Tamarind is the hero flavor in this tangy chicken dish from Goa, India. This is nothing like anything I’ve ever had in an Indian restaurant, and yet it’s delicious. Might I have been inspired to make it because it’s the rare dish that starts with the letter X? Maybe, but I’m happy I gave it a try.

The original recipe is in Ishtann: The Best of Goan Saraswat Cuisine by Padma Mahale, seventh edition 2019. I’ve made some alterations to use chicken pieces rather than a whole chicken and canned coconut milk instead of milking fresh coconut. It also calls for a lot less sugar than I used. But in my defense, I’m an American and we put sugar in everything, so you can keep this as sour or make it as sweet as you like.

1.5-2 lbs. chicken (e.g., 2 large breasts and 2 thighs or 1 whole chicken)
1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind pulp, soaked into a viscous liquid*
1 tbsp. turmeric (or a 1-inch piece of fresh)
1-inch piece of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
8-10 dry red chilies (or fewer to taste)
6 peppercorns
4 cardamom pods
1-inch piece of ginger
1 small garlic clove, whole
4 cloves
2 onions
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsps. vinegar
1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste; I used ~1/4 cup)
salt to taste
1/2 c. coconut milk

*I asked my local Indian grocer about this and he guided me to use dried tamarind pulp rather than paste or concentrate, since I’m not likely to use a full non-dried package before it goes bad. The dried package had a lot of seeds, so I guessed that the whole amount minus the seeds would equate the size of a lemon. If you go this route, soak in hot water for at least 30 minutes or so, or wait several hours. Then strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, keeping a viscous liquid. This process made about 1 1/2 cups, maybe the same amount that you’d get out of a small jar of tamarind concentrate. I used it all, and then added more sugar to the dish, so you might choose to use less tamarind and therefore less sugar. But tamarind has a delightfully tangy flavor, and brings a unique tang to a spicy Indian dish.

Cut the chicken into pieces. Apply salt and set aside.

Grind the spices into a paste.

Chop onions finely.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until brown. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry. Add a little water, over with a lid, and allow to cook.

After the chicken has cooked, add the masala ball. Add the tamarind liquid. Add the vinegar, salt, and sugar to taste.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.