The_junior_pegu

Sompa Oying (Sour Fish curry)

Ingredients:

(Measurements for 5-6 portions/ picture just for reference )

Usually, it’s an oily river fish like the Giant River-Catfish also called Sperata Seenghala, Basa fish, etc but we can also use whatever fish that is available.

2 medium-sized potatoes cubed

1 Elephant apple, also called Sompa, peeled and sliced

Ginger-Garlic paste about 50gm

About 10 Green chillies(you can moderate it based on your spice tolerance)

Red Chilli powder and turmeric powder for color

Salt according to taste

Red lentils, and Moong dal about 100gms combined. (This is an optional ingredient to thicken the gravy)

Coriander/spring onions/Chives/ginger leaves (whichever is available in season) for garnishing if not available you can skip it(We have skipped it)

Pre- Prep:

If you prefer fry the fish or you can directly steam it in the curry. Clean the Elephant apple by first separating each slice and then peeling it. The core is not used in eating

Tip:  The core of the Elephant apple is traditionally used to wash hair. It is a traditional shampoo due to its slippery texture. It has also great benefits for hair, a secret to the long-thick-smooth and shiny black hair of Miri women.

Preparation:

Peel and dice your potatoes into cubes.

Roughly pound the fresh green Chilies, ginger and garlic into a coarse paste, either separately or together.

Tip: Stone mortar and pestle to pound the ingredients helps enhance the flavor.  

Cooking:

Now take a pot with 1000ml of clean water and simply add potatoes, lentils, salt, turmeric and red-chili powder and boil the ingredients.

Once the water starts to boil, add in the ginger-garlic-chilly paste. Once the dal starts to cook, we use a bamboo whisk to blend the dal smooth. You can use a blender if you want.

Then add in the Elephant apple and let it cook for 5-10 mins.

Once the elephant apple is cooked add in the fish and cook for another 5 mins and garnish it if you have any garnishing.

Traditionally coriander is used but since we had none that day, we left it at that.

The Final outcome is a you have a sour fish curry simply steamed without oil.  It is best served with rice and a staple during the hot summers in Assam.