I have tried this mint sauce recipe from the Spices of India twice in the last week and is identical to my local BIR. No need for food colouring as all the flavour and colour comes from the paste. It comes out exactly how it looks in the picture. Spot on 

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Mint-Sauce-Recipe.html

Just googled "mint and tamarind paste" and came across this article.

http://www.lavapr.co.uk/press-releases/mr-hudas/mr-huda%E2%80%99s-surma-secrets-wins-national-award/

I have tried 4 of these Mr Huda pastes and they are by far better than any other.

The Bombay Sandwich spread on the front page + extra sugar makes a bloody good one too!

Quote from: Paul1980 on October 01, 2009, 12:37 PM
I have tried this mint sauce recipe from the Spices of India twice in the last week and is identical to my local BIR. No need for food colouring as all the flavour and colour comes from the paste. It comes out exactly how it looks in the picture. Spot on 

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Mint-Sauce-Recipe.html

Pretty much the recipe I posted on here minus the tamarind and water. I've never tasted tamarind in mint sauce before, it must be a regional thing. But if its good and it works then thats great

976bar,
Is ur usual BIR mint sauce white or does it have a slightly green colour to it as in the pic on the spices of India?
In Swindon Wiltshire if it's white its just youghurt with sugar and mint sauce and tastes ok.
If it's this greeny colour it tastes twice as good so I am assuming many BIR's (the decent ones) in Swindon use this paste as it's identical. Sugary and creamy and thicker in texture. Give it a go !!

Oh and I mean naturally green certainly not green with food colouring !!!

Quote from: Paul1980 on October 02, 2009, 01:22 PM
Oh and I mean naturally green certainly not green with food colouring !!!

Hi Paul,

To be honest I've never used Tamarind Paste, but I would imagine that would turn it a brownish colour not green?

I got my recipe from the Chef where I did my Indian cookery course early on this year, and yes I do use green food colouring, you can get natural food colouring as well, but most BIR's would use bulk standard cheap food colouring with all the E numbers because it keeps the cost down. I think some would use Turmeric for the yellow colour?

I'd be interested to know if you try that recipe with Tamarind as to a) What the taste is like, as I don't know any BIR that uses it in their mint sauce, and b), what is the final colour?

i use tamerind quite a lot (only in tikka marinade). i can't see it working well in mint sauce - it's like jet black in colour. it's also very sour which goes against the sweetness that u need.

one TA i know does "yellow" mint sauce but even this tastes the same as the green. i've never come across white. even the yellow i would say is just down to say a little turmeric.

Quote from: JerryM on October 03, 2009, 08:49 AM
i use tamerind quite a lot (only in tikka marinade). i can't see it working well in mint sauce - it's like jet black in colour.

That's the tamarind paste Jerry. If you buy tamarind pods, soak them in hot water and squeeze the result through a sieve, you get a brown thin paste. I imagine if this was to be added to yoghurt it would turn yellow. I tend to agree though that adding a souring agent to already sour yoghurt seems unlikely.

Quoteone TA i know does "yellow" mint sauce but even this tastes the same as the green. i've never come across white. even the yellow i would say is just down to say a little turmeric

Yellow is the most common one I have seen. Never seen plain white raita and green only a few times and is clearly made by the addition of food colouring. The yellow could, as you say, be due to the addition of turmeric, but I know for sure that some use mango pulp (you buy it in cans) which sweetens it and makes it yellow.

The addition of spice of any sort seems wrong to me as there clearly isn't any in the ones I get, but that's undoubtedly a regional thing.

Quote from: Secret Santa on October 03, 2009, 09:50 AM
The yellow could, as you say, be due to the addition of turmeric, but I know for sure that some use mango pulp (you buy it in cans) which sweetens it and makes it yellow.

The mango would sit well with the taste for me. i now have mango on stock (pathia) and will give it a try next time i make bhajis. i think it would work well in 976bar's mint sauce recipe.

many thanks Secret Santa for the prompt.