Tamarind Sauce
Serve with samosas, pakoras, or lentil pancakes.
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
1 rounded tablespoon dried tamarind pulp 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of chilli powder (optional)
Directions
Soak tamarind in hot water until soft and cool enough to rub with the fingers to dissolve pulp in the water. Strain through a fine sieve, and if necessary add a few tablespoons more water to dissolve any remaining pulp. Discard seeds and fibres. Stir the other ingredients into the tamarind and serve as a dipping sauce or to spoon over savoury snacks just before eating.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)