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Assam / Northeast India · Indian

Masor Tenga (Assamese Sour Fish Curry)

Assam's signature light, sour fish curry: fried fish in a clean, tangy broth soured with tomato and lemon (or elephant apple), barely spiced and brightened with coriander. A summer dish built to cool and refresh.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 23, 2026

A light, clear-broth Assamese sour fish curry in a bowl with fried fish, tomato, potato wedges, and green chilies, scattered with fresh coriander.

Masor tenga (literally 'sour fish') is the most iconic dish of Assamese cuisine, which prizes light, clean, minimally spiced flavours over the richer, spicier cooking of much of India. The sourness traditionally comes from outenga (elephant apple), thekera, or lemon, and the curry is eaten especially in the heat to refresh the palate.

Yield
Serves 4
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Difficulty
Easy

Masor tenga — literally “sour fish” — is the dish that defines Assamese cooking to outsiders, and it does so by being almost the opposite of what people expect from Indian food. It’s light, clean, barely spiced, and bracingly sour: fried fish in a thin, tangy broth, eaten especially in the heat to refresh rather than to warm. Where much of India reaches for more spice, Assam reaches for less, and lets the fish and the sourness speak.

Sourness, the Assamese way

The tang traditionally comes from outenga (elephant apple), thekera (a dried sour mangosteen relative), or lemon. Outside Assam, ripe tomato cooked down to a pulp, finished with a squeeze of lemon, gets you remarkably close. The sourness is the point — keep it bright by adding the lemon off the heat.

Restraint is the technique

There’s no long list of spices here. Fenugreek seeds tempered in mustard oil give a subtle aromatic-bitter base, turmeric colours it, green chilies warm it, and that’s nearly all. The discipline is in keeping the broth thin and clean rather than thickening it into a masala.

Light by design

Fry the fish first as the region does, build a quick sour base, keep the gravy brothy, and finish fresh. It’s the cooling, sour note in an Assamese meal — often the last course, eaten to round things off.

For more East and Northeast Indian cooking, try macher jhol or browse the full recipe collection.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the fish

  • 500 g rohu or any freshwater fish steaks Lightly fried first, as in much East Indian cooking.
  • 1/2 tsp each turmeric and salt, to rub on
  • for frying mustard oil

For the curry

  • 2 tomatoes, chopped The everyday souring agent; for authenticity add a piece of outenga (elephant apple) if you can find it.
  • 1 potato, cut into thin wedges (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 green chilies, slit
  • juice of 1/2 lemon, to finish
  • salt and chopped coriander

Method

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  1. Rub the fish with turmeric and salt and shallow-fry in mustard oil until lightly golden; set aside.

    Why: Frying firms the fish and adds flavour, and is standard practice before adding fish to a curry in this region.

  2. In the same oil, temper the fenugreek seeds until they darken a shade, then add the potato and fry briefly.

    Why: Fenugreek gives the curry its subtle bitter-aromatic backbone; it burns fast, so add the potato quickly after.

  3. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, green chilies, and salt, and cook until the tomatoes collapse into a pulp.

    Why: Breaking down the tomato builds the sour base of the broth before water goes in.

  4. Pour in water to make a light, brothy gravy, add the potato, and simmer until tender. Slide in the fried fish and simmer gently 5 minutes.

    Why: Tenga is meant to be thin and clean — a light broth, not a thick masala — so keep it loose and don't over-reduce.

  5. Finish with lemon juice and fresh coriander off the heat.

    Why: Adding the lemon at the end keeps its brightness sharp; cooking it long would dull the fresh sourness that defines the dish.

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Variations

  • With outenga (elephant apple)

    If you can source outenga, use it in place of tomato/lemon for the most authentic Assamese sourness.

  • Vegetarian tenga

    Skip the fish and make a sour vegetable tenga with lentil dumplings (boror tenga) or just vegetables.

  • Lemon-forward

    Lean on lemon and skip the potato for an even lighter, more summery curry.

Serving & Storage

Serve with plain steamed rice; tenga is the cooling, sour course in an Assamese meal, often eaten last. Keep the accompaniments simple.

Pairs with: Steamed rice, Khar (alkaline dish), Aloo pitika (mashed potato).

Storage: Best fresh; keeps 1 day refrigerated. Reheat gently and brighten with a fresh squeeze of lemon.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 serving with broth)

Calories
250
Protein
26 g
Carbs
12 g
Fat
11 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
3 g
Sodium
500 mg

Notable micronutrients: Omega-3, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes masor tenga sour?

Traditionally outenga (elephant apple), thekera (a dried sour fruit), or lemon. In everyday and outside-Assam cooking, tomato plus a finishing squeeze of lemon gives a very good approximation.

Why is Assamese food so lightly spiced?

Assamese cuisine prizes clean, fresh, minimally spiced flavours that let the main ingredient speak — quite different from the richer, spicier cooking of much of mainland India. Tenga is the purest example: light, sour, and refreshing.

Can I make it without mustard oil?

You can, but mustard oil adds the regional character. Heat it to smoking and cool slightly before frying to mellow it.

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