Ready To Welcome 'Indian Date' Into Your kitchen??

Almost a year ago ,Seduce your Tastebuds played host for one of the popular events in blogosphere -Think Spice..,started by Sunitha of Sunita’s World.With so many spices to select from,I chose my favorite Sesame seed.The response really good!!I got two dozen entries.

Then I wanted to host the event yet again and dear Sunita was kind enough to let me host it for the second time!Thanks a bunch Sunitha…

This time I have chosen a spice that has a culinary use,considered as a herbal remedy for certain illness,used to prepare dyes and to make furniture.Yes,it none other than Tamarinda indica.I did confuse you didn’t I?Well ,the chosen spice for the month is Tamarind!!!!

Tamarind is a spice cultivated extensively in the Indian sub continent,South east Asia and West Indies. The spice that we use for cooking is enclosed in a capsule and has black colored seeds.The capsule and the seeds are removed and is commercially sold as pressed slabs or as a paste.

It has a wide range of culinary uses.

It is used as a souring agent in dishes like pickles and many of the Indian dishes
Used to prepare Worcestershire sauce,barbecue sauces .
The ripe fruit is used to prepare sweet syrups used in some beverages.
It forms an excellent dips for snacks.
In some countries the tender leaves and flowers are eaten as vegetables.

Having said all this,here is what we are going to do this month..

1.Prepare a Vegetarian /Vegan dish with Tamarind and write about in your blog.

Feel free to share all your thoughts and information on the chosen spice. You can also mention how important this spice is in your kitchen i.e. how often you use it, apart from cooking do you use this spice for any other purpose and of course does this spice bring to you any fond memories – maybe from your childhood or did you cook this spice for someone special or did someone cook this for you on an unforgettable moment.

2.Link back to this announcement and to Sunita’s Think spice page for the benefit of the readers and for future references.

3. Mail your delicacy to seduceurtastebuds@gmail.com with the following details

-Your name
-Blog Name
-Recipe /Post title
-URL of the dish
-A picture of your creation.

4.Non bloggers can also send me your entries with the name of the dish, recipe and the photo of the dish.

5.If you have any recipe with tamarind in your archives just update the post with the two links.No need to re-post them.

6.The last date for the event is May 31st 2010.

So dear friends,all you ready to cook something with Tamarind this month?Am really eager to see all your yummy recipes so do send in as many entries as you wish….

Happy Cooking…