[Sca-cooks] Uses for tamarind paste???

[ranvaig at columbus.rr.com]

>Hi, everyone!
>I scored two packages (bricks?) of tamarind paste yesterday at our local
>(very tiny) Vietnamese deli.

Is it paste or dried tamarind fruit?  The stuff in bricks in Indian 
stores is whole fruit with seeds and fiber and has to be soaked and 
strained.  I usually buy tamarind concentrate which comes in little 
plastic jars and keeps indefinitely in the fridge.  Sometimes I see 
tamarind pods in Mexican or Indian stores, and even in our largest 
store, Meijers.

Try mixing the strained tamarind with brown sugar or jaggery and then 
diluting for a wonderful drink.  I haven't looked for documentation, 
but I believe this is period, at least in the ME.

Tamarind, a few dates, jaggery and cumin make the brown sweet sour 
sauce served with Indian snacks.  (Jaggery is an unrefined Indian 
sugar).

Ranvaig