Tamarind Paste
Using fresh Tamarind pods make your own fresh homemade tamarind paste. You can use it in Indian cooking, Thai, Jamaican and Mexican. Add a spoonful to flavor curry, soups or even into meat taco mixes. In India it is used for a soft drink. Sort of like iced tea with an interesting tang or zing.
Yield
8 servingsPrep
20 minCook
20 minReady
40 minIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pound |
tamarind
whole pods |
|
| 1 ½ | cups |
apple cider vinegar
|
|
| ½ | cup |
brown sugar, dark
|
*
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 453.6 | g |
tamarind
whole pods |
|
| 355 | ml |
apple cider vinegar
|
|
| 118 | ml |
brown sugar, dark
|
*
|
Directions
Boil some water.
Remove the shells from the tamarind pods. Remove as much of the roots that run through the inside as much as possible. See the pictures above for and idea of how the pods and removed roots will look.
Cover the remaining sticky pulp with boiling water to soften for about 10 minutes. Run the softened mass through a food mill (if you have one) to remove the large seeds and any extra fibers remaining. If you don't have a food mill don't worry.
Place the mixture into a pot along with the vinegar and cider. Bring to a boil (reduce heat to maintain bubbling action) and cook until thickened into a paste.
If you didn't use a food mill run it through sieve to remove the seeds and remaining fibers.
I divide the paste by spoonfuls into ice cube trays and freeze. After freezing the tamarind "cubes" can be stored in a zip lock bag in the freezer for months.
