Category: Tamarind

  • From the Spice Box: Tamarind Candy

    As a kid, I used to sneak into the pantry when my parents weren’t around and tear off a little corner from the block of dried tamarind that was guaranteed to be aplenty in our house.  I would pop the hard knob of tamarind into my mouth, looking like a baseball player with dip wedged […]

  • Charu Au Poix (French Inspired Rasam)

    This is a guest post written by Raj Bala, Nithya’s brother, who is incidentally also a hungry desi. The French settled a colony in India called Pondicherry in 1673 on the Southeast coast of India. Their influence on the city is still evident today even though they didn’t necessarily fare as well in terms of […]

  • Sambar (Spicy Lentil Soup) and Akshaya Patra

    Daikon in Sambar Sambar is South Indian comfort food. It’s a mix of mashed nutty lentils, tomatoes and simple spices finished with the tanginess of tamarind. There are many different varieties and all families seem to have their own tricks.  Regardless, you follow the same essential steps no matter of the type of sambar.  Take […]

  • Simplifying: Methi Daal

    Simplify.  That’s my new years resolution (more on that later).  So what better way to start the new year than with a dish which is simple in its ingredients, simpler in its preparation and anything but that in the amount of comfort food flavor and nutrients that it delivers…Methi Daal (Lentil Soup with Methi, or […]

  • Indian Cure for a Cold: Tomato Garlic Rasam

    Tangy, spicy heat massaging my vocal cords.  Roasted mustard seeds, cumin, garlic and pepper steaming towards my nose.  Each maintaining a soft cadence under direction of the nutty paste of toor dhal.  Filling my belly.  Warming my throat.  Reviving my olfactory senses.  Cold cold go away.  Please don’t come back another day. R and I were not […]

  • Soba Noodles and Tofu in Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce

    I had a craving for soba noodles tonight and no time to stop by the grocery store, so my ride back to Brooklyn was spent ticking through things we already had in the fridge which might be soba noodle worthy.  My result was inspired by Heidi Swanson’s post on her blog, 101cookbooks.com (you can find […]