ideas for recipes using tamarind concentrate.

[TheArmadillo]

Am buying tamarind concentrate to make a dhansak but had to buy a reasonably big pot (had to get it online and was cheapest option cos of no postage). I've had a google of recipes and most seem to be indian (we like but eat a lot), thai (I don't like), and mexican (do like but not really confident in).

I have seen a couple of recipes using tamarind with chipotle, mostly on pork which sound good. I was going to do a big load of pulled pork next week (I freeze it in portions) and usually do bbq flavour, but tamarind and chipotle style sounds nice. The only problem being I cannot get chipotle in any form where I live (have tried before), and online sites I have found charge at least £3.50 postage which is too much. Any ideas for cheap suppliers or good substitutes?

Any opinions on the pulled pork idea or other recipe suggestions?

Waitrose sell both tamarind paste and chipotle paste, if that's any help for the future.

Can't help with recipes, sorry but I think I have a had a cheesecake flavoured with tamarind and chilli once that was v nice!

I usually put a spoonful in a curry (for that lovely sweet and sour flavour) or use it with chickpeas and chaat massalla to make channa chaat. Or I mix a teaspoon into chopped onions, cucumber, red pepper, tomatoes etc (mango is a good addition) with lots of coriander and some chilli.

This is one of my favourite soups (courtesy of Nadine Absenur)

Sweet Potato and tamarind soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tablespoon tamari
1 inch piece of giner grated, squeezed and the resulting liequid reerved
dash of tabasco
1-2 tablespoons tamarind paste
salt and pepper

Heat oil, add onion garlic and sweat for 5 minutes
Add sweet potatoes and saute for further 5 mins. Add stock and simmer, covered until tender (10 mins)
Stir in tamari, ginger juice, tabasco and 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste.

Season with salt and pepper and blend 'till smooth.
Serve in bowls with a little extra tamarind paste swirled into each.

Very easy - and delicious. I buy Tamarind paste from the supermarkets (Sainsbury, Waitrose) ..it's in small bottles..Barts I think. Very cheap and very tasty.

Should have read before posting.
1 inch of ginger, grated, squeezed and the resulting liquid reserved.

Thanks for these ideas - especially the chopped salad one. I was thinking of doing a diced tomato/onion affair to go with/in burritos and wondering what to put on it. Tamarind would be a bit more interesting than lemon juice I think.

We don't have a waitrose near us and our sainsburys is very small so doesn't stock much unfortunately. No local indian type shops or anything useful of that type. We have a huge asda but it sells little of this type stuff.

A couple of years ago I used to live in an area with a very large asian community. Our local shop sold all kinds of spices and similar, plus huge bags of lentils/chapati flour etc and cheaper than supermarket - I got used to having everything I could think of readily available.

Now where I've moved to I struggle to get just a pack of dried chillies (any variety) I had to wait till I went on holiday or visited a friend to get harrissa or smoked paprika. I have found a bag of dried chillies that we were given in a chilli kit as a present so may sub those and hope it will be ok.

Tamarind date cake. Yum!

That looks amazing.