Fish Tamarind

This flavoring is not in fact related to tamarind—its English name refers to its culinary use as a souring agent in fish dishes, in Kerala. It is used as a souring agent in other dishes, as well, especially in Keralan and Gujarati cooking. Fish tamarind comes from a fruit (Garcinia indica or G. cambogia) that is cut into strips and then dried, so that it looks like blackened lumps of leather. Some pieces contain the edible sweet seeds of the fruit. Local recipes call for fish tamarind in terms of numbers of pieces, which are usually about an inch long and half an inch wide. They are added to simmering curries, especially fish curries, and, in Gujarat, are added to dals. Fish tamarind is known as kokum in Hindi; pulam palli in Malayalam, the language of Kerala; and kachampuli in Karnataka. The Sri Lankan souring agent called goraka (also known as gambodge) is either identical to or very closely related to fish tamarind, and it has a similar culinary function. Fish tamarind is not widely available in North America, but you may find it in most Sri Lankan and Indian grocery stores. True tamarind can be substituted for either fish tamarind or goraka, as we do in this book, using about 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp (dissolved in hot water and strained) for each piece of fish tamarind called for in the traditional recipe. See also tamarind.