Black Velvet Tamarind Compote

In my quest to incorporate one of my favourite wild fruits into my regular diet, I decided to make black velvet tamarind (awin ), into some sort of compote, and it worked.

It is really simple and straightforward, shell the fruits, boil in some water and add some brown sugar. Those who love the sweet and tangy taste of the fruit will most definitely love the taste of this compote and it can be pretty much used as you would any other fruit compote; added to yoghurt, served with ice-cream and also used like jam.

To discover this very unique and exotic taste of the black velvet, try this very simple recipe.


Ingredients:

• A handful of shelled black velvet tamarind (about 200g or more) 
• Brown sugar (vary quantity according to your preference for sweetness) 
• 1-1.5 cups of hot water 
• Fresh natural yoghurt 
• Honey (to sweeten the yoghurt)

What to do:

Transfer the orange velvet tamarind pulps into a deep base pan. Add the hot water and allow the pulp to boil in the water for about 1 minute.

Then add sugar and stir. Boil slowly under low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Use a metal spoon to stir the mixture to release the tiny black seed. These come out easily when the pulp becomes soft.

Carefully remove the seeds, then continue to boil until you achieve a sticky thick consistency. Allow to cool and then store in the fridge until needed. 

Sometime later, serve compote with honey sweetened fresh natural yogurt. (matter of fact, I actually did enjoy eating the compote warm!)

Enjoy!