Tamarind Sauce (Ambli)

Sweet, tangy tamarind sauce is used with some fish and meat curries, chutneys, and drinks. It can be bought in cake or concentrate form in any Indian grocery store. Concentrate can be used straight from the container, whereas the cakes
require extra preparation, but they yield a more flavorful sauce.

Ingredients
16 oz (500 g) tamarind, in cake form

Method
1. Rinse and break up cake.
2. In a large glass bowl, soak pieces in enough boiling water to cover. Be sure to use glass because it will not react to the acidity of the fruit.
3. Leave tamarind to absorb water for a few hours. You may speed the process by heating it to the boiling point in a microwave. The mixture can begin to boil, but do not allow it to cook.
4. Squeeze mixture with your hands to extract the most flavor from the pods and then press through a colander or sieve.
5. To extract additional flavor, return the tamarind solids to the glass bowl and soak with a small amount of additional hot water. Use less water this time so juice will still be thick.
6. Repeat procedure of squeezing and pressing through
a colander or sieve.
7. Store in glass jars in freezer. Thaw as needed.