Tamarind trees are indigenous to Africa, and are used both as a spice and as a souring agent. It comes as a pod, in blocks of seedy pulp, or as concentrate in little jars you can get from the 'world food' section of larger supermarkets. It's a surprisingly versatile ingredient, going well with aubergine, oily fish, or in rich meaty stews and stirfries. Personally I think it tastes like very tart lime juice with rather more depth, but it's also got several similarities to dates.
Ramblings about the magical tamarind aside, this recipe is another inspired by the wonderful Groundnut cookbook, and a nice way of doing more with pork than just serving it up as a chop. The aim is for all the flavours to condense into a rich, unctuous, barbecue style dish.
What's the A to V?
Although often pale, pork is classified as a red meat and so is a source of heme iron. It's also rich in vitamins B1, B3, B12 and zinc. Tamarind meanwhile, contains decent amounts of B1, potassium, non-heme iron and magnesium.
Ingredients (Serves 4):
4 pork shoulder chops, or pieces of pork loin
2 spring onions & 1 carrot (very finely sliced or grated)
For the marinade
400g blueberries
3 tbsps of tamarind (concentrate is probably easiest)
75g honey
2 tsps of garlic granules
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp sumac
1 tbsp of ground black pepper
1 tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
Splash of water
Method
In a large bowl, mash the blueberries to a chunky pulp, and add the remaining marinade ingredients. Stir well, add the chops, cover in clingfilm, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. I usually cut the pork pieces into half again before adding them to the marinade, but this is really up to you.
When it comes to cooking the pork, place your meat and marinade into a baking tray, and cook at 140 degrees for 1 hour. After the hour has passed, turn the heat up to 180 degrees, and switch your oven setting to grill.
Grill the meat and juices for 10 to 15 minutes until everything is browned and condensed. To finish, sprinkle your finely sliced spring onions and carrots on top and serve with a grain.