Fruity tangy tamarind is a key ingredient in tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. You’ll encounter its friendly flavor in sweets, sauces (glazes, dipping sauces), curries, and condiments (chutneys). Tamarind comes from Africa but was naturalized in Asia, where it appears in many cuisines, from the Philippines and Vietnam to India and Sri Lanka. Its gentle acidity balances the salty, sweet, spicy, pungent, bitter flavors of foods. Mexican tamarindo is a made from the same tamarind pod, too.
To use tamarind, cooks render the pulp of the pod-like fruit into liquid form to be added to dishes. In Asia, you’d buy a small amount of tamarind pulp at the fresh market and then make some tamarind liquid on the spot for the dish of the day. Here’s what tamarind looks like.
Where and how to buy tamarind?
Abroad, it’s a different story but not a bad one. You can simply make a bunch of tamarind liquid and with the magic of refrigeration, keep it for months, if not a year!
The tamarind you cook with is typically sour tamarind harvested at a young age. As the pods mature, they become sweet and can be nibbled on. Sweet tamarind is ocassionally sold at mainstream markets like Whole Foods. For sour tamarind, head to an Asian market with a South or Southeast Asian clientele. There you may find tamarind in guises like these — a box of sour tamarind in the produce section, containers of prepared tamarind “concentrate”, and slabs of tamarind pulp.
You may also see tamarind syrup, such as Tamicon, which lacks tamarind liquid’s thickness and complex layered flavors. Skip it.
Unless I’m in a hurry, the tamarind I keep on hand are slabs of seedless tamarind pulp. They may be called “wet tamarind”. Before buying, always press on the slab to ensure they are relatively fresh and soft. Suggested brands of tamarind pulp include Panda and Dragonfly, both are imported from Thailand. Unopened, tamarind pulp and prepared tamarind concentrate last a good year in the cupboard
If you get your paws on whole pods (check hardcore Little Saigon markets, for instance), keep them in the fridge. Slide them into a ziptop bag, close tightly, and keep chilled and they’ll last for at least 6 month.
Why (and how to) make tamarind liquid video tips
To do anything with tamarind, you must start with tamarind liquid (aka tamarind water and tamarind juice). There are many convenient options out there but good cooks agree that the best flavor comes from tamarind liquid you make yourself. That said, I know I need to convince you why and here’s a video to show you why and how you can make your own tamarind liquid.
How to make tamarind liquid from pods
Want to play with tamarind a little deeper? Work with the pods. You’ll gain an understanding of it as a wonderful plant and food source. Here’s a video to guide you along.
How much water to add to cook the tamarind pods? For each 1 ounce (30g) of pulp, use ¼ cup (60ml) of water. That’s why for 6 ounces (180g), I used 1 ½ cups (360ml) in the pot.
For the second pressing of tamarind solids, I used about 3 tablespoons of water. That’s roughly 1 ½ teaspoons of water per 1 ounce of solids based on the initial weight extracted from the pods.
How much do you yield from pods? It varies. For this video, I got 1 ½ cups (360ml) of tamarind liquid from 6 ounces of extracted pulp. In the past, I often got ⅔ cup (160ml) from 4 ounces (120g) of extracted pulp.
Tamarind liquid from pods vs a slab?
In general, the pods yields thicker, more tart tamarind liquid. How much you get depends on the quality of the pods. I buy my pods from a Vietnamese market and the product comes from Thailand. The flavor will vary too but those vagaries are not deal breakers because you can always tinker with dishes by adding extra sugar to lower tartness or acid to brighten things. Start out with something easy like this Tamarind Date Chutney recipe that comes together in 5 minutes and keeps nearly forever.
How to store and use tamarind liquid
Regardless of how you use the tamarind liquid, keep it refrigerated or frozen for long keeping. I use a jar for the fridge or freezer, 2 or 4 Tbsp silicone freezer trays (molds) if I want to portion it out, or quart-size ziptop bags to freeze. Don’t store tamarind liquid at room temperature because unlike commercial brands, homemade is devoid of preservatives.
Tamarind usage tips: Tamarind liquid is a flexible ingredient that varies with the tamarind tree and harvest. Its flavor can be a bright or a bit muddy and earthy. Given the variation, feel free to spike tamarind liquid with lemon juice or even a bit of vinegar to lift its tart notes. Whenever a recipe calls for tamarind liquid, tamarind water, or tamarind juice, it’s simply hydrated tamarind that’s been strained. Only 2 ingredients are involved — tamarind and water.
My recipe represents a ratio of tamarind to water that’s standard for many cooks. You don’t want to add too much water, or you’ll dilute the tamarind flavor too much. But you need to add enough water to obtain enough of the thick, cake batter-like liquid to use for delicious dishes, like this date and tamarind loaf cake! Once you have tamarind water in your kitchen, you’ll realize its super powers for flavoring food.
Tamarind Liquid
Watch the video to gauge the texture that you’re aiming for. One batch yields 3 ½ to 4 cups (.8 to 1L). Tamarind liquid varies in color and can be a lighter brown or dark brown. Just make sure it’s tart because there is sweet tamarind.
Ingredients
- One 14 to 16 oz | 400 to 454g package seedless tamarind pulp
- 4 cups | 1L lukewarm water
Instructions
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Prep the tamarind: After unwrapping the tamarind, pull and break it apart into small pieces no bigger than 1 inch (2.5cm). Drop them into a medium bowl as you work. Add 3 cups (720ml) water and use one or two hands to massage the tamarind. Within minutes, as the tamarind releases and hydrates, the mixture will thicken to the texture of chocolate cake batter. When you feel mostly solid bits in the liquid, stop.
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Strain x2: Pour the mixture into a coarse mesh strainer set over a large measuring cup (or a medium bowl). Stir and pres with a silicone spatula to expel as much liquid as possible. Return the solids to the first bowl, add up to 1 cup (240ml) of water, depending on how much solids you have. Stir with the spatula (or your fingers) to release more tamarind, then re-straining to yield 3 ½ to 4 cups (.8 to 1L).
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Stir to combine well before using or storing in a container. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
To keep tamarind liquid for up to 6 months, freeze it as 2 to 4 Tbsp portions. Or, put the liquid in a large zip-loc plastic bag and freeze it laying down on a flat surface like a quarter sheet pan. To use, gently tap it against the sink divider or similar edge to break off a chunk, thaw, then measure for recipes.