My new essay with two recipes, one for Tomato Dal, which uses
tamarind, and the other for a delicious accompaniment to the Dal, a
recipe for Baby Radish Raita.
The essay and recipes are available on
The Aerogram.
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| Tomato Dal |
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| Baby Radish Raita |
The flavor of tamarind — a fruity sourness — is a cornerstone of
South Indian cooking. It’s more often than not paired with jaggery,
especially in the cuisines of the northern part of Karnataka. Tamarind
makes an appearance in South Indian staples such as rasam (a thin lentil
soup), sambhar or dal (lentil and vegetable gravy), gojju (a condiment
in which tamarind is the central ingredient and jaggery the able
sidekick; it is served as an accompaniment to rice and rotis), chutneys
and chutney powders.
Whenever I think of the tamarind and its role in a meal, I am
reminded of a guitarist or a pianist, who as they are playing pieces in
the center of their instruments, suddenly swoop down to the edge, to the
bottom of the neck in the guitar or the edge of the piano keys, and
strike a note that reverberates long after their fingers have gone back
to the center. The tamarind is that note at the end — sharp, high
pitched, with a taste that stays long after you’ve gone back to the
somber breads or rice.
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| Chapati and Rice served with Tomato Dal and Baby Radish Raita |
