Thekera is one of the must have items of any Assamese kitchen. It can be used in a variety of ways, from curries to sharbat. So Discover East compiled this write-up to summarize the preservation and cooking of this fruit.
Types of Thekera
They are of three types of this fruit. The biggest one is called the Bor Thekera and the small one is called the Kuji Thekera. The third one is called Rupohi Thekera and is smallest in size and has a bright red color. All the the plants belong to the Garcinia family and have similar sour taste.
Preservation of Thekera
It is a seasonal fruit so its preservation is important to keep it available all through the year. Its is actually a very simple process. All you need to do is to make thin slices and sun dry them.
Just drying will however make the pieces brittle and limit the shelf life to around two years if stored in a dry place. This can extended much more by rubbing mustard oil and salt on the dried slices before storing.
Salting also prevents any possible fungal growth on the dried pieces.
Cooking with Thekera
There are three main ways to use it as an ingredient. The follows are the recipes with this amazing fruit.
- Tenga Anja or Sour Curry
Maasor tenga or sour fish curry is a traditional Assamese recipe. Soak a few dried pieces in a glass of warm water for about and hour. Use this water to make the curry instead of plain water.
- Sharbot or Cooler
This is one of the easiest coolers to make. All you have to do is soak a few pieces of the fried fruit for about an hour. 4-5 pieces are enough for a litre of juice. Add sugar according to your taste, and a pinch of salt and stir it well.
All a few cubes of ice for the extra refreshing effect. This is specially useful in the hot summers .
- Tenga Dali
Dali is the Assamese name for dal, which is a common common preparation from all over the country. Tenga Dali is sour version of this dish. Generally done with masoor dal, it is definitely refreshing in the summers. All you have to do is to drop in few dried pieces while boiling.
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(Feature image source: Sanat Kr Dutta)
