Traditional Tamarind Pickle

Ingredients:

Raw Tamarind 3/4 kg
Tamarind 1/4 Kg
Turmeric 1 tbsp
Salt 1/4 kg

For 1 Cup Pickle:

Fenugreek Seeds a Pinch
Whole Red Chiles 4 – 6
Jaggery 3 tbsps
Asafoetida a big Pinch
Oil 2 tbsps

Method of preparation:

Wash and pat dry fresh raw tamarind.
Chop off the ends and chop the raw tamarind into 3 – 4 pieces.
Using a mortar and pestle, carefully pound the chopped tamarind into small chunks.
Make sure the seeds are not beaten hard.
Add the tamarind, turmeric powder and salt to the crushed raw tamarind.
Thoroughly pound everything together into chunky mass.
Take the ground tamarind mixture and transfer it to clean dry jar.

Cover and leave the jar in a dark place for 3 whole days.
Then, spread the ground tamarind onto a wide plate.
Pick all the tamarind seeds and tamarind veins and discard them.
Pound the remaining chunky tamarind mixture until it completely mashes up.
When the tamarind is totally crushed, transfer it to the same jar used before.
Preserve the ground tamarind mixture in a dry dark place.
This tamarind mixture stays for couple of years.

Follow the below recipe to make a cup of the tamarind pickle.

Take around 3/4 cup of preserved tamarind pickle.
Dry roast the red chili and fenugreek seeds until aromatic and grind them into fine powder.
Grind the tamarind pickle, ground powder and jaggery into smooth paste using a good grinder.

Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida and the ground tamarind pickle.
Cook the pickle for a minute to bring all the flavors together and then remove from heat.
Store tight in a jar and serve tamarind pickle with rice or with roti or with dosa etc.