This dish is an idea I had after having a little tamarind sauce the other day. I thought it would be great to try and make a rice dish out of it, which had some sweetness about it but had a little bite of heat and sourness also.

The fruit, tamarind is found as a brown pod grown on a tree. It’s similar to a pea pod but much larger and is quite sweet but acidic like a lemon at the same time.

This is not for the faint hearted!  It’s a dish packed full of flavours to test your tastebuds, between sweet, sour and spicy.  Try this dish with something either fairly plain or sweet in flavour. A salty dish would not go well with this.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp tamarind concentrate
• 1/3 cup water
• 2.5 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp fennel powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ginger minced
• chilli to your liking
• lemon juice to taste
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp cashew nuts, chopped
• 1-2 tsp sultanas
• 2 serves cooked rice

Instructions:

1. Add the tamarind, sugar and water and cook till dissolved.
2. Add all other spices and cook until the mixture thickens.
3. Add the cashew nuts and warm through the mixture.
4. Stir in the cooked rice, ensuring the paste has mixed into the rice.
5. Stir in the sultanas and warm through the rice before serving.