Tamarind Paste Recipe

Tamarind Paste

It almost seems silly to post a recipe for Tamarind Paste since it's just dried tamarind fruit and water, but many people have asked me about it, so here it is. In Thailand it's called Makaam Piak (มะขามเปียก), and it's one of our most important ingredients. We use it in many different types of foods to add a clean and even sour flavor that is not bitter. Some of your favorite Thai dishes would not be the same without that Tamarind flavor. We have no idea why, but foreigners often refer to Tamarind Paste as Tamarind Water or Tamarind Juice, and you'll even see it labeled that way on packaged paste products. Tamarind Paste is a soft, thick, and creamy paste made by reconstituting dried tamarind fruit. Once fully dried, tamarind can be kept in a tightly sealed container in your kitchen pantry for a long, long time. If you do a lot of Thai cooking, we highly recommend that you take some home the next time you see it, and keep it on hand so you can make a little fresh paste as you need it. It beats the flavor of those bottled pastes, is completely natural, and is without the preservatives.

Yield: 1/2 cup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ready in: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup dried Tamarind
  • 1/2 cup Water

Basic Directions:

1) Soak the dried, shelled tamarind fruit in warm water for about 5 minutes. Work it with your fingers to loosen the fiber and seeds, until you have a stringy mush. Remove as much of the seeds an fibers as you can.

2) Put the mush in a strainer with a tight mesh. Push it through. What comes out the other side is tamarind paste. Discard the seeds and fibers. Store the paste in a tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for six months.

For more detailed information and a free video lesson, visit this web page: thaicookbook.tv/?rid=125