Brown sauce recipe
Sweet with dates and molasses, sour with tamarind and malt vinegar, and gently spiced, this brown sauce recipe complements meat and cuts through rich dishes. No breakfast is complete without it.
Before you start cooking, read more about the history of brown sauce and get prepared with a couple of glass jars or sauce bottles. This recipe makes 1 litre (33fl oz) of sauce.
Tips:
- Look for tamarind pulp in Asian supermarkets, preferably the de-seeded version.
- It makes a great barbecue sauce to brush on ribs or chicken.
- Allow extra time for the sauce to cool, before putting it into a blender or food processor.
Ingredients
- 50 g tamarind pulp, chopped
- 500 g dates, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes or 1 large chilli, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp black treacle or molasses syrup
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tbsp fresh apple juice
- 5 tbsp brown malt or sherry vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Condiment
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 45 mins
- Cooking Time: 60 mins
- Serves: 12
Step-by-step
- Put the tamarind pulp into a large bowl with 500ml (17fl oz) boiling water. Leave it to soak for 30 minutes.
- Put the tamarind, reserving the soaking water, into a medium saucepan. Add all the other ingredients, plus 150ml (5fl oz) cold water. Mix everything together well.
- Bring to the boil, then cover with a piece of baking parchment and leave to cook on a gentle simmer for one hour, until softened.
- Allow the sauce to cool for 30 minutes, before putting it into a blender or food processor with the tamarind soaking water, and blend until smooth.
- Sterilise your jars by filling them with boiling water, leave to stand for ten minutes, then empty the water out and fill with the sauce. Seal with a lid. The sauce will keep for up to two months, but once opened, keep it in the fridge.
Lead image: New Africa/Shutterstock
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