Sweet Tamarind Sauce
A smooth sweet and sour tamarind sauce balanced with jaggery, cumin, ginger, chilli and black salt. Serve it as a dipping sauce for samosas and poppadoms or drizzle it over chaat and spiced potatoes.
Ingredients
- 150 g compressed tamarind block
- 300 ml water plus more to adjust the consistency
- 50 g jaggery finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black salt
- 1 small pinch fine salt or to taste
Instructions
- Break the tamarind into pieces and simmer it with 300ml water for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, rest for 10 minutes and mash the softened pulp thoroughly.
- Press the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the seeds, shell and fibres.
- Return the extract to a clean saucepan and add the jaggery, cumin, chaat masala, ginger, chilli powder and both salts.
- Simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the jaggery dissolves and the sauce lightly coats a spoon.
- Cool a small sample, taste and adjust the sweetness, heat or salt. Dissolve any added jaggery over the heat.
- Remove the sauce from the heat while slightly loose. Cool completely, transfer to a clean container and refrigerate.
Notes
- Tamarind blocks vary in sharpness, so adjust the jaggery after tasting.
- The sauce thickens as it cools.
- Use less if substituting a concentrated tamarind product.
- Strain carefully for a smooth sauce that will pass through a squeeze bottle.
- Keep refrigerated and use within one week.
- This is a seasoned dipping sauce, not plain tamarind concentrate.
Nutrition
Calories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 1gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 163mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
