Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Water
  • 3 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Concentrate)
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 0.5 cup Jaggery (grated) or Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder (roasted)
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
  • 0.5 tsp Ginger Powder
  • 0.5 tsp Black Salt (Kala Namak)
  • 0.5 tsp Amchur (Dried Mango Powder)
  • 0.25 tsp Garam Masala

Instructions:

  1. Combine 1 cup water, 3 tbsp tamarind paste, and 1 tsp tomato paste in your saucepan before turning on the heat. Note: Mixing while cold prevents the tomato paste from clumping.
  2. Add 0.5 cup grated jaggery and 1 tbsp rice vinegar to the mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat until the jaggery is completely liquid.
  3. Whisk in 1 tsp roasted cumin, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili, 0.5 tsp ginger powder, and 0.5 tsp black salt. Watch for the color to deepen as the spices hydrate.
  4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid reduces by about one third.
  5. Stir in 0.5 tsp amchur and 0.25 tsp garam masala during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Note: Adding these at the end preserves their volatile aromatic oils.
  6. Dip a metal spoon into the sauce. It should leave a visible trail when you run your finger through it until it looks like warm maple syrup.
  7. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Notice the sauce thickening significantly as the temperature drops.
  8. If the sauce is too thick after cooling, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water at a time until it reaches your desired dip ability.