161 tamarind recipes

Indian Recipes using Tamarind, imli | Indian Cooking with Tamarind, Imli | South Indian Recipes with Tamarind, Imli | 

Indian Recipes using Tamarind, imli | Indian Cooking with Tamarind, Imli | South Indian Recipes with Tamarind, Imli | 

Tamarind is a widely used spice-condiment in most south Asian cuisines including Indian and Thai cooking. Commonly known as imli, it grows in trees as a soft, dark brown coloured pod with black coloured seeds encased inside it. The pod, which is soft, sticky and sour, is the part that is used in cooking.

Tamarind is avaiable in sweet and sour varieties. The sour variety is used in Indian cooking, while Thai cuisine mainly uses the sweeter version. One famous Thai recipe which makes use of tamarind is Rice Noodles with Vegetables in Thai Red Curry Sauce. Most varieties of tamarind have a very sour taste while young. Although the fruit gets sweeter as it ages, the basic flavour is predominantly sour and acidic.

A famous drink made using tamarind is Amlana. Have you heard of it? If not, try it out today. It is a delicious Rajasthani drink made with tamarind pulp, perked up with spices like pepper and cardamom. The addition of black salt imparts a wonderful flavour, which is further enhanced by the minty garnish.

Tamarind needs to be soaked before use. Usually tamarind pulp and tamarind water are used in cooking. The tamarind too after removing the pulp or making water is discarded. As the name suggests, tamarind pulp is thick as compared to the tamarind water. Learn how to make the perfect tamarind pulp. The use of either of these lend a typical sour taste to the dish in which it is added and this taste is quite pleasing if added in correct proportion.

South Indian Recipes using Tamarind, Imli

Tamarind and South Indian cuisine has a very deep relation. It forms a part of many dishes in this region and it is said that, ‘A South Indian kitchen is incomplete without tamarind’.

The most prominent use of tamarind is in making Sambar – a delicacy made in most South Indian households almost daily. The sourness of this recipes is a combination of tamarind pulp and tomatoes both. A common way to have sambar is with steamed rice, papadum and spicy mango pickle for lunch.

Similarly, rasam another delicacy served with a variety of South Indian dishes like vada, rice, idli etc. also gets a part of its tempting flavours and aroma due to the use of tamarind. This homeliest South Indian recipe made with rasam powder is a thin lentil soup perked up with tamarind pulp and chopped tomatoes, a traditional rasam powder, and a simple seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Tamarind Rice is a South Indian style tamarind rice. Tamarind rice or popularly known as puliyodharai, puliyogare, pulihora, puli sadam is a famous South-Indian tangy, spicy rice preparation. Puli” refers to Tamarind in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. The essence of this recipe is not just the use of tamarind pulp, but also a special spice powder made with 3 types of dals with Kashmiri red chillies and sesame seeds. Try it out!

South Indian sabzis are no exception. Imli finds it splace in this course too. Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan is a classic example of this. It is an Indian curry of Bhavnagri chillies, flavoured with a rich paste of roasted peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds and red chillies. Mirchi in hindi refers to green chilli and salan in an urdu word which refers to curry. People have Hyderabadi mirchi ka salan along biryani but this versatile curry also goes very well with chapatti, rice or paratha.

The Karnataka’s famous Bisi Bele Bhaat also features tamarid along with a host of spices and coconut as its main ingredient. In this recipe, rice and toovar dal along with a special coconut paste and tamarind pulp is pressure cooked and finally served with a dollop of ghee as a one dish meal.

Ah! The famous chutneys of south served with a variety of dosas are truly irresistible. Some of these make use of tamarind too. The famous Mysore Chutney has a combination of dals, tamarind and spices. Tamarind pulp lends the necessary sourness and to balance it jaggery is used in small quantities.

Another not so famous chutney of South is Curry Leaves Chutney. It is made with spices, daria, curry leaves, tamarind pulp and sesame seeds and really come in handy on days when you do not have time to prepare chutney or Sambhar to accompany your Idlis and dosas. To make an interesting snack, you just need to coat your cooked idlis with til oil mixed with Curry Leaves Chutney Powder, or sprinkle some powder on the semi-cooked dosa before turning it around, to make a self-sufficient snack!

Indian Snack Recipes with Tamarind, Imli

Who doesn’t love to indulge in snacks? Made with an array of spices, chutneys, topped with sev and coriander, they are the most tempting. Yes, we are talking about Indian Chaat Recipes. The famous Mumbai roadside snack Pani Puri makes use of loads of imli to get the authentic taste of its pani. Want to learn the exact proportion of ingredients that go in making this recipe, find out here!

And how about the Meetha Chutney which is also served along with pani puri? It also is made with tamarind as its base ingredient. Its use is not restricted to just pani puri, but it is also used in most Indian Chaat Recipes like Bhel PuriSev Puripapdi chaat and ragda pattice. Indian chaat is incomplete without the accompaniment of Meetha Chutney.

Have you ever tried the famous West Indian Patra? It is sweet, spicy and salty—all at the same time. Ingredients of paatra are simple, made from colocasia leaves (arbi ke patte), besan, tamarind water, jaggery, green chilli paste and Indian spices. Getting the right proportion of ingredients is definitelt important to enjoy its traditional flavor, but rolling patra is more of an art to be acquired. Learn the secret of making Steamed Patra with 28 step by step photos.

Indian Dals and Sabzi Recipes using Tamarind, Imli

India is a diverse country with varied cultutre and traditions and with it also follows a variety in terms of cuisine. However, tamarind is one such ingredient which finds place in many Indian cuisines from Gujarati to Maharshtrian and even Hyderabadi to Sindhi. Let’s explore some main course sabzi recipes where tamarind is of utmost importance for its flavor, colour and aroma it lends.

The authentice Maharashtrian Paatal Bhajiis a nourishing daily fare which can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Made with chopped colocasia leaves, chana dal and a cocont paste, it is further perked up with the right balance of imli pulp and jaggery. This iron rich recipe is surely worth a try!

Bharleli Vaangi is an all-time  favourite Maharashtrian bhaji that tastes great. It is a semi-dry sabzi that is very popular in Maharashtra and quite easy to make. Maharashtrian bharli vangi is made on day to day basis in Maharashtrian household. This has a specially crafted masala mixture which again has tamarind-jaggery combo for the right sweet and sour flavours. Make this authentic recipe the quick way in a pressure cooker and enjoy it with chapati.

Bored of having the usual dal for your everyday meal try our palak masoor dal recipe, the unbeatable combination of masoor dal with spinach nourishes your body with proteins, iron and folic acid. Tamarind pulp lends a nice tangy flavour to the dal. It’s a healthy dal to be enjoyed by people of all ages. 

Sindhi Kadhi is a besan based curry with lots of vegetables. It is one such fare where all the vegetables are used beautifully to complement each other in taste, colour and texture. Tamarind pulp, though, in small quantities adds its own unique sourness to this dish. Relish it with Steamed Rice.


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This one’s a great meal by itself. Nutritious and tasty, it can be cooked in a jiffy if you have everything cleaned, chopped and ready in hand. Toovar and chana dal are cooked with a melange of vegetables: pumpkin, brinjal and potatoes seasoned with spices, tamarind, jaggery and more for a sweet-sour tasty meal.
This dish is unmistakably Oriental, through and through! A colourful assortment of veggies is stir-fried to give it a delectable crunch that only perfect stir-frying can achieve. Noodles topped with these crispy veggies, succulent paneer and a tongue-tickling peanut sauce makes a satiating one dish meal within minutes. The sweet and sour peanut sauce used in this recipe is a quick-fix made using peanut butter, tamarind pulp and other ingredients. It is quite convenient and easy to make. You can stir-fry the veggies, prepare the noodles and the peanut sauce ahead of time. However, assemble the Oriental Stir-Fry Vegetables in Peanut Sauce just before serving. You might have to re-heat the sauce and veggies before doing so.
Great taste without oil! If that’s hard to believe, just try this recipe first. This Khatti Meethi Dal features a very different combination of ingredients. You might never have tried adding roasted beaten rice to a dal recipe, but you will be amazed by the brilliant texture and flavour that it gives. Likewise, kokum gives its distinctive sourness to the recipe, while radish boosts the flavour and aroma. This unique assortment of ingredients not only gives the Sweet and SourZero Oil Dal a wonderful flavour, but also a good deal of fibre and iron. Serve with rice and roasted papad .
Yum-yum! A snack can’t get tastier than this. In fact, it is so tasty, you will be left wondering whether you had Crispy Rice Noodles with Vegetable Salad or a tongue-tickling chaat. A plateful of deep-fried rice noodles is topped with a crunchy veggie salad and a tangy dressing. The twist in this whole dish lies in the dressing, which has a very desi flavour thanks to ingredients like jaggery, tamarind pulp and black salt. You can deep-fry the noodles in advance and store it in an airtight container, but assemble this dish just before serving to enjoy the exciting mix of textures and flavours. A great Party snack and salad that you can dish up quickly.
Here is a wonderful combination of mushrooms and oats that is jazzed up with the flavours of green chillies, coriander, onions and pepper. Low in calories, rich in protein, this is a perfect choice even for the health conscious.
A perfect accompaniment for Appam Quick Idiyappam and Set Dosa too, the Madras Onion Stew is a really exciting preparation of shallots with a mind-boggling array of flavours. Ranging from tangy tamarind pulp to soothing coconut milk, not to forget crunchy onions and a traditional tempering, this dish has a well-balanced set of ingredients, which make it really appealing to the taste buds. However, the real highlight of this recipe is the masala paste made with coconut, ginger, garlic and spice powders. It gives the Madras Onion Stew such an intense aroma that you can smell it simmering in the kitchen even from the neighbour’s house!
A mouth-watering sweet and sour peanut sauce dresses a satiating combination of sautéed veggies and noodles, to make a dish that will appeal to all. As in most Oriental dishes, the Noodles with Peanut Sauce also features an assortment of crunchy veggies such as bean sprouts, carrots and cabbage along with succulent paneer, all cooked minimally to retain their exciting textures. If you plan to serve this at a party, make sure you reserve a few portions to bring out later, as this wonderful dish is sure to be wiped off within a jiffy!
rasawala dhokla recipe | Gujarati style rasawala dhokla | khaman dhokla in rasa | with amazing 35 images. If you have enough dhoklas on hand, then this delectable one-dish meal can be prepared quite fast! rasawala dhokla is nothing but khaman dhoklas soaked in a sweet and spicy rasa (a thin sauce). Add the dhoklas to the rasa and simmer it just before serving, to ensure that the taste, look and feel of the Gujarati style rasawala dhokla is perfect. Dhokla is a soft and fluffy steamed snack from the Gujarati repertoire. This all-time favourite is enjoyed as a starter, as a tea-time snack, or even for breakfast. Basically, something you can have any time you are hungry! Procedure for rasawala dhokla is very quick when you have khaman dhokla ready in hand. All you need to do to make rasawala dhokla is make khaman dhokla and keep aside. Furthermore, to make the rasa heat the oil in a broad pan, add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies, we are making use of round red chillies (boriya marcha) which are widely used in Gujarati cuisine. If you don’t have them, you can add any variety of dried red chilli, chilli powder and turmeric powder and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds. Add 4 cups of water, jaggery, tamarind pulp and salt, mix well and boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the dhoklas and allow them to simmer in the rasa for 5 minutes. Serve Gujarati style rasawala dhokla immediately garnished with coriander. Rasa is basically water and spices. The Nylon khaman dhokla are a popular snack relished with green chutney but, the Rasawala Dhokla makes for a nice meal. If you are not going to eat the rasawala khaman immediately then don’t add dhokla and switch off the flame. The dhoklas soak the ras and become soggy so, if you are eating later they will become very mushy. It's important to add them just before eating Enjoy rasawala dhokla recipe | Gujarati style rasawala dhokla | khaman dhokla in rasa | with detailed step by step recipe photos and video below.
This irresistible Mixed Vegetable Dal is a chock-full of nutritious vegetables like kaddu, gavarfali and baingan along with a combination of toovar and masoor dals, which makes a wholesome meal in its own right. Instead of cooking the vegetables in oddles of oil, we have cooked them in water to reduce the use of oil, and to retain more of the nutrients. The amount of jaggery used in this recipe is also less as compared to other sweet dals.
ridge gourd chutney recipe | beerakaya pachadi | peerkangai chutney for Idlis, Dosas | healthy turai chutney | with 25 images. ridge gourd chutney is also known as turai chutney. Learn to make peerkangai chutney for Idlis, Dosas. To make ridge gourd chutney, in a mixer, add the sautéed ridge gourd, coriander, tamarind, coconut, green chillies, salt and ¼ cup of water and blend to a smooth paste and top with a tempering of dals and chillies. South Indians often combine roasted dals with sautéed veggies to make delicious chutneys like beerakaya pachadi, which go very well with idlis, dosas, puris and just about any snack. To enjoy these chutneys the traditional way, mix them with steaming hot rice topped with a dash of til oil or ghee, and relish with roasted urad papads. Here is how to use ridge gourd chutney in this fashion. ridge gourd is absolutely low in calories and carbs, thus making it a very virtuous choice for those on low-cal and low-carb diet. Consuming ridge gourd regularly can help to maintain blood sugar levels and hence this ridge gourd chutney is diabetics friendly. Enjoy ridge gourd chutney recipe | beerakaya pachadi | peerkangai chutney for Idlis, Dosas | healthy turai chutney | with step by step photos.
fried coconut chutney | roasted coconut chutney | nariyal chutney | with 15 amazing images. The mellow flavour of fresh coconut transforms into a more exciting one when it is roasted to a golden brown. This particular Fried Coconut Chutney (Roasted Coconut Chutney) capitalizes on the rich taste of roasted coconut, which is teamed up with other taste and texture enhancers like roasted dal, tamarind and red chillies. It is quite an easy chutney, but has a totally different flavour from the soft fresh coconut chutney. Fried Coconut Chutney (Roasted Coconut Chutney) goes well with any South Indian tiffin, such as idlis or dosa. It is not unusual to see people enjoying Roasted Coconut Chutney with puri, chapati, Lemon Rice or just plain steamed rice topped with ghee. Since the coconut is roasted, this chutney stays good for quite a few hours, and can be safely packed in the dabba for lunch. Enjoy fried coconut chutney | roasted coconut chutney | nariyal chutney | with step by step photos given below.
Peeled raw mangoes tossed with brown sugar, lemon juice and chilies transforms into a spicy, tangy salad that is unique in every respect. Serve it during a cozy family lunch or at a party; whatever the occasion, it will grab everybody’s attention.
Toovar dal with vegetables is a wholesome dish, full of vegetables and protein-rich dal. You need not stick to the veggies i have used – just open your fridge and throw in anything you find. You will love the fact that such a tasty and sumptuous dish can be prepared with just about no oil! remember to add the jaggery and tamarind, as they provide a much needed twist to cover up the plain taste of dal.
Sindhi kadhi showcases a rare combination of vegetables like corn, cluster beans, drumsticks, ladies finger and bottle gourd in a tamarind-flavoured gravy perked up with a wide range of spices and powders. It is indeed a delightful preparation that is sure to satiate your taste buds and your tummy!
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