Tamarind

A common souring agent in Tamil curries, this tangy seed pod is most usually added to dishes in the form of tamarind water. To make tamarind water, you need to buy a block of dried tamarind pulp, available from Asian grocers. The standard tamarind water used in most recipes is a medium concentrate, for which you need to soak a piece of pulp about the size of a marble in 200ml (7 fl oz/generous ¾ cup) of warm water for about 10 minutes. Where ‘thin concentrate’ is specified, use about ¾ of a marble. Strain the tamarind water and use the back of a spoon to push as much of the softened pulp through the sieve as possible. Discard the fibrous pulp and seeds, and use the tamarind water in quantities directed. Alternatively, follow the individual packet instructions as concentrates vary.