One of the dishes I loved eating as a child and still do, is Tenga, literally meaning ‘sour’ or ‘tart’ in Bengali it’s best described as a sour, soupy, fish curry. It’s usually served as a palate cleanser at the end of a meal and can be made with a variety of ingredients like tomatoes, raw/dried baby mangoes, Boroi (Indian Jujube) or even Belfoi (Indian olive/Jolpai). As kids we (my siblings and I) would fill tea cups with the shira (gravy) and just drink the stuff, honestly, it was so good!

A good tenga has to be two things in my opinion. Firstly it has to be SOUR! For me there is no such thing as a Tenga that is slightly tart, nuh-uh, it has to be proper Tenga! Secondly it should be soupy or ‘fani fani’ (literally meaning ‘watery’ in Bengali), the shira ie. gravy, should be light but should pack a punch, those two things define for me a good Tenga curry.

Now normally I like to use fresh ingredients to cook my Tenga, however it’s not always possible to get out, especially since this Pandemic started, so I often make do with what I have at home and improvise. It was on one such occasion, my mother in law was craving Tenga and asked me to make it for her; we were out of fresh tomatoes so I decided to use canned tomatoes instead along with canned sardines (in tomato sauce) and she LOVED IT!! Using pantry ingredients means you can throw this recipe together whenever you feel like, sardines are a staple for my pantry and I often throw together my Sardine & Aloo Biran using these too. Not only did she enjoy the curry for days on end, she asked me to make it for her again when it finished, something she rarely does and for me is a sure sign the curry was a winning recipe. So here it is for you guys to enjoy!

I would recommend using sardines in tomato sauce as they enhance the taste of the curry and add a lot of colour, of course I’m sure sardines in oil or brine would work too if that’s all you had at home. I usually like to add lemon juice to my Tenga, regardless of what fruit I’m cooking it with but the canned tomatoes were quite acidic anyway but if you want it super sour, feel free to add some, use fresh or concentrated both work well. I’ve not tried this with other canned fish but I imagine, canned salmon or mackerel would work really well too. I use ALL of the canned sardine, the skin and bones are all edible and valuable sources of calcium too, I wish more people would be open to the idea of just how beneficial eating whole sardines can be. So here is how to make this delicious curry.

You will need: for Sardine and Tomato Tenga

Serves – 6 – 8

4 – 5 cloves of garlic
1 small onion OR 1/2 a medium onion
1 can of chopped tomatoes (approx 400g)
2 cans of sardines in tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
fresh coriander to garnish

Method:

Start by grating 4 – 5 cloves of garlic and 1 small or 1/2 a medium onion.
Heat some oil in a pan, I like to make sure I add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Once hot add the grated garlic.

Wait till the garlic is brown (top left photo) before adding the grated onion.
Once the garlic is brown add the grated onion followed by 1 tsp salt (this can be adjusted later).
If the pan seems dry, add a splash of water, this also helps soften the onion quicker.

Cover the pan and leave to simmer until the onion and garlic are soft and translucent (about 8 – 10 mins).

Once you can see the onion and garlic have softened and the oil has separated you may add the spices.

Add 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp coriander powder, fry the spices for a few minutes. If the spices seem like they will burn, add a splash of water. Cover and leave to simmer for a few more minutes.

Once the oil has separated from the masala and has risen to the top, add 1 can of chopped tomatoes.

Mix well, cover and leave to simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.

Once the tomatoes look a rich red colour, like they do in the bottom right photo, you can add the canned sardines.

Add 2 cans of sardines, try not to break the sardines as you add them.

Since the sardines are already cooked in the can, you may add water to thin out the curry straight after adding the fish (normally when I use raw fish I wait till the fish is cooked through before I add water). Add enough water to make the shira/gravy thin but don’t dilute it so much that it loses it’s flavour.

At this point I had a taste and felt my curry needed more salt, I added 1/2 tsp extra.

Bring the curry to a boil and boil on high heat for 5 – 8 minutes. The sardines should remain whole after boiling, they look more aesthetically pleasing if they don’t disintegrate into the curry.

Lastly chop some fresh coriander and garnish the curry as soon as you turn off the heat.

This dish goes perfectly with plain white rice and is so yummy for something made out of pantry ingredients. Enjoy!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Sardine and Tomato Tenga

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Afelia's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 small onion OR ½ a medium onion
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes (approx 400g)
• 2 cans of sardines in tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• fresh coriander to garnish

Method

1. Start by grating 4 - 5 cloves of garlic and 1 small or ½ a medium onion.
2. Heat some oil in a pan, I like to make sure I add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. Once hot add the grated garlic.
4. Wait till the garlic is brown (top left photo) before adding the grated onion.
5. Once the garlic is brown add the grated onion followed by 1 tsp salt (this can be adjusted later).
6. If the pan seems dry, add a splash of water, this also helps soften the onion quicker.
7. Cover the pan and leave to simmer until the onion and garlic are soft and translucent (about 8 - 10 mins).
8. Once you can see the onion and garlic have softened and the oil has separated you may add the spices.
9. Add 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp coriander powder, fry the spices for a few minutes. If the spices seem like they will burn, add a splash of water. Cover and leave to simmer for a few more minutes.
10. Once the oil has separated from the masala and has risen to the top, add 1 can of chopped tomatoes.
11. Mix well, cover and leave to simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
12. Once the tomatoes look a rich red colour, like they do in the bottom right photo, you can add the canned sardines.
13. Add 2 cans of sardines, try not to break the sardines as you add them.
14. Since the sardines are already cooked in the can, you may add water to thin out the curry straight after adding the fish (normally when I use raw fish I wait till the fish is cooked through before I add water). Add enough water to make the shira/gravy thin but don't dilute it so much that it loses it's flavour.
15. At this point I had a taste and felt my curry needed more salt, I added ½ tsp extra.
16. Bring the curry to a boil and boil on high heat for 5 - 8 minutes. The sardines should remain whole after boiling, they look more aesthetically pleasing if they don't disintegrate into the curry.
17. Lastly chop some fresh coriander and garnish the curry as soon as you turn off the heat.
18. This dish goes perfectly with plain white rice and is so yummy for something made out of pantry ingredients. Enjoy!

3.5.3251