Tamarind sauce and tamarind paste: what they are and how to use them

Tamarind sauce (imli chutney in India, sos tamaryndowy in Polish) is a thick, dark brown sauce that tastes sweet and sour. It is served with samosa, pakora and chaat. Tamarind paste is the same fruit pulp without sugar: a sour ingredient that goes into curry, sambar and pad thai. They come from the same pod, but you cannot swap one for the other.

What tamarind is

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica, imli in Hindi, tamaryndowiec in Polish) is a tree from tropical Africa that has grown in India and South-East Asia for a long time. Its fruit is a brown pod. Under the brittle shell there is a sticky, dark pulp with hard seeds and fibres. It tastes sour and fruity, with notes of prunes and dates.

In Indian, Thai, Indonesian and Mexican cooking, tamarind gives sourness, much as vinegar, lemon or pickles do in European food. It is also an ingredient of Worcestershire sauce.

Sauce, paste or block: the difference

You will find three main forms in the shop. The Polish names help when the label is in Polish:

• Tamarind sauce (imli chutney, sos tamaryndowy). Ready to serve: pulp with sugar or jaggery, often with dates, cumin and ginger. It is sweet and sour at the same time. Use it as a dip or a drizzle.
• Tamarind paste or concentrate (pasta z tamaryndowca). Thick, sour pulp without seeds, usually without sugar. You add it by the teaspoon to dishes as they cook.
• Tamarind block (tamaryndowiec w bloku). Pressed pulp with seeds and fibres. You soak it and strain it. It has the most natural taste.

These products do not replace each other one to one. The sauce is sweet and does not suit a curry. The paste is very sour and is no good as a dip.

How to make tamarind pulp from a block

1. Break off a piece of the block the size of a walnut (about 30 g).
2. Pour ½ cup of hot water over it and leave it for 15–20 minutes.
3. Mash the pulp with your fingers or a fork.
4. Push everything through a sieve. Throw away the seeds and fibres.

You get a thin brown pulp for sambar, rasam, fish curry or pad thai sauce. Ready-made tamarind paste is stronger than this pulp, so start with less and add more to taste.

How to use tamarind sauce

Ready-made tamarind sauce is the easiest way to try the taste. It goes with:

1. samosa and pakora, as a dip next to green mint and coriander chutney;
2. chaat, for example papdi chaat and aloo tikki chaat, together with yoghurt;
3. pani puri, where the sweet sauce meets the spicy, sour spiced water;
4. roast vegetables and grilled meat, as a sweet and sour glaze.

If you prefer to make the sauce yourself, read our guide chutney: what it is and how to make it. Pani puri has its own pani puri recipe.

Keep opened sauce and paste in the fridge. Keep a tamarind block in a closed pack in a dry place.

What to use instead of tamarind

Instead of tamarind paste in a curry, use lime juice with a little brown sugar, or amchur (dried green mango powder). The taste will be more citrusy and less fruity. Instead of tamarind sauce with samosa, serve mango or plum sauce with a little vinegar, but it will be a different dip.

Where to buy tamarind in Poland

Little India sells ready-made Maggi tamarind sauce 425 g and Pravin Suhana date and tamarind chutney. For cooking there is TRS tamarind paste 400 g and the TRS tamarind block. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships orders across Poland.