Name: Nepali Polenta with Himalayan Grilled Tomato Sauce
Yield: Makes about 4 Cups Polenta and 3 to 4 Cups Sauce; Serves 4
Cuisine: Nepal
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped coriander leaves, chives, or mint leaves, or a blend; ½ teaspoon turmeric; 1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste; 1½ teaspoons mustard oil or vegetable oil; 4 to 5 large ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds) or 10 to 12 plum tomatoes; 4 to 6 green cayenne chiles; ½ cup small whole Japanese dried anchovies (see headnote; optional); 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds; 2 tablespoons ghee, butter, or vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon salt; Scant 2 tablespoons minced ginger or ginger mashed to a paste; 4 cups water; 1 cup polenta or cornmeal; 1 tablespoon minced garlic or garlic mashed to a paste

Preparation info

Makes about 4 Cups Polenta and 3 to 4 Cups Sauce; Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Mangoes & Curry Leaves

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 2005

About

In Nepal, corn grows in the hills at low and middle elevations. We’ve had it grilled on the cob in mountain villages, and simmered in soup, but it’s also eaten as a grain, coarsely ground and then cooked slowly in a heavy pot, like grits or polenta. The dish is known as dero. We like to add a little oil and flavor to the dero by tempering it with ghee and mustard seed, as described here.

The classic accompaniment for the polenta is a simple grilled tomato achar.