Tamarind Paste / Imli Paste

Tamarind Paste:

Tamarind --  ½  kg.

Salt --  1 tsp ( no need to add more salt )

Water just to immerse tamarind.  Don’t  add more water , we need thick paste.

Put everything inside a 2 or 3 ltr cooker ….  Cook for a whistle. ( No need to use inner vessel )

Let it cool.

Strain using big hole strainer and get thick tamarind paste. 

Store this tamarind paste in zip lock covers or air tight containers in freezer.  You can store this up to a month.

Little bit of adding salt prevents the paste to become core hard while freezing.

When ever needed , take out only the required amount of tamarind paste and immediately keep the rest of the paste inside the freezer.   As we are going to cook tamarind paste along with other ingredients, no need to thaw before using. 

Very handy for the making Sambar,  Rasam,  Vathakuzhambu ,  Puli Upma , etc.