Tamarind Sauce

Tamarind plants are evergreens with bright green leaves that close up at night. They also have inconspicuous red and yellow flowers. The fruit, which is used to make this tamarind sauce, usually ranges from three to six inches in length with a hard, brown shell. Usually, Asian tamarind has longer pods, ranging from six to twelve seeds. On the other hand, African and West Indian varieties have shorter pods, usually with one to six seeds. The seeds are a glossy, dark brown color and covered by the tamarind flesh. Tamarind is described as having a sweetly acidic taste that grows on you! At first, I didn't much care for the taste, but then I found myself "tasting" it over and over! This sauce is also high in vitamin B and calcium, which is uncommon for a fruit. Now that you've gotten a lesson on tamarinds, let's move on to some more important issues, namely, how to use it in food! Some common ways are in jams and chutneys, as a snack, in ice cream, drinks, candy, medicine, and more. It's also present in Worcestershire and HP sauce, and it is a common ingredient in pad thai and many Thai style fish.

How do you use tamarind sauce?

Tamarind Sauce

by CJ Huang

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
				water
				tamarind, shelled

Methods:

1. Place seeds/flesh into hot/boiling water.
2. Continue boiling/simmering until flesh is loosened and desired thickness reached.
3. Strain/mash mixture to remove seeds.