Why We Like It
- 100% single-ingredient organic tamarind.
- No sulphur dioxide, which is the standard preservative in the category.
- Natural red-brown that darkens with age — a block that stays bright red has usually had help.
Ingredients
Organic tamarind whole (100%)
Single ingredientTamarind as it comes, with nothing added. Whole means the pods' pulp with seeds and fibre still in it, not deseeded pulp or paste.
No preservative
Not usedCommercial tamarind is routinely treated with sulphur dioxide or a permitted preservative to hold its colour and stop it darkening.
No added salt
Not usedSalt is commonly added to tamarind blocks as a cheap preservative and to add weight.
No added colour
Not usedTamarind naturally darkens from red-brown to near-black as it ages, and colour is sometimes used to disguise that.
Nutrition factsPer 100g
- Energy kcal
- 66 kcal
- Protein g
- 1.4 g
- Carbohydrate g
- 14.3 g
- Total sugars g
- 9.1 g
- Added sugars g
- 0 g
- Dietary fibre g
- 2.3 g
- Total fat g
- 0.05 g
- Saturated fat g
- 0 g
- Trans fat g
- 0 g
- Cholesterol mg
- 0 mg
- Salt g
- 0.02 g
Pure & Sure Imli versus other tamarinds
| What to compare | Purepicked | Regular tamarind |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredient list | Tamarind only | Often salt or preservative added |
| Preservative | None | Sulphur dioxide commonly used |
| Form | Whole, seeds and fibre in | Deseeded pulp or concentrated paste |
| Colour | Natural red-brown, darkens with age | Sometimes helped along |
| Farming | Certified organic, PGS processor code | Conventional, with no residue data published |
Is It For You?
Good for
Sambar, rasam and South Indian gravies
Chutneys, chaat and imli sauces, marinades and sour curries
Pulihora, puliyogare and tamarind rice
Avoid if
Cooks who want ready-to-use paste — this is whole tamarind with seeds and fibre, and needs soaking and straining
Anyone expecting a bright red-brown block; untreated tamarind darkens with age rather than being held with sulphur
Buyers who want a long-life pantry item that stays soft — without preservative it firms up over time
How to use
Soak a lemon-sized lump in a cup of warm water for fifteen to twenty minutes
Squeeze the pulp out with your fingers, then strain off the seeds and fibre
Use the extract in sambar, rasam and gravies; adjust to taste, since sourness varies batch to batch
For chutneys, boil the strained pulp down with jaggery and spices
What to look for in Tamarind?
Read the ingredient list. Tamarind should be one ingredient, but salt and sulphur-based preservatives are both common and both have to be declared.
Darkening is normal. Untreated tamarind goes from red-brown towards black as it ages, and a block that stays bright red has usually had help.
Check whether the pack says whole, deseeded or paste. Whole is cheapest by weight and most wasteful by volume, since seeds and fibre come with it.
Paste and concentrate are convenient but frequently carry preservative and sometimes added sugar.