Break your fast with Malaysian ‘pepper water’.
Pepper on the vine.
A Malaysian friend of mine taught me this recipe over 35 years ago whilst I was sharing a flat in Cardiff. It’s delicious at any time and you might enjoy it as a light way of breaking a fast. Also traditionally served if you are feeling slightly under the weather.
Char ‘Pepper Water’
Vegetarian
Ingredients
2 walnut size pieces of tamarind pulp
¼ cup boiling water
3 lightly crushed garlic cloves (skin on)
1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp mustard seeds
2 cups cold water
2 small dried chillies
Vegetable oil for frying
Description
This sour and spicy 'soup' can be used to flavour and moisten plain boiled rice or be served with dry curries.
Serves two to four.
Directions
Place the tamarind pulp in a cup or small bowl and cover it with a 1/4 cup of boiling water and leave to cool.
In the meantime lightly crush 3 cloves of garlic in a mortar and pestle or with the side of a heavy knife on a chopping board so that the flavour will be released during the cooking process. Roughly chop the garlic so that it can be divided into two equal portions.
Crush the peppercorns and cumin in a mortar and pestle.
Once the tamarind has cooled down sufficiently squeeze any stones from the pulp with your fingers and homogenise the mixture as much as possible.
Fry half the lightly crushed garlic, chillies and the mustard seeds until the seeds start popping in 2 tbsp of oil.
Add the cold water, tamarind extract, remaining garlic, crushed pepper corns and crushed cumin. Bring to the boil and it's ready.
Notes
Use tamarind concentrate if you don’t have pulp.
Optional - throw in some curry leaves as you heat the water.
Try stock instead of water.
There is no seasoning in the original recipe. Try adding a teaspoon of salt or more to taste. If you are that way inclined, add a couple of generous pinches of MSG.
The author’s efforts at cooking this recipe. © Steffan Stringer, 2024
Photos from Unsplash unless indicated.
