Serves 2 - 4 as a starter or accompaniment)
Tamarind paste is the dried pulp (sometimes including the seeds) of the sour tamarind fruit. It adds a gentle, fruity tang, closer to lemon juice than vinegar. Find it in oriental shops and some supermarkets, or use lemon juice instead.
This silky sweet and sour dish tastes somewhere between an onion marmalade and a chutney, but more subtle and sophisticated than either. It improves with being kept a day or two. Eat it with cold meats or cheese, or by itself with Greek yoghurt and chopped mint.
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp caster sugar
1. Simmer the shallots in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain them, then peel off the brown outer skin once they are cool enough to handle.
2. Heat the oil and add the shallots. Cook, tossing them until they are brown all over.
3. Add the tamarind and sugar. (If your tamarind paste has seeds in it, then use about 3 tablespoonful, mix it with a little hot water and strain it first.)
4. Pour in enough water to come half-way up the shallots. Stir and cook, covered, for half an hour, until the shallots are soft.
5. Remove the lid and reduce the sauce a little if necessary. Serve at room temperature.
