Tamarind Paste for Easy Cooking

Ingredients:

• Tamarind
• Fenugreek Seeds
• Asafetida
• Mustard Seeds
• Turmeric Powder
• Salt
• Oil

Method:

• We South Indians, prepare sambar or rasam almost daily. For that we have to soak tamarind in hot water and extract water from that to make sambar or rasam. One day that water becomes more and another less in puli taste. To avoid that and to save time, do the following.
• Take 1/4kg tamarind and soak it in hotwater for ½ to one hour.
• Then put a big pan and heat it.
• Add 150 to 200 gms. of Sesame oil. Make tempering with mustard seeds, turmeric powder and asafetida powder.
• Let the mustard seeds burst.
• Now add the extracted tamarind water in the pan. Add a little salt.
• Stir rarely and allow it to become like a paste. (Oil must come out of the paste. That is the correct indication that you prepared the paste correctly.)
• Dry fry 2 table spoon Fenugreek, in another pan and powder it.
• Add the fenugreek powder in the Tamarind Paste.
• Mix well and remove it from the fire.
• Keep aside for more than 2 hours.
• Now put it in a glass bottle and close it and keep it in the fridge. When ever you need to prepare sambar, rasam, puliyodarai, puli kootu or any puli based items, you can use this paste instantly.

Notes:

• If you have Preeti mixer grinder, take the JUICE EXTRACTER and take juice out of the soaked tamarind. Let it be as thick as possible.
• Other wise as usual do it by hand.
• For vathal kuzhmbu or sambar for 4 persons, prepare as usual and after tempering, add 2 cups of plain water and add this tamarind paste. 2 spoons will be ok for your sambar.
• If you want more puli, at any time you can add the paste as per your taste.
• That is the Best advantage of this Tamarind paste.

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