I made the Tamarind Chutney recipe today, I bought a 200 gram block of Tamarind instead of 400 grams and used half the amount of water (500ml) it took me over 2 hours to press the pulp through the sieve, with the back of a spoon, after soaking for 2 hours.

Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? the recipe did say that the water requirements do vary according to the Tamarind (some produce more pulp than others) so I added more water while I ws pressing thinking it was too dry.

Any tips would be gratefully received for next time.

I also noticed that 6 to 7 teaspoons of salt are called for (I am doing half the quantity so 3 to 3 1/2), but should be adjusted according to taste but this seems quite a lot I ended up putting 1 1/2. Is it normal to put that amount in?

Thanks

Paul

Hello Paul

Once the tamarind has been soaked and soft, it takes no more than 5 minutes to sieve it through a strainer. Was it soft when you started? You can microwave it for a couple of minutes, if it is not. I have added this to the recipe, to make it easier. You are not doing anything wrong, but perhaps the tamarind was not soaked in hot water or for long enough to soften it up. It should not be dry at all.

Tamarind chutney does have a lot of salt and sugar, to cut the tartness of tamarind. Remember, it is only eaten in small amounts. These days, you get sweet tamarind from the Far East, which I guess will need much less salt and sugar. If 1 ? tsp. tasted fine to you, that is absolutely okay.

I am always grateful to people who take the trouble to write about and problems with the recipes here. It gives me a chance to look at them from other peoples eyes and helps me to improve them. So, thank you Paul and Merry Christmas to you and your family :-).

Mamta

Hello Mamta,

I hope you had a good Christmas.

Thank you for your comments.

I had poured half a litre of boiling water into a pyrex jug then put the Tamarind block into it and broke it apart with a metal spoon after it had started to soften. I left it to soak for approx 3 hours, after this time it was like a thick jelly. I then started to rub it through a sieve, as I was doing this I was also removing stones as I came across them.

After some time I noticed that I was using an oval shaped spoon, I changed this to a circular shaped one and found that it speeded up a little bit but not much.

I was using the same sieve as I would use to sift flour, which has a fine mesh. I wondered if using a colander would be quicker because it has bigger holes.

I will try your recommendations next time.

I wish you and your family a happy 2009

Paul

Sorry the soaking time was 2 hours not 3.

Paul

Hello Paul

Thanks for your good wishes. Yes we did have a nice, family Christmas :-). Hope you did too.

Next time, mash the soaked tamarind with your fingers first and then pass it through a coarse sieve or a colander.

Mamta

I like Tamarind sauce, very good with crisps, I didn't realise how easy it is to make! Thanks