Chinta chiguraaku podi [Tender tamarind leaves gunpowder]

Do you have tamarind trees growing where you are? Then you will also have a season when the tree puts out new leaves, an excuse to grab a basket and find leaves enough to make a chinta chiguraaku pappu–that Telugu delicacy of a dal–and, if you’re lucky and can find enough leaves on low-hanging branches, then to keep that unique puluppu or sourness a little bit longer, in the form of a chutney podi or gunpowder.

Foraging for tender tamarind leaves

[The following sections are mostly reproduced from this post.]

Tamarind leaves are beautifully frilly and delicate. Do you know how they came to be so? There’s a story told about a tamarind tree that grew over the hut of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana during their years of exile from Ayodhya. The tree had large leaves then, providing the trio with reliable shelter. But Rama, being Rama and ethical to fault, knew their exile was not to be a protected and easy time but a hardship and a travail—so he asked Lakshamana to pierce the leaves with his arrows. So it was that the puli maram came to have these beautiful pinnately compound leaves that look like frills in the morning light.

The tamarind tree or the puliamaram produces new growth after a spate of rains, so we usually see tender leaves appearing, then the dainty little bird-like flowers and the green raw tamarind in the latter half of the year, August or so onwards, and into the winter months. But if rains are unseasonal, as they have been here for some time now, the lush green growth can appear at different times, too. Keep an eye out.

You’ll want to find a tamarind tree growing in a place you can access–and one that’s clean enough to forage in. This may be trickier than it sounds. Many harbor fears about pulia maram ghosts, so the tamarind tree is rarely a backyard feature and much more a public fixture. Tamarind trees used to line most roadways in Tamil Nadu and other southern states, so much so that the felling of these trees for “road widening” development projects directly affected the price of tamarind! Nonetheless, it means that the best source of a foraging tree might be one along a public road in a reasonably clean or isolated spot.

I always feel a little guilty foraging tender tamarind leaves. I mean, this is the tree’s new growth after all and here we are, plucking it all off. Chances are, however, that you’re only reaching the lowest branches, and a few handfuls are all you will need for dal to serve 6 and a gunpowder to boot–so it’s unlikely you’re harming the tree by picking these leaves.

Still, it’s probably not a good idea anyway to strip a tree of all its new growth, even just from low-hanging branches, so take what you need and stop short.

Pick only the freshest, youngest, lightest green leaves. Anything that’s darkened is already too old to use. These may be slightly red-tipped, or they may be a light, lush paddy green. The flowers are edible, too, but leave those mostly to fruit! The leaves are what you’re after.

Keep in mind that these are very perishable. They will wilt and wither if left out, and will keep well even refrigerated overnight and not much more. Plan your foraging accordingly.

Cleaning and drying the leaves

As with most Indian cookery save sweetmeats, most of the work is in the collection, prepping and cleaning. The rachis of the tamarind’s pinnate leaf (the central stalk) is twiggy and inedible; it needs to be removed or the dal will have a layer of inedible and unpleasant sticks. This can be tricky because it, too, is tender and snaps easily while pulling leaves off. So this is slow, patient work. It’s best to sit somewhere and embrace the pause.

The image below is of my mother-in-law cleaning the greens we collected once to make chinta chiguraaku pappu, reproduced from that prior post.

Then, spread the leaves on a tea cloth and leave them in a dry, airy spot, out of direct sunlight to desiccate completely. This should take a few days. Don’t worry if the leaves feel still a little limp; you will crisp the leaves just prior to grinding so that they powder more readily.

The remainder of the process is described in the recipe below. All but the eating! Which is best with hot rice and a little ghee, or as an accompaniment to a simple dal, or really as you please for a nice nutty tamarind leaf-tang on just about anything.

Even maybe on a margarita or to use in place of salt on its rim!

Chinta chiguraaku podi

A gunpowder which gets its sour tones from tender tamarind leaves–a seasonal delicacy from the Telugu-speaking world. Sprinkle it over hot rice and ghee, along with a few more toasted sesame seeds, to give even plain white rice a remarkable makeover.

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup chinta chiguraaku / Tender Tamarind Leaves
• ¼ cup peanuts
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2-3 medium-sized kopra or dry coconut pieces
• 6-8 dry red chillies
• 3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Jaggery to taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Wash, clean, and shade dry the tender tamarind leaves by spreading them on a kitchen towel and leaving them in a hot, desiccating environment but out of direct sunlight. This usually takes 2-3 days.
• Once the tamarind leaves are dry, you’re ready to make the podi.
• In a heavy-bottomed or cast iron pan, dry roast the peanuts for a minute or two. Transfer to a plate to cool
• Repeat the process for the sesame seeds—dry roast till these start to brown and pop. Transfer to the plate with the peanuts to cool.
• Toast the coconut pieces until fragrant; set aside.
• Now add 1 teaspoon of oil to the same pan and roast the red chillies until they are browning slightly. Set these aside.
• Add the other 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the garlic until its barely beginning to brown. Set aside, but apart from the other ingredients.
• Finally, crisp the dry tamarind leaves on low heat or simply using the residual heat of the pan. Add a drop or two of oil, if needed.
• Add all the ingredients but for the garlic to a large blender jar and pulse until you have a medium-fine powder of uniform consistency.
• Add the fried garlic and pulse until combined.
• Add salt and jaggery to taste; pulse again.
• Bottle and store the powder. It will keep well for about a month at room temperature and twice that or more, in the fridge.