Tamarind is used for cooking extensively all over south and in Mangalore almost all older households have a tamarind tree in their garden. We use it for almost all curries ,Sambhar, rasam  fish and sea food preparations ..We also make a pickle with green chilies, ginger and tender tamarind  which is very tasty !

Chinta Chiguru,a combination of  the tender leaves of Tamarind tree  combined with any pulse makes a tasty preparation. This is a favorite dish in AP. Additionally, Tamarind has many medicinal uses. It works effectively to reduce inflammation. Improves the digestive system, reduces fever Improves Cardio Vascular functioning.

usha manohar wrote:

Tamarind is used for cooking extensively all over south and in Mangalore almost all older households have a tamarind tree in their garden. We use it for almost all curries ,Sambhar, rasam  fish and sea food preparations ..We also make a pickle with green chilies, ginger and tender tamarind  which is very tasty !

I use tamarind in a few dishes but for my daily dal and curries, I use Kokam or 'aamsul' as we call it in Marathi. But I really tamarind-dates chutney which I make in large quantities to be used occasionally with chaats and other such savouries. Apart from that, we make a special preparation called 'panchamrut' using tamarind on festivals and special occasions.

@ Kalyani, I too use Kokam , we call it punarpuli , since we have trees in my ancestral home. Most of the fruits,are eaten and the skin dried and preserved . You can make sherbet and rassm out of it 

usha manohar wrote:

@ Kalyani, I too use Kokam , we call it punarpuli , since we have trees in my ancestral home. Most of the fruits,are eaten and the skin dried and preserved . You can make sherbet and rassm out of it 

Yes Usha, kokum sherbet is a summer favorite. In Maharashtra we make saar from kokum, which is our version of rassam, but sweeter and lighter, Solkadhi which is made with coconut milk and kokum juice to which a dash of garlic and chilly is added. I also like to make kokum chutney, especially with parathas.

We do not get Kokum in our parts of the country but tamarind is commonly used especially for chutney. I always bring ready made juice of Kokum whenever I go to Goa.  

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

@ Kalyani, I too use Kokam , we call it punarpuli , since we have trees in my ancestral home. Most of the fruits,are eaten and the skin dried and preserved . You can make sherbet and rassm out of it 

Yes Usha, kokum sherbet is a summer favorite. In Maharashtra we make saar from kokum, which is our version of rassam, but sweeter and lighter, Solkadhi which is made with coconut milk and kokum juice to which a dash of garlic and chilly is added. I also like to make kokum chutney, especially with parathas.

That reminds me Kalyani, some time back I had dinner with some friends and one of the guests , a Maharashtrian lady had bought a very spicy but tasty chutney made with garlic, green chilies and probably mustard and said it was a popular dish in her community ..Do you know about it ?

I am listening first time about kokum. Plz post image of kokum.

In AP , we make delicious  preparation Known as Bendakaya pulusu or a stew with Okra. In this preparation tamarind is used liberally.

usha manohar wrote:

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

@ Kalyani, I too use Kokam , we call it punarpuli , since we have trees in my ancestral home. Most of the fruits,are eaten and the skin dried and preserved . You can make sherbet and rassm out of it 

Yes Usha, kokum sherbet is a summer favorite. In Maharashtra we make saar from kokum, which is our version of rassam, but sweeter and lighter, Solkadhi which is made with coconut milk and kokum juice to which a dash of garlic and chilly is added. I also like to make kokum chutney, especially with parathas.

That reminds me Kalyani, some time back I had dinner with some friends and one of the guests , a Maharashtrian lady had bought a very spicy but tasty chutney made with garlic, green chilies and probably mustard and said it was a popular dish in her community ..Do you know about it ?

Usha, there are hundreds of types of chutneys prepared in Maharashtra, both wet as well as dry preparations. What she must have served you is probably what we call as 'kharda'. Although I do not use mustard in that. My version of it is , fry green chillies in oil for a few minutes, grind the chilliies, garlic and a little bit of salt. And add lemon juice. That's it. It could be the one she served you. But each family has their own version of chutneys which others would not make.