really crispy fried fish on the side.
The ratio of sauce is always 2:1 with rice almost sitting in sour flavoursome spiced soup that has you smacking your lips!

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I have used a Bengali fish called Bata but you can use Sprat fish or small Sardines.

All measurements are level measuring spoons and cups.

Ingredients:

10 raw mango slices frozen or fresh.
Cupful dried jujube fruit (boroi)
Wash your jujube thoroughly in cold water then leave them sat in cold water

1 frozen block bata fish defrosted, cleaned.
Or 15 Sprat fish.

Fish marinade:
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the above and shallow fry the fish on both sides till golden and seared. Take off and keep aside.

Curry method:
2 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
4 small birds eye dried chillies or
2 long dried chillies torn
1.5 tsp salt.
1 tbsp sugar
2 slit green chillies
Water

Powdered spices:
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Add 4 tbsp water and to the powdered spices and stir well keep ready.

In the above pan you sauteed the fish add the oil. When the oil is hot add dried chillies, a few seconds later add the mustard seeds and wait till they sizzle and pop, you will get that nutty aroma but beware of spitting/exploding seeds! Use a lid whilst they pop!

As soon as the popping stops add your powdered spice paste into the oil, add the salt and cook this in the oil. Add a splash of water and cook the spices again till oil splits.
Repeat this process at least for a 2 more cycles. Just continue to cook stirring frequently until your water is cooked off and you can see oil splitting again.

Next add your mangoes to the spices, sugar, give it a good mix, add 3 cups of water, your fish and partially cover on med/high and cook again till the mangoes are almost soft and the sauce has reduced by a cup. This can take 5 mins plus.

Now add the green fresh chillies and dried jujube fruit and cook this in the sauce for a few minutes stirring occasionally.
You want a thinish sauce which is what makes this refreshing and enticing as its eaten with rice.

You should be seeing slight oil floating to surface and the jujube should have plumped up a little. Taste for salt. It should be sour, tangy with flavours of fish and spice.

Leave to stand for a while, there’s more depth!
Serve.

I know very few women or men who can walk away from a traditional sour curry without their mouthwatering!

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