What is tamarind paste, its composition and calorie content. Benefits and Potential Harms. What dishes can be prepared on its basis.
Contraindications and harm of tamarind paste
This product can hardly be called neutral, it has a pronounced taste and has a fairly strong effect on the human body. Therefore, he is capable of not only being useful. The following consumers of the product can feel the harm of tamarind paste:
- Suffering from gastritis and other diseases of the stomach and duodenum … The product can cause severe irritation of the mucous membrane, and if taken during an exacerbation, it may even develop internal bleeding.
- Diarrhea-prone … The mild laxative effect can be of disservice to those prone to diarrhea. Long-term disorders of the stool with dysbiosis and severe dehydration of the body are possible here.
- With food allergies … Pasta is a genetically foreign product for us, therefore it can cause quite strong food allergies. If you are predisposed to them, we advise you to start the test using a very small amount of seasoning. And only in the absence of a negative reaction, gradually increase the dose.
- Pregnant and lactating mothers … In women in a position, as you know, new chronic diseases are often acquired or old chronic diseases are exacerbated. This happens due to reduced immunity. This category, like nursing mothers, is not recommended to eat aggressive food, so as not to harm their own health. And in the case of lactation, the baby can also suffer, since most of the mother's nutritional components go into her milk.
- Children … An imperfect digestive system, as well as a lack of enzymes for processing, can have an extremely negative effect on a child's gastrointestinal tract. You will be lucky if the product just comes out undigested. It is worth seriously fearing gastritis and ulcers.
How to make tamarind paste
Almost any product that you prepare yourself turns out, if not tastier, then at least healthier than the store one. This paste is no exception. She comes to our country ready-made with the addition of preservatives to increase the shelf life. Of course, this not only reduces its beneficial properties, but also makes it somewhat harmful. Therefore, we offer you a simple recipe for tamarind paste, using which you will surely appreciate its wonderful taste and get the most out of the product. For a small amount of seasoning, which will be enough for several dishes, use 250 g of dried tamarind pulp. You can plant it in an oven or electric dryer for 8-10 hours at a temperature of 70 ° C. Finely chop the dried pulp, pour 250 ml of water and bring to a boil. Stir until the food is soft. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Then squeeze the liquid out well through cheesecloth and use in cooking. You need to store it in a hermetically sealed container, in the refrigerator, no more than a week. Please note that store-bought pasta is much thicker than homemade, as it is a concentrate. Recipes usually indicate the number of store versions. Therefore, if you made the pasta yourself, add 2-2.5 times more than the recipe recommends. Well, and now let's answer the main question - how is tamarind paste eaten and what it is added to. In Indian and Thai cuisine, pasta is actively used to prepare a variety of dishes - soups, side dishes, meat and fish. It is also added to compotes, jams, desserts.
The pasta has a sour fruity taste, which is generously shared with all the ingredients next to it.
Tamarind Paste Recipes
There are many great pasta recipes. They can be conditionally divided into two parts: traditional Asian, which have been cooked with this product for centuries, and later, European, which appeared due to the assimilation of tamarind in our area. We bring to your attention recipes from both groups:
- Ribs with BBQ sauce … Take 1 kg of lean pork ribs. Peel them from films and excess fat, rinse, dry, cut into portions. Prepare the marinade. To do this, take 100 ml of sunflower oil, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, juice of 1 medium lemon, a pinch of ground coriander, salt and black pepper. We dip the ribs into the marinade, mix well and send the meat to the refrigerator overnight, folding it into a glass dish and tightening it with cling film. Cooking the sauce. Mix the juice of one orange with its zest, add 2 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 cloves of garlic passed through a press, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a pinch of pepper mixture. We boil the liquid over a fire for 10 minutes, filter it and put it on the fire again. We introduce into it 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch diluted in 3 tablespoons of water. Boil the sauce again until thick. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C, cover the wire rack with foil and put the ribs on it. We put a container of water down. We bake for 10 minutes, turning over three times. Then we reduce the temperature to 150 ° C and simmer the meat for another 20 minutes. Grease the finished ribs with sauce and serve hot.
- Pad thai … Traditionally, this dish is cooked in a wok, a frying pan with a small bottom and wide edges. If there is no such pan, use a regular one. Pour 3 tablespoons of fish sauce into it, add 3 tablespoons of tamarind paste and 50 g of sugar (preferably cane sugar). Melt the sugar, drain the sauce. In the same frying pan without oil, fry 1 tablespoon of peanuts, remove them. In vegetable oil, save the shallots with finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, remove them. Fry 200 g of large shrimps in vegetable oil, turn the heat up and add 250 g of palm noodles to them, pre-soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Pour the sauce into the pan, mix well. When the noodles are not soggy, but still firm, add the sautéed vegetables, 30 g of bean sprouts, a pinch of ground red pepper, a chopped bunch of green onions, squeeze out the lime juice and sprinkle with peanuts. Stir, serve hot.
- Kuzambu … This Indian dish has another name - sambar. Take 200 g of red lentils and pour 1.5 liters of water, bring to a boil, simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, until the lentils soften. In a skillet, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, turmeric, grated ginger, coriander, dried cumin, grated coconut and a pinch of cayenne pepper. After a couple of minutes, put 50 g of cauliflower, green beans, eggplant cubes, carrot strips, green pepper cubes and tomato cubes in a spice pan in a pan with spices. Add lentils with liquid, season with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste, salt to taste. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve hot.
- Chutney … Traditional Indian sauce is served with meat and fish, cold and hot appetizers. Take 0.5 liters of water, add 2 tablespoons of tamarind paste to it. Bring to a boil and add 10. finely chopped dates. Cook until the sauce thickens. Strain and return to fire. Heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan, send 1 tablespoon of sesame and Dijon mustard to it, fry for 2-3 minutes, add them to the sauce. Send there a pinch of salt and ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of red pepper (ideally cayenne), 4 tablespoons of sugar. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Serve chilled.
However, not only dishes can be prepared with pasta, but also drinks:
- Tamarind water … The perfect lighting drink is easy to prepare. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of tamarind paste in 1 liter of boiled water and let it brew for 3 hours. Strain and rub through a sieve, remove non-uniform residues. Add 3 tablespoons of sugar, stir well. Refrigerate and serve with ice cubes and a mint leaf.
- Apple and Indian dates compote … It turns out not only very tasty, but also beautiful. Take 1 kg of apples of any kind, wash, dry, remove the peel and seeds. Cut into slices, pour 2 liters of water and put on fire. When it boils, add 100 g of sugar, cook for 10 minutes. Then add 3 tablespoons of tamarind paste and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn it off, let it cool on its own with the lid closed, strain, chill and enjoy the rich taste.
Interesting facts about tamarind paste
It is believed that for the first time, pasta began to be prepared in a thousand years BC in Africa. Then the trees began to grow in Asia, where they loved the product very much. But even before using it in cooking, Asians appreciated the healing effect of the bark and fruits of the Indian date in medicine. Decoctions and infusions, which are actively used to treat many ailments, were made from them then and are still being made.
Tamarind paste is part of the famous Worcestershire sauce, named after the place of preparation - in the English county of Worcestershire. It includes more than twenty ingredients, including anchovies, celery, ginger, garlic, curry, horseradish, bay leaf and other ingredients. But the crown of taste in this sauce is added by tamarind paste. It endows the national product with a specific fruity taste with sourness.
In Asian countries, pasta is used even in temples. She is used to clean brass jewelry from grease, oxidation and a greenish film - patina.
And on the famous island of freedom, Cuba, there is a city whose coat of arms depicts a beautiful tamarind, and pasta from it is a must-have product offered in any cafe, shop or market.
Watch a video about tamarind paste:
They say that if you try pasta at least once, you will remain a fan of it forever. Considering the benefits of the product and its availability, we advise you not to limit yourself in this gastronomic addiction.
