Topic: Tamarind uses

[rhodriharris]

Ok so i have added a bit of tamarind fruit to my curry, threw a small bit in whole and it more or less cooked down so didn't notice the texture.  I only threw in a small bit as it seems to pack a mighty punch but definatly noticable, well a little bit.  Went well with the curry and spices, finished the overall taste of it of but am gona put a lot more in my next curry to see what overkill is like.  As for mango lassie, well i made that and the tamarind takes it to a whole new level.  It is stll a yoghurt drink essentially and my girlfriend said she'd prefer and definatly have it at breakfast so didn't go down well with the curry but as a dessert after i think it would work brilliantly.  Here is my recipie for mango lassi and i didn't use that much sugar as bad for you-

2 pints water bring to the boil and take off heat when boiled then add
2 tablespoons tamarind fruit de-seeded
2 whole squeezed lemon
1 level tablespoon brown sugar (use white or honey, mine is unrefined billingtons)
Stir and wait till cooled (allow one for it to cool for the best taste) then pour through seive ( i don't mind tamarind pulp in my drink so i just let it settle then pour of into a jug leaving the tamarind pulp behind as it sinks to the bottom and discard this pulp. Then seperatly blend -
1 mango
1 small tub fresh organic yoghurt/about 8 tablespoons yoghurt
Add the blended yoghurt and mango to the tamarind and serve chilled.

I have found that if you add tamirind to boiled water and let cool it taste ok but leave it a day and the taste is so much sweeter and more palatble, this is very strange indeed but seems to be the key to a great tasting tamarind drink, people won't drink it after it has initially cooled but the next day it smoothes out a lot and everyone says they like it and drink it all up.
I will persever with the tamarind and wonder if tamarind has somthing to do with sweet and sour sauce (can't find any recipies that mention it) since it makes great chutney which will be my next endevour. Thanks

[Peripatetic Phil]

I confess that our recipe for mango lassi is much simpler : yoghurt (usually Greek), Rubicon mango juice, mango puree, and ice.  Blitz and serve.  Wonderful !

** Phil.

[rhodriharris]

You got to try it with tamarind, gives a wonderful after taste, makes the drink cheaper and seems to make it less yoghurt like and more drinkable. I use to love Rubicon but prefer the more natural juices thesedays.  Amazing how tamarind lends itself to this drink well. I have to push forward with the tamarind chutney and think mango chutney would be a good next step although all the recipies i see involve a lot of sugar so hopefully the tamarind will help omit most of the sugar.  I hope that tamarind is used instead of salt or sugar in recipies as i don't like adding these ingredients, when i added it to a curry it gave me the impression that i wouldn't need to add salt as the taste of tamarind was very similar, i think.

[rhodriharris]

[rhodriharris]

This bombay potatos was made using Tamarind deseeded fruit, paprika, chili powder, tumeric, corriander and cumin powder.  The result of using tamarind was a lovely deep brown colour that seemed to lighten the dish and produce a more appelling colour.  Truly the taste and colour are noticable, like and orange brown colour and taste was sweeter and brought together the spices well.  I think i will use tamarind for a lot of my curries after this and have definatly tasted it in resturants before now that i know what i'm looking for.
Does any one on this site use tamarind in their curries, massalas etc?  I am swayed by the great taste and colour and can't help but think in some resturants it might even be in the base gravy.  Any one shed some light on this please?
P.s. a little tamarind goes a bloody long way and only had to add a figernails worth in size.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Each to his own, but for me, Bombay Aloo such as the one you have made and photographed would potentially benefit from the addition of two things :

1) A contrasting colour (green), from (for example) coriander leaves, methi leaves or curry leaves

2) Whole seeds (for example, mustard).

My understanding of what makes a particular Bombay Aloo work has increased significantly while taking part in the group test, and the presence of these two really does seem to make a noticeable difference.

Love the black marble worktop !

** Phil.

[Tomdip]

I'm with Razor on the mulligatawny soup.  I use Pat Chapman's recipe from The Curry Bible and it is delish.  He recommends tamarind concentrate which makes it even easier to use.

[chewytikka]

You got to try it with tamarind, gives a wonderful after taste, makes the drink cheaper and seems to make it less yoghurt like and more drinkable. I use to love Rubicon but prefer the more natural juices thesedays.  Amazing how tamarind lends itself to this drink well. I have to push forward with the tamarind chutney and think mango chutney would be a good next step although all the recipies i see involve a lot of sugar so hopefully the tamarind will help omit most of the sugar.  I hope that tamarind is used instead of salt or sugar in recipies as i don't like adding these ingredients, when i added it to a curry it gave me the impression that i wouldn't need to add salt as the taste of tamarind was very similar, i think.

Rhod
Odd, do you not read peoples replies

Tamarind is a "souring agent" in asian cooking!
The flesh of the ripe fruit is used to give sourness or tartness to various vegetable curries etc...

Chewytikka

[rhodriharris]

I do read everyones reply and all intrested views, just that the tamarind taste i get is a little sweet too as well as sour/tart.  Do you think its best suited to vegetable curries more than a meat curry chewy? I did notice in your earlier post that you mentioned about the colour it gives curries and feel that this is what i experienced.
I do agree phil that corriander leaves and mustard seeds make for a great aloo but didn't add the mustard seeds this time and forgot to mention that i did add dried corriander leaves which you can just about see in the photo.  Sorry i didn't mention this as i add them to most dishes but like second nature and always forget when writing my ingredients for the dish.  I also use onion seeds when i'm out of mustard seeds but for this dish just wanted to keep it simple to experience the tamarind taste. 
I feel like i'm getting to grips with the tamarind fruit and am loving the extra taste although i suspect it is not a favourite in some BIR curries.
Sorry if i don't grasp basic concepts or peoples recomendations straight away, i am good at cooking but not second nature to me so sometimes i read things and it goes in one ear and out the other only to realise later that the answer is staring me in the face.
Thanks.

[rhodriharris]

Any comments on my pictures of my bombay potatos good or bad are welcomed, is the sauce a nice consistency, is the colour authentic BIR, appart from the mustard seeds this is my version of potato aloo at the moment and just add spinach for sag aloo.  Nice to know i'm hitting the mark, on the right tracks or wether i need to go back to the BIR drawing board!  This is where i really need to get involved in the group tests so that i can have some comparison and feedback. Once again thanks.