Tamarind and lemongrass paste

Babiche Martens

Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups	Water
2 Tbsp	Tamarind pulp (Main)
3 Tbsp	Desiccated coconut
½ Tbsp	Lemongrass, finely chopped
2 cloves	Garlic
2 tsp	Fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp	Lime juice, fresh
2 tsp	Ground cumin
2 Tbsp	Palm sugar, grated
1	Bird's eye chilli
1 tsp	Salt

Directions

1. Put the tamarind into a bowl. Cover with the hot water and leave until it is soft. When cool enough to touch, rub it with your fingers to dissolve into the water then strain through a fine sieve.
2. Add the coconut, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, lime juice, cumin, palm sugar and salt.
3. Remove the seeds from the chilli if you prefer less heat. Finely chop and add. Pour all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a heat until the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients are well combined. Let cool before putting into sterilised jars.