Tuesday 29 November 2016

Spice of the Month - Tamarind



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

2 comments:

  1. I've never tried this. I'll look for it the next time I go to town.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have recently started using tamarind, it's brilliant

    ReplyDelete

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