Tamarind (known as Imli in Hindi) is a very popular ingredient used in Indian households for every day cooking. It is a sour dark coloured fruit that grows in a pod and is used extensively across the world to make a variety of dishes, candies and desserts. Though it is usually used to make savoury dishes but when combined with sugar, it creates a unique flavour and gives the dish the right balance of sweet and sour. From making fresh sweet and sour tamarind chutneys to adding them to dishes like Sambhar and Rasam to uplift their flavour and add a hint of tang to them, tamarind is indeed an essential part of Indian cuisine.

Tamarind (known as Imli in Hindi) is a very popular ingredient used in Indian households for every day cooking. It is a sour dark coloured fruit that grows in a pod and is used extensively across the world to make a variety of dishes, candies and desserts. Though it is usually used to make savoury dishes but when combined with sugar, it creates a unique flavour and gives the dish the right balance of sweet and sour. From making fresh sweet and sour tamarind chutneys to adding them to dishes like Sambhar and Rasam to uplift their flavour and add a hint of tang to them, tamarind is indeed an essential part of Indian cuisine.