Til diya maas is one of the many dishes of Assamese culinary art. Assamese cuisine with an assortment of vegetables, rice, fish, and meat furnish lip-smacking dishes with lots of healthy nutrients. Til diya maas as a combination of fried fish with aromatic black sesame paste, gives your stomach butterflies and body nutrition. Fish is the key ingredient in many Assamese dishes and sesame is a very important part of the Indian kitchen; Compounding both these ingredients is sure to satisfy your hunger and cravings. Packing this for your lunch? Make sure you pack them in a storage container.
Health Benefits
Fish is the base ingredient of til diya maas. Fish is full of fatty acids, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and many minerals, which help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiac arrest. Fish is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids—an indispensable nutrient that our body doesn’t produce.
Sesame seeds are loaded with cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, vitamins and minerals, such as iron and magnesium. Consumption of sesame seeds helps balance hormones, fight cancer, burn fat, and improve nutrient absorption.
Ingredients
pieces of Rohu fish: 4
onion—chopped (set aside 1 tbsp chopped onion to make paste): 1
green chilies: 4
garlic and cloves: 12
tsp ginger: 1
tbsp black sesame seeds: 2
tsp black peppercorns: 1
tsp bamboo shoots—finely chopped (optional): 1
tsp turmeric powder: 1/2
cup hot water: 1
tsp mustard seeds: 1
salt to taste
How To Make Til Diya Maas
- Wash, clean and dry the fish.
- Rub the fish with salt and turmeric powder and shallow-fry until half-cooked.
- Grind chopped onion, garlic, and ginger into a paste.
- Roast black sesame seeds and peppercorns on low flame and grind into a paste with a little bit of water.
- Sauté the remaining chopped onion until golden brownand add onion-ginger-garlic paste and keep stir until oil starts separating.
- Add the chopped bamboo shoots and fry for 4-5 minutes.
- Add turmeric powder, sesame paste, and a splash of hot water. Stir to combine.
- Season with salt and when the dish comes to a rolling boil, add parboiled fish, cover and simmer on a low flame until water reduces to one-fourths and the fish is completely cooked.
Note: The sesame seed sauce must stick to the fish.
- Turn off the flame and drizzle some mustard oil over the dish.
- Garnish with green chilis, serve with rice, and enjoy!
Trivia
- The sesame plants are known to survive even the worst of draughts; they are known as a “survivor crop”
- Sesame oil is used as a solvent in intravenous drips.