Restaurant Style Fish Tikka

About Kasundi

Kasundi (Bengali: কাসুন্দি) is the Asian or Bengali variety of mustard sauce or relish. It has the pungent paste of fermented mustard seeds, spices, and sometimes dried mangoes, dried Indian plums, and olives. Kasundi is popular as a dipping sauce in Bengali cuisine.

Kasundi is a mustard sauce made by fermenting mustard seeds and is much stronger and sharper than other kinds of mustard sauce. It is highly pungent and is capable of exciting the nasal passage and bringing tears to the eyes in the same way as wasabi. The descriptions by famous chefs outside Bengal as the “answer to the ketchup”, “ketchup with a lot more going on”, or “a rich, unctuous tomato sauce of Indian origin” are based, according to food writer Pritha Sen, on mistaken notions.

In modern times, Kasundi is popularly served with Bengali snacks like cutlets and chops, and deep-fried spicy treats, as it brings tartness and pungency to the flavors. It also can be served as a dip with other snacks, as well as sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, omelets, salads, and other food. But, traditionally it was served neither with these treats nor in such quantities at home. In the past, it was stored with care, served sparingly and in small quantities, and paired with hot stir-fried greens, never fish or meat. The practice of pairing kasundi with non-vegetarian dishes evolved in commercial eateries, beginning with batter-fried fish.

Kasundi has always been a revered fixture of Bengali households, its making used to be almost a religious rite, with many restrictions and rituals. With modern household appliances becoming commonplace, their preparation is no longer a complex ritual. It also is now industrially produced, and widely available in eateries as a sauce and in supermarkets as a bottled condiment. Among the bottled kasundis, those following the recipe of Bikrampur, in undivided Bengal is reported to be the best. Kasundi has spread outside Bengal, across India, and into the Pacific Ocean countries like Australia (popular as eggplant kasundi) and New Zealand (popular as tomato kasundi). In Australia and New Zealand, kasundi is often part of the Christmas gift hamper. Around the world, many different recipes of kasundi are available, like Kasundi Scotch Eggs, Chilean Sea Bass, Spicy Barramundi, or Chhana Aam Kasundi Paturi.