Ondla jwng Nathur gwran

     Curry of ground Rice and Smoked Shrimp                                                                                                                                                                               Serves 4

Nathur gwran: Smoked Shrimp
Ondla: Curry made of Rice flour
Wngkhree: Curry
Gongar Dundiya: Long Coriander
Kharwi: Kol Khaar/Kola Khaar

Ondla is a favourite curry of the Bodos. It is delicious and healthy. Ondla is a basic dish which has hundreds of variations. Can be cooked with mainly fish, meat and plain vegetable at times too.

Ingredients: 
1. Rice 1 cup, (I prefer Joha Rice) soaked for an hour or so
2. Nathur gwran 2 cups, washed
3. Ginger 1 piece, ground coarsely
4. Garlic 6 to 8 pods, ground coarsely
5. Turmeric a pinch or half tsp
6. Green Chilli to taste, chopped
7. Salt to taste
8. Mustard oil 1 tbsp for the curry and 2 tbsp to fry Nathur gwran
9. Kharwi 2 tbsp (depending on the strength add more or less)
10. Gongar Dundiya 5 leaves, broken into two or three pieces
11. Water 2 glasses (may add more depending on how thick or thin you like your curry)

Method:
Take out rice from water and let water drain for half an hour. Grind rice into powder. Some love it  powdered fine and some love it little coarse. Keep aside.
Heat oil, fry Nathur gwran adding little salt and keep aside.
Heat oil and fry ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric. Do not brown it.
Add about 2 glasses of water and let it boil. Add salt.
As the water boils, with one hand sprinkle ground rice and with the other hand keep stirring. Make sure no lump is formed. When the smooth gravy is made, add Nathur gwran. And finally add Kharwi, the main taste maker of Ondla wngkhree. Cook till Nathur is done, gravy is of perfect consistency, salt and chilli are checked. See that it is not too thick as gravy thickens when the curry cools down.
Add Long Coriander.
Serve when the curry cools down a little.

Paneer with Vegetables

This is one recipe I have invented to make my children eat vegetables. My garden is full of vegetables like Radish, Tomatoes, Beans, Capsicum, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Broccoli etc apart from the herbs like Lettuce, Spinach, Mustard greens ... during the Winter months.  And I am always looking for ideas to make the vegetable dishes look attractive as well as delicious.
This is one recipe which does not require much time or effort, yet healthy and tasty.

Ingredients:

1. Finely chopped :
    1. Ginger
    2. Garlic
    3. Green Chilly to taste (may replace with Pepper powder)
2. Paneer
3. Vegetables cut into big pieces (Veg of your choice)
4. Onion, big slices
5. Refined oil
6. Soya sauce, a little
7. Salt to taste
8. Corn flour
9. Water

Method:
Heat oil and saute` chopped Ginger+Garlic+Chilly+Onion on medium heat.
Do not brown, fry just a little. Add the vegetables and salt, saute` for some more time. Add those vegetables before which take longer to cook, like Cauliflower. Carrot and Capsicum may be added later once the Cauliflower is half done.
Add water and cook covered. Make sure the vegetables are not over cooked.
Add Paneer when vegetables are half cooked. Reduce heat to low.
Mix Corn flour with cold water and add to the curry along with Soy sauce. Check salt.
Gravy should be thick. Do not cook too long after adding Paneer as that will harden the Paneer.

Delicious Paneer with Vegetable is ready. Best served with Vegetable Fried Rice. 

Paneer Curry with Milk

A delicious dish of Paneer.                                                          Serves 4

Ingredients: 
1. Paneer 200g, grated (crumbled with hand)
2. Milk 250g
3. Tomato sauce 2 to 3 tbsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Sugar 1 to 2 tsp to taste
6. Refine oil 3 tbsp
7. Onion 2, chopped
8. Kasuri methi 1 tbsp
9. Fresh Cream 3 tbsp

Method: 
Heat oil and fry onion till pinkish. Add Paneer, salt, sugar keep stirring on medium to low heat. Gradually pour in the milk and stir well. When milk comes to a boil, add tomato sauce and kasuri methi. Stir well and remove from fire. There should be some gravy, not dry.
Add cream and mix well. The delicious paneer dish is ready.
Do not cook for too long or the paneer will turn hard. 

Naa Gwri jwng Thadoon wngkhree

Thadoon: Root of Taro/Colocasia
Jwng: With
Naa: Fish
Naa Gwri: Spotted Snakehead Fish

Ingredients: 
1. Taro root 3 (long variety), peeled and cubed
2. Fish half kilo
3. Tomato 1, remove skin and grate
4. Paste: Onion 3+Ginger 1 piece+Garlic 10 to 12 cloves
5. Chilli to taste, fresh green or red
6. Salt to taste
7. Turmeric
8. Mustard oil
9. Fresh Coriander

Method:
Add Turmeric and Salt to fish. Fry fish but not fully, do not make it crisp or cook completely. Keep aside.
Keep a little paste aside for later use. Heat oil, fry the paste adding salt, chilli and turmeric. When half fried, add Thadoon pieces. Keep stirring and fry on medium heat.

Add hot water and pressure cook 2 whistles and simmer on low heat till one more whistle. Let it stand till the pressure is reseled completely.
In the meantime, heat oil and fry the reserved paste. Add tomato, little salt and turmeric. Fry till done.
Pour the Thadoon from cooker to a karahi along with the gravy. Add fried tomato and fried fish. Add more hot water if required. Let it cook covered. Check salt, chilli. Break some of the Thadoon pieces. Care should be taken to make the curry neither too thick or thin.

Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with rice.

Thadoon can be cooked with Smoked Shrimps (Nathur Gwran) too. Tastes superb. Same method as above may be followed to cook.
You may also check the Thadoon curry with fish Thadoon jwng Naa jwng

Thasso Bisong Bathwn

Thasso Bisong: Taro stem
Bathwn: to mash or make a chutney

This delicacy is best with smoked tiny prawns or fish. But in this particular recipe I have not used any to make it a pure vegetarian one.

Ingredients:

1. Thasso Bisong a bunch
2. Paste of Onion+Ginger+Garlic+Red Chilli (or fresh chilli)
3. Turmeric a little
4. Salt to taste
5. Mustard oil

Method: 

Peel skin of Thasso Bisong, wash and cut into one inch pieces.
Heat oil, fry paste, add turmeric and Thasso. Add salt. Cook covered on low heat, stirring occasionally.
Once cooked, Thasso gives out lot of water and gets cooked in the same water. Cook till it is completely dissolved. Keep stirring and mashing the Thasso while cooking.

Thasso Bisong Bathwn is ready to be served.
You may also like to check Thasso Bisong cooked with Fish by clicking here Thasso with Fish

Golden Fried Prawns

For this recipe you need:
1. Prawn 12 big
Fresh Brahmaputra Prawns are best. They are very tasty.

 For Marinade you need: 
2. Soya Sauce 1 tbsp
3. Wine or Sherry 1 tbsp
4. Aji-no-moto a little
5.  Salt half tsp
6. Black pepper powder a little

For the Batter you need:
7. Egg 1
8. Flour 3 tbsp
9. Cornflour 3 tbsp
10. Baking Powder half tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Aji-no-moto a little
13. Oil 1tbsp

14. Sesame Seed 1 tbsp

Method:
Mix all ingredients from Marinade and mix well with Prawn. Keep for half an hour
Mix all the ingredients of Batter. Add a little water if needed and mix well to make a thick Batter.
Dip Prawns in this Batter and coat with Sesame Seed. Deep fry till golden in colour.
Serve hot with sauce.

Thasso Bisong jwng Naa jwng

This Bodo delicacy can be cooked with fish, smoked or sun dried fish, pork or even naphaam. 

I cooked this dish with fresh fish and it turned out super delicious. 

There are several varieties of Thasso, this particular one is called Thasso Dudali. I have chosen this variety as it is very tasty and less likely to irritate the throat while eating.

Thasso Bisong: Taro Stem
Naa: Fish
Jwng: With

Ingredients:

1. Thasso Bisong, a bunch
2. Fish, a few (best with small fish)
3. Paste of Onion+Ginger+Garlic+chilli
4. Turmeric
5. Salt
6. Mustard oil

Method: 

Smear salt and turmeric on fish and fry. Keep aside.
Peel skin from Thasso and cut into cubes.
Heat oil, fry paste, add turmeric and Thasso. Add salt. Cook covered, stirring occasionally.
Once cooked, Thasso gives out lot of water and gets cooked in the same water.
When cooked add fish and cook for some more time. Do not make it too dry, gravy should be thick.

Thasso Bisong can be cooked without fish or meat if you want to make it a pure vegetarian dish.
Click on this for the recipe Thasso Bisong Bathwn 

Chicken+Bamboo Shoot Ondla

Ondla is a favourite delicacy of the Bodos. It is a curry made of ground rice mainly cooked with meat or fish. A variety of herbs, shoots, leaves, edible flowers are added to this curry which enhances the taste making it one of the most delicious dishes of ethnic Bodo cuisine.

To cook this particular Ondla, I have used fresh Bamboo Shoots. A variety of Bamboo Shoots are available during the Summer months in Assam when new shoots of Bamboo sprout. Of course some varieties of Bamboo shoots are available round the year on the hills of other States of North East India. The tastes also differ.

 
How to clean and cut: Peel off the outer layers till the very tender part is found. Wash whole before slicing. Cut off the portions whenever fiber is found while slicing the Bamboo shoot.

To cook this recipe you need:                          Serves 4

1. Chicken 600 gm (after cutting)
2. Bamboo Shoot 300 gm (after slicing)
3. Joha Rice 2 tbsp, soaked in water for an hour and ground to a paste.
    (rice powder can be used too, only make sure that no lump
        is formed while adding to the curry)
4. Onion 2 medium, grated
5. Paste of 10 cloves Garlic+1 small piece of Ginger
6. Turmeric half tsp
7. Salt 2 tsp or to taste
8. Green Chilli to taste, chopped or slit lengthwise
9. Mustard oil 3 tbsp
10. Kharwi/Khaar/Kola Khaar/Kol Khaar 2 to 3 serving spoons depending on the strength
      (Soda-bi-carb is a substitute)
      (for a change, Kharwi may be omitted sometimes while cooking this curry.

How to cook: 

Heat Oil, fry Onion for a few minutes.
Add Chicken, Bamboo Shoot, Salt, Turmeric, Ginger+Garlic paste and Chilli. Reserve a little paste to add later. Keep stir frying on medium heat till Chicken turns pale brown.
Add 2 glasses of Water and pressure cook, 6 whistles.

Pour the curry on a Karahi (pan) and add ground rice/rice paste. Add more water if required.
Add Kharwi if you want at this point. Check Salt, Chilli. The gravy should not be thick yet not too watery. Add the reserved Ginger+Garlic paste.

Serve with a hot plate of rice. Tastes superb. 

Sobai jwng Aloo

Sobai jwng Aloo means: Black Lentil with Potato.
  Black Lentil is lightly roasted and crushed to split open, so that some of the skin is removed and bring in the aroma before it is finally cooked with chicken, fish or vegetables such as potato, radish, ash gourd. 

Sobai Wngkhree is one of the most favourite of the Bodos. Although Sobai is preferred with meat or fish, it is also eaten as a vegetarian dish adding a few pieces of Radish (Moola), Potato (Aloo) or Ash Gourd (Kumbra). 
 In this recipe I have added a few pieces of potato to Sobai wngkhree (curry) and garnished with Long Coriander (Gongar Dundiya). Ow I must tell, it turned out really tasty ... yummmm 

Washed and soaked Sobai

Ingredients:                                                   Serves: 4

1. Black Lentil (Sobai) 1 cup 

2. Potato 1, cut into thick pieces

3. Onion 1, grated

4. Paste of Garlic 8 cloves+Ginger 1 small piece

5. Chilli to taste (if green chopped, make a paste if red dried)

6. Turmric a pinch or half tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Kharwi 2 to 3 serving spoons depending on the strength
9. Long Coriander (Gongar Dundiya) 4 leaves
10. Mustard oil 2 tbsps

Method: 

Wash and soak Sobai for half an hour

Add a little salt and fry the pieces of potato in oil and keep aside. But do not let it get cooked. 

Now heat oil and fry onion. When onion turns translucent, add Sobai, paste of ginger+garlic, chilli, salt and turmeric. Reserve a little paste of Ginger+Garlic to add later. Keep stirring on medium heat. Fry this way for a while.

Add 2 glasses of water and pressure cook, 3 whistles. Depending on the age of Sobai takes more time to get cooked, if old wait for 4 to 6 whistles. 

Pour out from pressure cooker and cook on medium heat now adding Kharwi. Mash most of the Black Lentil. Add potato, I am adding potato late as it doesn't take much time to cook. But if matured Ash Gourd (Kumbra) is added, then cook along with Black Lentil in pressure cooker. Radish (Moola) can be cooked like potato. 

Check salt, chilli and the thickness of the wngkhree (curry). Add water if required. At this point add the reserved ginger+garlic paste. 
Garnish with Long Coriander (Gonger Dundiya).

  

Outenga Maasor Jool

A delicious meal with Outenga Maasor Jool 

Assamese name: Outenga
Bodo name: Thaigir
Common name: Elephant Apple
Scientific name: Dillenia indica

Outenga (Elephant Apple)

Ingredients:                                               Serves 6

1. Outenga (Elephant Apple) 1

2. Fish 400g (For this recipe I have used Bhangan Fish)

3. Onion 1, chopped fine or grated

4. Paste of 8 cloves Garlic+1 small piece Ginger

5. Green Chilli to taste (I have used fresh red chilli), slit lengthwise

6. Salt to taste

7. Turmeric 1 tsp 

8. Mustard Oil

9. Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing 

Method of cutting Outenga:

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Peel off the thin layer of inner skin from these parts. 

Method of Cooking: 

Cut Outenga into thin pieces or big as desired. Add Turmeric, Salt, water and pressure cook, 1 whistle. 

Add salt, turmeric to the pieces of fish. Fry a little, do not over fry and keep aside.

 Heat oil and saute onion and chilli. When half done, add the ginger+garlic paste. Stir a little and add the outenga pieces but reserve the water. Sometimes it is too sour, therefore the sour water must be added later checking the taste. 

Add salt, turmeric and fry for a few minutes. 

Add the pieces of fish and warm water. Now while adding water check taste and add the reserved sour water little at a time as fish gets cooked. 

Check taste of salt and chilli. Depending on one's taste sour water is added less or more. 

For this dish, the gravy should be thin and watery. It is normally eaten during hot and humid summer months. 

Serve with a plate of steaming hot Joha rice. Yummmmm ....