Tetul Achar

Ingredients:

250g ripe tetul (tamarind)

Water as needed

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

500 g of sugar

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of garlic paste

1 cup of mustard oil

1 teaspoon of red chilli powder

Methods:

·        Wet the tamarind pieces in a bowl with 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Toast the cumin seeds on a hot tawa and grind into a powder.

·        Pour the tamarind extract mixed water through a sieve on a bowl. Squeeze the tamarind flesh on to the sieve so that the tamarind extract comes out as much as possible. Set aside on a bowl.

·        Pour the tamarind extract on a cooking pot and the sugar, salt, garlic paste, mustard oil, red chilli and cumin powders. Place the pot on stove with high heat and cook for 10 minutes. Stir continuously as it is cooked.

·        Put the mixture on bowl and cover with a light cloth so that no dust gets in but enough sunlight can be absorbed. Set the achar or pickle for sun drying for 2 weeks. Stir every day after sun drying each evening.

·        After two weeks the achar will become thick. Pour it in a jar and it can preserve and eaten for almost a year.