indian curry paste/tamarind question

[exurb]

One of the things I used to love was Patak's Vindaloo curry paste. I would like to make a raw analogue.

Here are the SAD ingredients

Vegetable oil, coriander, salt, tamarind, water, cumin, turmeric, chilli, corn flour, ground ginger, garlic powder, spices, acidifiers (acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid).

I would like to be able to mix up a batch and not have to mix it up every time.

I have a block of tamarind paste in my fridge. I have cut into it a while ago, and it doesn't seem to have gone "off" in any way. Does anyone know about keeping tamarind paste, does it keep after it's opened or do you have a limited amount of time to use a block once you open it?

[aisah]

Hi Exurb,

I am not sure how the tamarind pastes are like over there but here in asia it keeps indefinitely. We do not even store it in the fridge. We keep it in a ceramic/claypot type of container and it keeps for as long as it could lasts. It is after all meant to be sour and sour things are most likely close to ferment-like state. That is my guess but the storing is over here, it is indefinite.

best ~ a

[SamuelWilson]

I buy my tamarind in whole sun-dried pods and store them in a glass jars and vacuum seal them. Tamarind is very sour, more sour than limes. I really like it. I soak the amount of pods that I want, then I blend in a blender with enough water added to allow me to blend. I then strain through cheese cloth. I use cheese cloth in this particular application, because it does allow me to get some pulp. The paint strainer bags I have are so finely woven, which is good, that they hold back all the pulp and only allow the tamarind juice to pass through.

[leeleelocs]

Hi, I am clueless what is a Tamarind and what application do you use it for?

[SamuelWilson]

leeleelocs, Tamarinds are evergreen trees that can grow to 80 feet high. The fruit of this tree is a 3 - 8 inch long, brown, irregularly curved pods. As the pods mature, they fill out somewhat and the juicy, acidulous pulp turns brown or reddish-brown. When fully ripe, the shells are brittle and easily broken. The pulp dehydrates to a sticky paste enclosed by a few coarse stands of fiber. The pods may contain from 1 to 12 large, flat, glossy brown, obovate seeds embedded in the brown, edible pulp.

To make use of the edible sour pulp, you soak the pods and then blend with enough water to form a paste in your blender. You then strain through cheese cloth to form a tamarind sauce. Some times you have to take the tamarind juice and put it back in the blender with a few teaspoons of the pulp left behind in the cheese cloth to thicken it up a bit.

It is very good and what makes it so unique is that it is the most sour edible fruit on the planet. Much more sour than limes. Matter of fact, you have actually tasted tamarind before if you have ever ate "Sour Balls" hard candy. Many commercial candy companies use tamarind extract in their sour candies.

[exurb]

Thanks Aisah, excellent info, and good news! I have some asian fermented chiles that are like that too, they came in a block much like the tamarind and keep indefinitely. BTW, most of our tamarind paste here is the imported Asian stuff, the ingredients on mine are tamarind and salt, hopefully it's the same.

Also thanks Samuel! I'll try that when I use this stuff up. Have you ever tried the paste, is there a difference in taste?

leeleelocs, tamarind is also in good Phad Thai. There's a recipe in Renee Loux Underkoffler's book for a tamarind caesar salad dressing/dip that I also like.

If anyone has any other suggestions for the tamarind, please let me know!

[SamuelWilson]

More than likely, any jarred tamarind paste is not 100% raw. I buy sun-dried tamarind pods to ensure that I know what I am getting and that is 100% raw tamarind.

[exurb]

mine's not in a jar, it came in a block, wrapped in plastic.