Tamarind sauce vs paste?!
Tamarind sauce vs paste?
i see many recipies calling for tamarind paste but not for the sauce. is this the same as tamarind sauce? if not how would i use the sauce in place of the paste?
Answers: Tamarind paste is usually pure tam with maybe only water, it's usually dried tam rehydrated with a little warm water to make a paste.
Tam sauce is usually tam paste with other spices & flavors added (ground cumin, red chili powder, ground ginger powder...).
You can use the tam sauce but adjust the other seasonings in the recipe because they may be already present in the tam sauce, you dont want to add extra ground cumin to your recipe if the sauce already contains it. The tam sauce also usually contains sugar & salt.
They also make tam powder these days, which is easy & convenient. It's available in most Indian grocery stores. I would probably avoid the sauce if it is pre-made. Go to any supermarket and buy the tamarind pulp in a block, break off about a cupful, seeds, strands and all, add about 3 cups of hot water and leave to sit for 5 min, then mush it all up with your hands, the fun part, squeeze all the goodness out, then strain and use the liquid. Its real easy and so much better.