Where To Buy Tamarind Pulp? Now includes chutney recipe

divadee

I have got a recipe for a banana, tamarind and date chutney which sounds delicious, but where do you buy tamarind from?

also what does tamarind taste like?

i know it is used a lot in latin american and asian food but thats all!!!


would sainsburys sell it?

thriftmonster

I would normally use the chinese supermarket, but I know Tesco sell it in the "posh cooking ingredients" section - near the baking stuff in our one. It's quite sour - bit like adding lemon juice.

divadee

thriftmonster wrote: »

I would normally use the chinese supermarket, but I know Tesco sell it in the "posh cooking ingredients" section - near the baking stuff in our one. It's quite sour - bit like adding lemon juice.

thanks for that, never ever heard of it and nether had my mum.

i would assume an asian supermarket would be a lot cheaper, so might have to see where my local one is.

Fen1

Tamaring has a sweet and sour flavour, which is quite distinctive, so be careful the first time you use it to make sure you like it. A little bit will add just a note to the food, which just gives it a very interesting complexity. The full amount in a recipe usually imparts a very definite flavour.

Tamarind can be bought in blocks: you will need to cut off a piece, soak it, then strain the liquid into the recipe.
Or, you can buy little pots of liquid tamarind which can be added directly to the recipe. This is a lot less faff and lasts for years in the fridge.


You can add tamarind to lots of Thai curries, and is good in fruity Indian curries, so experiment.

I know that you can buy the blocks in Tesco's, Waitrose etc; they probably have the liquid too in the spices or ethnic sections. Failing that, a good deli or ethnic foods shop should have the liquid.

Swan_2

yes Asian or Chinese shop/supermarket would be the place

NB ... there are different ways to buy it, you can buy it as 'pods' in a block & you have to soak it, then sieve & press the pulp out (did it once, what a faff, never again) or you can get ready-prepared paste in tubs or jars
but I guess you'll have to go by what your recipe specifies

it sounds delicious, good luck


EDIT ... cross posted with Fen, darn my slow typing
interesting we both used 'faff' to describe using the block kind

divadee

i will post the receipe when my friend gives me the copy of it!!

in the book i read it in it said you needed to soak the pulp in hot water and then strain what the liquid so i assume they ment a block or something from what you are describing.

thanks everyone i will post the recipe asap!!

Swan_2

divadee wrote: »

i will post the receipe when my friend gives me the copy of it!!

in the book i read it in it said you needed to soak the pulp in hot water and then strain what the liquid so i assume they ment a block or something from what you are describing.

thanks everyone i will post the recipe asap!!

yes, that will be the block kind, but it's not such a bother for making a large batch of anything, e.g. chutney, it is a hassle for just 1 curry though!

look forward to seeing the recipe

angie_loves_veg

in the book i read it in it said you needed to soak the pulp in hot water and then strain what the liquid so i assume they ment a block or something from what you are describing.

I had the same instuction in a recipe I was using. I went to speak to Rafi who runs our local indian spices shop, and she said not to 'faff' (there's that word again) but instead to use Tamarind Chutney made by Geetas (in hexagonal jars), but to process it in the same way (ie soak, but no straining required).

Since then, DH has taken rather a liking to its taste, and he has it on the side of his curries now, as you would perhaps a mango chutney (although *completely* different). Not to my taste - but at least it gets used!

consumer31

tamarind is usually very cheap fromlocal asian(indian)shops you get in blocks and the best thing to do is soak in luke warm-hot water and then after 30 minutes strain it.

its nice in chutneys and also in chickpeas curry.

i use it alot,the blocks taste better than the ready made stuff

craftynutters

Hi Its Quit Cheap In Tesco About59p For A Block

vij

pm me your address I can drop you a block of dried tamarind in the post in the morning I have several packets kindly bought for me by a friend who didnt realise that I only use a little at a time.