Guide to making traditional Bengali Kasundi or fermented mustard sauce
This tangy and pungent condiment goes well with fish, rice and more
| PREP TIME | 15 m |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 5m |
| SERVES | 25 |
1 cup yellow mustard seeds
½ cup black mustard seeds
2 pieces whole red chili
2 green cardamom
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black pepper corns
¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 pinch fenugreek seeds
2 whole cloves
Salt to taste
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp mustard oil
½ tsp turmeric powder
1. Mix the dry ingredients, expect the turmeric and salt, in a mixing bowl.
2. Heat a pan and dry roast the spices over low heat till they are fragrant and start to crackle.
3. Set them aside to cool and then grind to a fine powder.
4. Start adding water to achieve the desired consistency. Add the turmeric powder. The consistency needs to be like that of a cake batter.
Note: Boil the water and cool down completely before adding to avoid any impurities getting into the kasundi as it’s a fermented sauce.
5. Finish this with salt and white vinegar.
6. Transfer the mix to a glass jar or ceramic jar, top it with mustard oil so that the top layer of Kasundi is not directly exposed to air. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least a week to ferment before use. The flavours will mature in this time and the Kasundi sauce will be ready for use.
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