I bought a block of tamarind on a whim- what should I do with it?

Answer 1

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/tamarind.html

a pretty comprehensive review of what you can do

Answer 2

1)
Try making this sauce:
Soak tamarind of size of two lemons in a cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Heat some oil in a wok, lightly fry some chopped fresh ginger root and green chillies(if you like them), then, add the tamerind juice only after squeezing the tamerind. Allow the sauce to boil. Then, add salt to taste and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Allow the sauce to thicken to a cheese dip consistency. The tamerind sauce is ready.

2) Stir fry vegetables of your choice, add the tamerind juice (made as mentioned in step1) and little coconut ground with cumin into them to make a different dish.

Do not hurry. Tamerind will last for a long time, for couple of years as such.

Answer 3

I suppose you mean dried tamarind.
Look in any East Indian of Asian cooking recipes, there are many applications.

I like to use it to add to soup, just cut some off (about 1/2 teaspoon for a 4 litre pot) and cook it into the soup. Add a little bit of hot sauce and you have a kind of hot and sour soup.

In general it can be used almost anywhere that lemon or vinegar can be used, but it is so much more than sour :) hmmm

Answer 4

You can add small amounts to any spicy food you are cooking.It is a necessary ingredient in bhaji, samosas or vegetable pakora. It really gives you the authentic taste of Asia.
You should soften the tamarind first with the little hot waterto remove the seeds. Do not add the seeds.

Answer 5

it's similar in taste as lemon but pungent. It's ideal for flavouring fish dish. first thing to do is get a small amount soak it in the water for about 20-30 minutes. squeeze it and throw away the pulp just use the liquid to flavour any dish making curries, stews salads. It's good for your blood because it will thin it, save you taking aspirin at later life. People from south India use this a lot in their cooking. You could get some helpful tips on the Iindian cooking website.

Answer 6

To use, break some off then soak it in hot water for 1-2 hours. Squeeze the flesh through a tea strainer or a fine sieve, throw away the gunk in the sieve and use the watery pulp.( you can use more or less water when soaking depending on how thick you want the pulp). Use it in Indian cooking to flavour curries or you can use it in chutneys. It has a sour taste.

Answer 7

Lay out a king size Rizla, stick a roach in it and then lay down a thin layer of baccy, getting fatter at the other end from the roach. Then hold a lighter to the taramind until it is nice and crumbly, and put a layer on top of the baccy. Then roll the whole thing into a fat cone.

Answer 8

Chop or blend it and use as an add-in sauce for asian recipes, especially Thai, Chinese, or Indian. If you've ever been to an asian grocery store (in the United States) you've probably seen "Pad Thai" sauce, which is usually sugar and tamarind.

Answer 9

Take it off the whim straight away

Answer 10

if you bought it as a block break off a little piece, about a table spoon, add to Indian curries, chutneys or sauces to enhance the flavors.

Answer 11

Mix a bit of it in curry to add depth.

Stir it in some tea for a variation of lemon tea.