From Julie Sahni's _Classic Indian Cooking_:
"This tamarind relish has a sweet, sour, and hot taste. Its consistency is
like a cream sauce. It best accompanies Savory Pastries with Spicy Potato
Filling." (see my earlier post about samosas.)
Tamarind Chutney
1 large lemon-sized ball of tamarind (about 1/4 pound)
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses or brown sugar
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped pitted dates
1 1/2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala (recipe posted earlier)
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black salt (optional)
1. Put the tamarind in a bowl and add 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and let
soak for half an hour. Mash the pulp with the back of a spoon, or use your
fingers, to make it into a thick pulpy sauce. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water,
mix well, and let stand until lukewarm. When cool enough to handle, mash the
pulp again for a minute. Strain the juices through a sieve or cheesecloth
into another bowl, squeezing as much juice out of the pulp as possible.
Discard the fibrous residue.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and let rest at least 4 hours at
room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
This relish keeps well in the refrigerator for a week. It can also be frozen
successfully. Defrost slowly and thoroughly before serving.
Bob