A sour and tangy curry with some soft, lentil fritters swimming in- that’s what this Assamese Boror Tenga is all about. Perfect if you’re looking to take your taste buds on a ride and get them to enjoy some extra tanginess, this curry is just right, and different from most other Indian curries you might have tried.
Tempted enough to give the recipe a try? Scroll down and read on to discover everything you need to know about it.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
To make the Assamese Boror Tenga, you’ll need a few ingredients.
For the fritters
- Besan: 1 cup
- Onions (sliced): ½ cup
- Green chilies (chopped): 1 tbsp
- Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Red chili powder: 1 tsp
- Coriander powder: 1 tsp
- Cumin powder: ½ tsp
- Garam masala powder: ½ tsp
- Mint leaves (chopped): ¼ cup
- Red lentil or Masoor Dal (boiled): ½ cup
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Water (optional): As required
For the sour curry
- Mustard oil: 2 tbsps
- Black Mustard Seeds: ½ tsp
- Yellow Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
- Dry red chilies: 2
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Salt: 1 teaspoon or as per taste
- Potatoes (boiled and mashed): ½ cup
- Water: 1 cup
- Bor thekera or Kokum: 3-4 pieces
- Prepared fritters
How to Make the Assamese Boror Tenga
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you need to do to make the curry.
Pre-heat the air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the pakoras and mix well.
Add water little by little as required to make a thick paste. If the dal has water, do not add any extra water.
Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
Next, take a lump of the prepared mixture and place it in the air fryer basket. Continue making as many lumps as you can. Make sure to not make them too large otherwise they won’t get cooked at the center.
Spray a bit of oil on them, and cook them at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
You can flip them once in between and brush some oil so that they are cooked well.
For the curry, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and dry red chilies.
Next, add the spices and mix well.
Add in the potatoes next and mix well.
Once the potatoes are coated well with spices, add in the water.
Add the sour element next - be it Bor Thekera or Kokum. If you do not have either, you can use lemon juice.
Let the curry simmer for 5 minutes.
Add in the prepared fritters next and mix well.
Serve sour curry hot with rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
This simple and versatile curry is perfect when you stick to using just the ingredients that are a part of the list. But you can, of course, add in some more veggies to enhance the nutritional value of the curry.
Chopped carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower, green beans and even leafy greens can be added to the mix. Remember that you'll need to ensure that these ingredients are cooked well and then incorporate them into the curry.
You can choose to air fry them individually, or saute them in a pan with a bit of oil. 
Yes, you can! Like most Indian curries, the base can be prepared for upto days and even months in advance and then put together when needed. Allow the curry (minus the fritters) to cool down completely and then transfer to an airtight container if you are refrigerating it, or into freezer safe containers if you plan to freeze it.
The fritters are best made fresh, and they take only a few minutes of prep time to make, which is great.
Tips & Tricks to Make the Assamese Boror Tenga
Making the curry might be easy, but having these few additional tips and tricks handy can really make a difference.
- Want to cut down the sourness of the curry? Add a bit of sugar or jaggery into it and give it a good mix.
- Want the curry to have a bit of a runny texture? Add some tomato purée or tomato paste into it along with the boiled potatoes.
- Another excellent way to make the curry runny is to add some whisked yogurt towards the end, and let the curry simmer for a few minutes.
- Want your lentil fritters to be crispy? Add in some rice flour while making it.
- Don’t have red lentils? You can use split yellow moong dal instead and follow the exact same procedure.
- Remember to add the lentil fritters towards the end, right when you are ready to serve the curry. Adding it too early will cause the fritters to soak up all the liquid, eventually making the curry thick.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This flavorful and tangy curry works perfectly with rotis, naan or steamed rice. Don’t forget to top the curry with a a generous sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves, and some sliced green chilies if you don’t mind some heat.
Enjoyed this tangy and unique Indian curry? Here are a few more good ones you need to experiment with.
📖 Recipe
Assamese Boror Tenga: Sour Curry with Fritters
Ingredients
Ingredients for the fritters
- 1 cup Besan
- ½ cup Onions , (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon Green chilies , (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- ¼ cup Mint leaves , (chopped)
- ½ cup Red lentil or Masoor Dal, (boiled)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Water , (optional)
Ingredients for the sour curry
- 1 tablespoon Mustard oil
- ½ teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard Seeds
- 2 pcs Dry red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Potatoes , (boiled and mashed)
- 1 cup Water
- 3-4 pcs Bor thekera or Kokum
- 11 bowl Prepared fritters
Instructions
- Pre-heat the air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the pakodas and mix well.
- Add water little by little asrequired to make a thick paste. If the dal has water, do not add any extra water.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
- Next, take a lump of the prepared mixture and place it in the air fryer basket. Continue making as many lumps as you can. Make sure to not make them too large otherwise they won’t get cooked at the center.
- Spray a bit of oil on them, and cook them at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
- You can flip them once in between and brush some oil so that they are cooked well.
- For the curry, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and dry red chilies.
- Next, add the spices and mix well.
- Add in the potatoes next and mix well.
- Once the potatoes are coated well with spices, add in the water.
- Add the sour element next - be it Bor Thekera or Kokum. If you do not have either, you can use lemon juice.
- Let the curry simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the prepared fritters next and mix well.
- Serve sour curry hot with rice.
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