Tantalisingly tangy

The predominantly sour, mildly sweet flavour and a robust lasting aftertaste makes tamarind irresistible, writes Renuka Krishnaraja

What is it that adds an extra punch to the imli candy making it so irresistible? What renders a distinct character to the spicy, tangy traditional rice dish, puliyogare? Needless to say, it has to be our star ingredient — tamarind — thoroughly sought-after for its predominantly sour, mildly sweet flavour and a robust lasting aftertaste.

Tamarind is an essential element of Indian cuisine as it is indigenous to the subcontinent and has been cultivated here since the ancient times and also been exported to various parts of the world.

When the Arabs happened to initially come across this sweetish-tangy fruit, they named it as ‘tamr-Hind’ or ‘dates from India’ from which came the scientific term, Tamarindus Indica and thereafter, the English name ‘tamarind’ was derived. Strictly speaking, a South Indian kitchen is inadequate without tamarind, the pleasing sourness of which sobers down the spice of chillies in sambar and the heat of pepper in rasam. The eventual curry, dal or chutney in which tamarind has been infused thus turns out to be well balanced in its flavours. Also, its acidic nature enhances the shelf life of foods.

Certain vegetables like the brinjal and ladies finger need to be cooked in tamarind water (if not stir-fried) to prevent them from blackening or turning mushy. A conventional recipe from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is the lip-smacking hunasekayi thokku. Made from unripe green fresh tamarind that is super tart and extremely sour, this pickle when eaten with hot rice and ghee bursts into an effusion of flavours in the mouth. One has to literally taste it to feel the oomph!

The mature tamarind fruit is soft, sticky and somewhat succulent and also much less sour than the unripe one. Plain raw pods and the de-seeded pressed blocks are the least processed forms commercially available. These have to be soaked in water for a while and strained in order to extract the pulp. Or else, one could promptly go in for the ready-to-use paste or concentrate. Likewise, while talking about tamarind, how could we leave behind the finger-licking chaats.

A generous amount of tamarind goes into the making of the meetha chutney along with the dates, jaggery, roasted cumin, salt and spices. This tantalising chutney is an indispensable part of pani puri, bhel puri, dahi vada, sev puri and papdi chaat among others. Besides the snacks, curries and pickles, tamarind is used in cool refreshing drinks as well. Like the popular Rajasthani drink called amlana which has tamarind pulp perked up with black salt and spices in it and a touch of minty garnish.

And not just in India, this tiny fruit with its mighty invigorating flavours has been welcomingly embraced in other Asian cuisines as well. It is also a major component of Worcestershire sauce. Tamarind also comes with a whole lot of health benefits. As it is high in nutrients and antioxidants, it is known to boost immunity and is beneficial for the heart and liver.