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Tamarind is a fruit famous for making sweet and sour tamarind recipes. Owing to its fleshy and highly acidic pulp, tamarind is widely used in giving tartness to various foods. Tamarind is famous throughout the world with various vernacular names such as ‘imli’ (Hindi), ‘asam’ (Indonesia) and ‘tamon’ (Caribbean). Usually, tamarind paste is the main ingredient that is incorporated in tamarind recipes. Some of the famous tamarind recipes are rasam, fried fish with tamarind sauce and tamarind jam.
Origin of Tamarind
Tamarind tree is supposed to be the native of Tropical Africa. South Asia also has a long history of cultivation of tamarind. Even Mexico and South America also has greater importance when history of tamarind recipes is discussed.
Culinary Use of Tamarind
Tamarind is famous for its sweet and sour taste and often used as a pickling agent. Tamarind paste is extensively used as a main ingredient in most of the tamarind recipes. The ripened tamarind is considered palatable and turns into a sweet fruit that is extensively used for making jams, ice creams and desserts.
Variety of sauces also call for tamarind water or tamarind paste. Most popular of tamarind recipes include Indian sambar that is made by mixing tamarind juice with lentils and other spices. Candies, dried and even salted tamarind snacks are highly popular in Western cuisines. Cold beverages made up of tamarind juice are commonly served during summers. Tamarind juice also acts as a natural laxative.
Popular Tamarind Recipes and Preferred Methods of Cooking Them
Though there is a long list of tamarind recipes some of them are rasam (A South Indian appetizer), imli chutney (Indian sweet and sour condiment) and fried fish with tamarind sauce.
Typical methods used to make tamarind recipes are extracting, boiling, blending as well as mixing. Often drying and canning methods are also used to make some special dishes. Generally, tamarind pulp is used to extract tamarind paste that is either boiled or blended with various ingredients to create some conventional as well as contemporary tamarind recipes.
Cuisines Commonly Making Tamarind Recipes
Tamarind or tamarind paste is a highly popular ingredient in various cuisines including, Indian, American, Mexican as well as African. South East Asian, Egyptian and African cuisines are also on the top in making delectable and unique tamarind recipes.
The regional cuisines of Indonesia also have varied uses of tamarind paste while cooking. In general, tamarind is used as a flavoring agent in savory as well as sweet dishes.
Nutritional Value of Tamarind Paste
Tamarind pulp is rich in calcium and Vitamin B and C. Potassium and magnesium are the highly effective minerals found in tamarind recipes. In various regions, tamarind is used as a medicinal plant. The fresh leaves of tamarind are used to make a healing decoction that provides relief from various ailments such as, body pain, stomach problems as well as for treating jaundice. Tamarind juice is an effective skin cleanser.
Buying and Storing of Tamarind
Tamarind is available in whole, dried as well as in pulp form. It is recommended to buy trusted products.
Storage of tamarind is not a tricky task. It can be stored in room temperature for
2- 3months. Cooled and leftover tamarind dishes should be kept in refrigerator and consumed within 1-2 days due to the presence of sour pulp that may increase the tartness and spoil the flavor of the food.
Types of Tamarind
Two types of tamarind beans are available: smaller bean with red pulp and large bean having big seeds with brownish pulp. The former type is generally used for medicinal purposes whereas later is widely used in cooking.
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