Tamarind Paste for Easy Cooking

I want to prepare and store tamarind paste, so that whenever required I can directly use them in curries. It is better than soaking tamarind each time before cooking.

How long can I store and use such pre-prepared tamarind paste?

Thanks for your advice!

Hi Vinu,

this is how i make tamarind paste and refrigerate. It lasts for a couple of months.

Take about 500 gms of tamarind. Remove the seeds if any. Add the tamarind with very little amount of water to the blender or mixer along with lots of hing, salt and turmeric powder. Blend it into a thick paste. Do not add water later.

Refrgerate it storing in a plastic / glass container with tightly closed lid. Use a dry spoon for taking the pulp.

This tamarind pulp can be used for sambhar, rasam and for making tamarind rice too.
Hope this helps... let me know.

You can also try this method to prepare tamarind paste...

Soak tamarind with less water for couple of hours. Then squeeze the tamarind for a thick juice, add some turmeric to it and boil it until the paste thickens. After cooling the tamarind paste store it in a glass jar with lid.

This will stay good for 3 months.

Madhu.

Take about 500 gms tamarind & clean it very well-remove seeds , threads etc as far as possible. Soak it in enough water to soak completely in a small pressure cooker. Add 1/2 cup salt & 1 tsp turmeric powder. Pressurise it for one whitle & switch off. Open after 2 hrs & pass it through kitchen machine(like how we do with fruits to remove seeds etc). Or put it in a blender, if necessary adding some more water& strain. Discard the top portion or fibre part. It should be of thick sauce consistency to preserve for 2 months inthe fridge. If it is not thick enough allow it to evaporate by cooking on a stove or microwave. You can directly add to any dish since it is already cooked & there won't be any raw smell.
cv

We South Indians, prepare sambar or rasam almost daily. For that we have to soke 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 soke it in hotwater for ½ to one hour.
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. 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. Stair 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. 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.
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.

Hi Sumathi, This arrangement to see all the recipes of yours together in one place gives easy accessibility. Lot of works done by you. Keep it up! My best wishes.
Of all the things this tamarind paste is excellant and really the work of cooking is reduced to a few minutes. With this paste and APP we can prepare tastier food in the kitchen within no time.
Kithcuppa

Hi Chivish,
I use to store cooked and strained tamarind in Freezer. But now onwards I will add salt and turmeric powder to it. Thanks for your tips.

Dear Susri,
I have been following this method for the past 15 yrs !
In 92, I made many packs & carried it to my nieces in the U S A, as my gift !
Love,
Chithra.

microwave 1/4 kilo tamarind with i cup water for 5 mts
add one more cup water and squeeze the pulp. add turmeric and salt
and boil it for 10 mts to make it a paste. store it in airtight container
this is will last for 3 months

Hi All!
Thanks to all of u for giving details abt how to prepare tamarind paste... I have made it and it's come out well and saves a lot of time in my daily routine.

regards
ksv