Tamarind comes from the Tamarind tree – a native of
India – or, some argue Africa. Some
people call tamarind Indian Date.
Tamarind pulp is a good
source of Vitamin B and calcium and is said to aid digestion too.
You use tamarind juice
or paste as a sour element in your dishes – the same way you would use lemon or
vinegar (and in about the same quantities) – but the taste is different. It is sour and fruity at the same time. It is one of the ingredients in that fabulous
sauce – Worcestershire Sauce.
Tamarind is high in
acid, sugar and pectin – so is useful for jams and chutneys.
Curries benefit from the
addition of tamarind.
You need to soak your
paste in hot water before adding it to dishes.
My recipe using tamarind – Gordon's
Chicken Wings
BIBLIOGRAPHY - with thanks to Auckland Libraries
Cook's Encyclopaedia
of Spices by Sallie Morris & Lesley Mackley
Discovering
Vegetables, Herbs & Spices by Susanna Lyle
Spice Market by Jane
Lawson
Spicery by Ian &
Elizabeth Hemphill
Spices & Natural
Flavourings by Jennifer Mulherin
Spices by Sophie
Grigson
Spices Condiments and
Seasonings by Kenneth T Farrell
Spices, Salt and
Aromatics in the English Kitchen by Elizabeth David
The Cook's Companion
by Stephanie Alexander
I've never tried this. I'll look for it the next time I go to town.
ReplyDeleteWe have recently started using tamarind, it's brilliant
ReplyDelete