tamarind alternative

[mandimoo]

im going to make a mackerel curry, but it calls for tamarind paste, the only ingredient i dont have. are there any substitutes?

[The Big Gill]

I guess you want something sweet and slightly sour.
Are you sure you can't get hold of some tamarind paste? - it's widely available. If you really can't, I guess you could experiment with brown sugar and a little lemon juice. Tomato ketchup?

[The Big Gill]

HP Sauce! I'm not saying you'll get identical results, but have a look at this:

"As HP Sauce has always been more closely associated with hot chips than haute cuisine, it's as close as many people might get to tamarind, that sour flavouring beloved of fusion chefs. But who knows? Perhaps the Next Big Thing will be for chefs to incorporate the sauce into startling combinations to grace fashionable tables. HP ice cream, anybody?"

http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/wfi/ingredi ents/herbsspicesseasoningsandcondiments/990411 2.asp