Tamarind Puy (Chilka Masoor) with Coconut & Tomato Tempering
Thursday, November 19, 2020
There was this tamarind tree in my Nani’s (grandmother) garden – amongst all the many fruit trees pregnant with summer harvests it was under this tamarind tree I used to seek refuge from the hot sweltering sun. There was something rather calming and cool about the shade of the tamarind’s branches with its’ piquant fruit and even sourer tiny leaves – I remember well that most of the fruit was always either eaten by the scavenger crows or fell to the ground and was worm-ridden. But when I found a perfect pod I would in silent delight, peal the crusty brown shell to reveal the juicy, acidic pulp which was tightly wrapped around perfect little shiny seeds – I would with excited restraint, slowly rip a piece and place it in my mouth with the expectant sour tannins to hit my tongue and make me quinge – half with pleasure and half in pain as the the sharp piquancy hit the back of my jaw – every Pakistani girl adored Imli and hence I was not alone in this mad self inflicted pleasurable torture.
It is this memory of Imli – Tamarind that always stays with me and is one of my favourite enhancers to cook with. It adds the much required sour balance to Pakistani cuisine, to cut the sweetness and heat in some recipes. It also enhances the flavour of some vegetables and meats but most of all it brings life to lentil. This is one of my fastest dhal recipes with a sweet nutty addition of fresh coconut and tomato in the tempering – bhagar, with cumin to add some fierceness, you can’t get enough of it.
Ingredients:
2 cups Puy lentil - Whole Masoor
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (lal mirch)
1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi)
3/4 – 1 tbsp of tamarind paste (depending on how sour you like it)
salt to taste
1 – 2 cloves of garlic chopped roughly
For the Tempering/Bhagar:
1 tbsp ghee
2 tsp whole cumin seeds (zeera)
2-4 baby plum tomatoes
1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 cup chopped fresh coconut, thinly sliced
A handful of chopped coriander leaves and about 1 tbsp of fried brown onions (I usually fry a batch and keep in a sealed box in the fridge) to garnish
Takes about 25-30 minutes to prepare and serves about 2-3 people with rice or roti
Method:
1. Rinse and then soak the lentil for about 15 minutes and boil enough water to cover the lentil and add the spices and garlic. Boil until water is dry and lentil is cooked through. Dish out in a serving bowl
2. Heat ghee in a small frying pan and add the cumin allow to crackle, add the tomato and let them cook a bit. Finally add the asafoetida and then throw in the coconut and fry for a few second. Pour over the dhal and sprinkle with coriander leaves and fried onions. Super simple and deliciously nutty and piquant – great with plain basmati or chapatti.