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1000 recipes · 100 countries · updated weekly

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Dish of the week: Holubtsi

15 Tamarind Recipes From 12 Cuisines.

A sticky brown pod pulp that delivers sour with a dark, almost molasses-like depth, quite different from the clean acidity of lime or vinegar. It is the sourness in pad thai, in South Indian sambar and rasam, in Mexican agua fresca and candy, and in Worcestershire sauce. Blocks of compressed pulp need soaking in hot water and straining out the seeds and fibre; concentrate in a jar is faster but harsher and needs adjusting.

15 recipes on this route

The recipes.

Bowl of sour tamarind fish laksa with thick rice noodles, shredded pineapple, cucumber, red onion and mint

Malaysia1 hr 25 min

Asam Laksa

Penang Sour Fish Noodle Soup

Butterflied grilled chicken lacquered in orange coconut spice gravy with charred edges on a wooden board

Malaysia1 hr 35 min

Ayam Percik

Kelantan Grilled Chicken in Coconut Gravy

Bowl of Pakistani chana chaat with chickpeas, potato cubes, red onion, tomato and tamarind chutney

Pakistan55 min

Chana Chaat

Chickpea, Potato and Tamarind Salad

Two soft turmeric-yellow fried baras folded around curried chickpeas with tamarind sauce dripping onto waxed paper

Trinidad and Tobago3 hr 10 min

Doubles

Trinidadian Curried Chickpeas in Fried Flatbread

Crisp hollow fuchka shells stuffed with spiced potato, chickpeas and egg beside a bowl of tamarind water

Bangladesh2 hr 15 min

Fuchka

Bangladeshi Crisp Shells with Spiced Filling

A tray of Iraqi dolma turned out as a dome, with stuffed peppers, aubergines, onion cups and vine leaf rolls in red broth

Iraq3 hr 20 min

Iraqi Dolma

Mixed Stuffed Vegetables in One Pot

A whole carp split flat and grilled, skin blistered and flesh stained gold with turmeric, served on a board with onion and lemon

Iraq1 hr 30 min

Masgouf

Iraqi Split-Grilled River Carp

Chunks of octopus in a thick golden coconut curry sauce with green chilli and chopped coriander

Tanzania1 hr 25 min

Pweza wa Nazi

Octopus in Coconut Curry

Whole grilled fish glazed with thick orange coconut sauce, scattered with coriander and lime wedges

Kenya1 hr 20 min

Samaki wa Kupaka

Grilled Fish in Coconut Sauce

Bowl of South Indian sambar with shallots, aubergine and drumstick in tamarind lentil broth, curry leaves on top

India1 hr

Sambar

South Indian Tamarind Lentil and Vegetable Stew

Charred beef satay skewers on a plate with a bowl of coarse peanut sauce, raw onion wedges and cucumber

Malaysia5 hr 15 min

Satay Kajang

Malaysian Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Split snapper head simmering in a red tamarind curry with whole okra, eggplant batons and curry leaves

Singapore1 hr 5 min

Singapore Fish Head Curry

Snapper Head in Tamarind Curry

Every recipe on this route.

All 15 of them, alphabetically, with the country each one comes from.

also known asimli, asam jawa, me chua

common in