Imli (noun.) know as tamarind in english has a delicious sweet-sour flavour. It can be eaten raw or added to foods to get a refreshing chutney or condiment or beverage. The pods come from the leguminous tamarind tree that belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The legume has sticky tart pulp and pods are dry. The pulp can be used as a base for all types of savoury recipes and condiments. It is recurrently used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian recipes.
The tangy taste of the pulp is used to make soups and stews sour and zingy. It can be added to sweets, vegetables and rice or pilau dishes. Tamarind chutney is popular in North India, often served along with street foods like aloo ki tikki and gol-gappa. It is made by soaking tamarind pods, squeezing the pulp, mixing it with jaggery, saunth and a pinch of spices (Ilaichi, Dalchini and Lavang powder) cooking it down into a semi-thick soup.