Dried sour fruit

The ingredient has no common English name, and dried sour fruit is a direct translation of asam gelugor, its Malay name. When looking for them in the supermarket or shops, be mindful that many suppliers are known to mislabel them as ‘tamarind pieces’ or ‘tamarind skins’ even though the plant from which this fruit is derived is completely unrelated to the tamarind family. These dried slices are added only to liquid-based dishes and, like tamarind, impart sourness to the dish. The longer they have been cooked in the dish, the more sour the dish becomes, so remove them according to taste.