Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Tamarind Popcorn

Tamarind (Chintapandu, Imli)
Tamarind (Chintapandu, Imli)

Native to India, tamarind is prized for its intense sweet and sour flavor. A pantry staple, tamarind is added to dals, rasams, and sambars. Tamarind based pulusu and rice are lip smackingly good. For chutneys and pacchadis, tamarind is a must. Then there is tamarind-jaggery-cumin candy, a childhood favorite lollipop. I grew up having tamarind in different avatars. I love and prepare all the above tamarind-based preparations regularly at my home.

To celebrate Jihva-Tamarind, I wanted to try something new and unique. Constant thinking about it led to this tamarind flavored popcorn idea. Tamarind, salt, chilli powder, and for sweetness I added dates. Blend the ingredients together and simmer to concentrate the flavor. Coat the corn kernels with thick syrup and then microwave. Pop, pop, pop… Like the Polar skies lit with Aurora Borealis, the Tamarindus Indica seem to ignite a sublimely spectacular ruchi in popcorn. All natural and no nasty additives, and tasty. A date with tamarind popcorn is a must try for flavor-popcorn fans. I totally recommend.

Tamarind Syrup and Corn Kernels
Tamarind Syrup and Corn Kernels

Tamarind Popcorn

Plain corn kernels suitable for popcorn – about a quarter cup
Ping-Pong ball sized tamarind pulp, 6 dates, quarter teaspoon each – chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Take them all in a blender. Add about a cup of water. Puree to smooth.

Take the syrup in a thick-bottomed vessel and simmer until the volume reduces to half. This helps to concentrate the flavor. Cool. Lightly coat the corn kernels with syrup. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with another bowl. Microwave to pop the corn. Have a taste, and if required sprinkle salt and some chilli powder to taste. Toss and enjoy.

Tamarind Popcorn
Tamarind Popcorn and Sugarcane Juice
For JFI-Tamarind Event, Hosted by Lovely Sig of Live to Eat

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Chintapandu(Tamarind),Corn - Fresh,Jihva For Ingredients (Monday June 30, 2008 at 1:20 pm- permalink)
Comments (29)

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29 comments for Tamarind Popcorn »

  1. wonderful Indira

    Comment by Dee — June 30, 2008 @ 1:38 pm

  2. whoa! So creative!

    Comment by mystic — June 30, 2008 @ 2:11 pm

  3. It sounds different. Pictures are good.

    Comment by Nithu — June 30, 2008 @ 2:40 pm

  4. sounds very Iron chef indira 🙂 Pardon me my Food network, Michael symon just made olive popcorn in a similiar manner!

    Comment by ms — June 30, 2008 @ 3:35 pm

  5. Wow!! Amazing idea! Looks delicious! 🙂

    Comment by Kalai — June 30, 2008 @ 3:36 pm

  6. interesting combination…. need to try it out.

    Comment by usha — June 30, 2008 @ 5:02 pm

  7. This is something new. I’ll try it next time

    Comment by Roma — June 30, 2008 @ 7:54 pm

  8. Wow Indira, leave it to you to come up with something so innovative… 🙂 Love it!

    Hi Sig, Thanks for featuring one of my favorite ingredients for Jihva. I had great time preparing this recipe for JFI: Tamarind.
    -Indira

    Comment by Sig — June 30, 2008 @ 9:21 pm

  9. Amazing!!!!! What a wonderful idea! 🙂

    Comment by Kay — July 1, 2008 @ 5:48 am

  10. Love the tamarind “skeleton” in the first pic. Tamarind popcorn – that is something unique!

    Comment by rajalekshmy — July 1, 2008 @ 7:35 am

  11. This I didn’t see coming. Sounds intriguing…must give it a try.

    Comment by Shobana — July 1, 2008 @ 10:42 am

  12. Wow.., interesting combination….

    Comment by Kalva — July 1, 2008 @ 2:22 pm

  13. […] Tamarind Popcorn Tags: popcorn, tamarind […]

    Pingback by the tangy salty thing — champignon food — July 1, 2008 @ 5:22 pm

  14. hey indira…kudos to you for coming up with something soooo innovative..tamarind popcorn..i am sure it will be tangy and lip smacking good!!!great entry!!

    Comment by Divya — July 2, 2008 @ 12:18 am

  15. intresting!

    Comment by latifa — July 2, 2008 @ 2:42 am

  16. Excellent ! fabulous creativity Indira!!!!

    awesome combi

    Veda

    Comment by Veda — July 2, 2008 @ 6:59 am

  17. “pop, pop, pop… Like the Polar skies lit with Aurora Borealis”

    That is beautiful! I am trying to visualize that but I don’t know what Aurora Borealis is.:)

    Comment by Preeti — July 2, 2008 @ 11:09 am

  18. hey Indira…that was interesting. Wow will have to try it sometime. I loved your description even more. Cool one.

    Comment by sushama — July 2, 2008 @ 12:19 pm

  19. Looks great and sounds interesting.. I will definitely try this out.. I love to suprise my friends.. Thanks for the recipe 😉

    Mary

    Comment by mary — July 2, 2008 @ 4:34 pm

  20. This is amazing! How in God’s name do u come up with such beauties!

    Comment by DK — July 2, 2008 @ 8:04 pm

  21. That’s really an innovative idea Indira. Who else can come up with such a neat idea?

    Comment by Madhuram — July 5, 2008 @ 3:30 pm

  22. Dear Indira, is that an original creation? Tamarind Popcorn – Amazing! I have mentioned your recipe to whom ever I have met in the last few days – and everyone has been as surprised and impressed as I have been!

    Comment by pritya — July 8, 2008 @ 7:56 am

  23. Hats of to ur Creativity…

    I just love to read ur blog and especially ur pictures they are so wonderful…

    Comment by rashmi — July 8, 2008 @ 4:44 pm

  24. Very interesting and unique idea……

    Comment by Usha — July 16, 2008 @ 8:34 am

  25. really superb,
    I want to prepare some snacks with macaroni.If possible plzz give us some new recipies.

    Comment by khrao — September 29, 2008 @ 10:28 am

  26. Sorry where did you buy your tamarind from?

    Comment by Radha — March 9, 2013 @ 11:04 am

  27. The refreshing drink and this sweet dessert is the perfect combination for the hot summer evenings. Be well!

    Comment by http://www.resumeperk.com/blog/page/10 — March 9, 2018 @ 2:06 pm

  28. I also want to do something new and unique every time and such kind of post also motivate me. I am very happy to find such an amazing post regarding tamarind which is prized for its intense sweet and sour flavor.

    Comment by assignmenthelpfolks.com/essay-writer — December 18, 2018 @ 1:12 am

  29. I high appreciate this post. It’s hard to find the good from the bad sometimes, but I think you’ve nailed it! would you mind updating your blog with more information?

    Comment by Health Blog Covering Nutrition Psychology and Health Care — April 30, 2019 @ 3:58 am

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